Video series Alberta’s Past: A New Lens recognized with 2026 Heritage Award in Heritage Awareness category
Did you know that JavaScript was invented by an Albertan? Did you know that Indigenous Peoples in Alberta got the vote for all Indigenous Peoples in Canada? Did you know that Alberta researchers were involved in the discovery of insulin?
These are questions often asked by Dr. Frits Pannekoek, a professor of history and past president of Athabasca University—and questions he answers in an award-winning video series, Alberta’s Past: A New Lens.
The seven-part video series covers Alberta’s history through the theme of innovation and economic contributions that have shaped the province. It brings together diverse voices, sharing new perspectives on Alberta’s heritage. The videos “explore Alberta's historical writing, its Indigenous, cultural, political, technological and medical history, and the history of its extractive industries as well,” he said.
The idea for the videos came to Pannekoek after an event in the 2010s, when the Governor General was speaking about innovation in Canada. He began to wonder about exploring Alberta’s history from that perspective.
After talking to 30 or 40 fellow members of the Alberta Order of Excellence, he and colleagues at AU created the AU course HIST 456: Alberta History and published the video series earlier this year on YouTube, making it freely available to everyone.
“After fifty years working with Albertans to interpret their past, making the videos available to all Albertans was the least I could do to repay them for their generosity of knowledge, and their time,” he said. “All of us involved in the videos are delighted that the videos were awarded the 2026 Heritage Awareness Award.”
Dr. Manijeh Mannani, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, said she was happy the faculty was able to support the project and to see it earn this well-deserved recognition.
“His work brings Alberta’s history to life in an engaging and accessible way, connecting scholarship with the broader community,” she said.
The video series is a production of the Calgary Civic Trust in association with The Narrative Lens, funded in part by the Government of Alberta and Athabasca University. You can learn more about the project on the Alberta’s Past: A New Lens website, and watch all seven videos on YouTube.