This time line consists of local, national, and international events relevant to the Canadian experience. It serves to contextualize the growth and evolution of VIU.
Source: The Canadian Encyclopedia Online
1990
- NASA sent the Hubble telescope into orbit on April 25.
- A standoff began on July 11 at Oka, QC when police attempted to storm a barricade erected by the Mohawk to block expansion of a golf course onto land they had claimed.
1991
- The census recorded the population of Canada as 27,945,000.
- An American-led international force launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq on January 16.
1993
- Protestors began blocking roads in Clayoquot Sound on July 1 to protest logging; almost 900 people were arrested.
1994
- The July 14 loss by the Vancouver Canucks in the 7th game of the Stanley Cup final ignited a riot in downtown Vancouver.
- The end of Apartheid was marked when South Africa rejoined the Commonwealth after holding its first non-racial elections.
- The Rwandan Genocide ended on July 16 after lasting 100 days and resulting in the death of approximately 800,000 people (estimates vary).
1995
- On October 30, Quebec held its second sovereignty referendum in 15 years. The "no" side won, with a 50.6% majority in a vote that saw 93.2% of the population participating.
- Leaders from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia signed the Dayton Accord on December 14, ending 43 months of genocidal warfare.
1997
- Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in an automobile crash in Paris, France on August 31.
1998
- Nanaimo's Port Theatre opened on September 19.
1999
- Nunavut became Canada's third territory on April 1.
- The world population reached 6 billion.