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Created page with ''''Alastair Sweeny''' (born August 15, 1946) is a Canadian publisher, historian, and author. <!-- Delet…'
'''Alastair Sweeny''' (born August 15, 1946) is a [[Canada|Canadian]] publisher, [[List of Canadian historians|historian]], and [[List of Canadian writers|author]].


<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:ASPROMO.jpg|300px|right|Source: BlackBerry Planet (Courtesy the author)]] -->Born in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], he attended [[St. Andrew's College (Aurora, Ontario)|St. Andrew's College]], received a Bachelors degree from the [[University of Trinity College|Trinity College in the University of Toronto]], and a Master of Letters and Doctor of Philosophy from [[Trinity College, Dublin]].

Sweeny has managed research programs, produced reference and learning materials and consulted with many leading private and public sector organizations, including as an adviser to the Canadian government's Task Force on National Unity (the Pepin-Robarts Commission),<ref>Final Report; conversation with subject</ref> [[Library and Archives Canada]], [[Parks Canada]], Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, National Indian Veterans Association, Assembly of First Nations, Canadian Heritage, eLibrary ProQuest, Nelson Thomson Learning, Quebecor Media, Electric Library Canada and [[CanWest Global]].

In 1989, he produced "Canadisk", Canada's first multimedia CD-ROM as a joint venture with [[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]. In the 1990s, he developed learning materials for [[Apple Computer]]'s pioneering [[eWorld]] online service, and produced the original ''Encarta Book of Quotations'' (1999) with [[Microsoft]] Inc. and [[Bloomsbury Publishing]], London. In the 1990s he helped get Canada's SchoolNet under way, and developed the [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day On This Day in Canadian History] online service for [[Bell Globemedia]].

Sweeny has produced and written corporate history for a number of Canadian companies, including [[Investors Group]], Alberta Energy Company (now [[Encana]]), [[Magna International]] and [[Albert D. Cohen|Gendis, Inc.]]. He has done background research for Canadian authors such as [[W. L. Morton]] (research for a biography of [[Lord Strathcona]]), [[Peter C. Newman]] (Hudson's Bay Company series background history), [[Richard Gwyn]] (The 49th Paradox: Canada in North America), [[Pierre Berton]] (The Promised land) and [[Jeffrey Simpson]] (Spoils of Power).{{Fact|date=March 2008}} He is author of several books, including a biography of Sir [[George-Étienne Cartier]] (1976) and ''CanQuiz'' (2002). His "business biography" of the BlackBerry, [[BlackBerry Planet]], was published by John Wiley Canada Ltd in September, 2009, and his book on Canada's oilsands industry, [[Black Bonanza]], was published by Wiley in April, 2010.

Sweeny is currently Executive Director of the non-profit educational foundation, The Civics Channel, dedicated to research, teaching and learning in the areas of citizenship and society, politics, human rights and the justice system. He is co-author and producer of Civics Canada Online, as well as its print version, ''Civics Canada'' (2005), and the sponsored Canadawiki portal.

He is also Vice President of Northern Blue Publishing of [[Waterloo, Ontario]], and co-author and producer of History of Canada Online and Canada's First People, a pioneering history of Canada's native and aboriginal nations.

In 2008, he produced two open collaborative sites - The John A. Macdonald Portal and the Samuel de Champlain Portal - to serve as student resources on the life and works of Canada's first Prime Minister, and the founder of New France.

<!-- [[Image:CanQuizcoverimage.jpg|thumb|CanQuiz cover]] -->

==Bibliography==
*''[[CanQuiz]]'' (Key Porter, 2002) ISBN 1-55263-415-9
*''Civics Canada'' (2005) ISBN 0-9738025-0-2
*''Canada: Our Story, Our People'' (2005) ISBN 0-9780389-0-8
*''Canada's First People'' (2006) ISBN 0-9780389-0-8
*''[[BlackBerry Planet]]'' (2009) ISBN 0-4701594-0-5
*''[[Black Bonanza]]'' (2010) ISBN 0-4701613-8-8

==External links==
*[http://www.canadachannel.ca/HCO/ History of Canada Online]
*[http://www.canadachannel.ca/champlain/ Samuel de Champlain Portal]
*[http://www.canadachannel.ca/cartier/ George-Étienne Cartier Portal]
*[http://www.canadachannel.ca/pm/ John A. Macdonald Portal]
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