What Is The Initiative?
The purpose of The Marshall McLuhan Initiative, Inc. (The Initiative) is
To honour, celebrate, and extend the life’s work of Herbert Marshall McLuhan (1911 – 1980), who grew up in Winnipeg; graduated from Gladstone and Earl Grey Schools, Kelvin Technical High School, and the University of Manitoba (Gold Medalist, Class of ’33, see left); was a devout Christian, a beloved professor of English literature, prophetic poet, satirist, and the renowned communications theorist/visionary and media guru that we recognize today.
The raison d’être of The Initiative is to promote Marshall McLuhan’s prairie (and especially Winnipeg) roots and his Christian faith. In particular, the Initiative strives to educate Winnipeggers — whom Marshall affectionately called “Winnipigeons” — about McLuhan, who was one of Canada’s greatest public intellectuals; and to celebrate his heritage with like-minded people throughout the “Global Village.”
News
The Pebble 2.4 (October 2026)
Contents: Welcome to McLuhan’s Salon!
The Pebble 2.3 (September 2026)
Contents: Introducing the McLuhan Salon; Aftermath of the Media Ecology Annual Convention; The Winner of the Media and the Write Competition, 2026
The Pebble 2.2 (June 2026) FUTURE
Contents: The “Welcome Home, Marshall” Bus Tour & Reception; A Sneak Peak into the Winnipeg MEA Convention; A Special Note of Thanks to Jaqueline McLeod Rogers, PhD; Evaluation of 507 Gertrude Avenue’s Inaugural Participation in Doors Open Winnipeg Weekend
The Pebble 2.2 (June 2026)
Contents: The “Welcome Home, Marshall” Bus Tour & Reception; A Sneak Peak into the Winnipeg MEA Convention; A Special Note of Thanks to Jaqueline McLeod Rogers, PhD; Evaluation of 507 Gertrude Avenue’s Inaugural Participation in Doors Open Winnipeg Weekend,
The Pebble 2.1 (January 2026)
Contents: The Blue Plaque Unveiling at 507 Gertrude; Marshall McLuhan information evening Kelvin High School, “Remembering and Extending Marshall McLuhan: Class of 1928”; The Presentation of The Medium and the Light Award for 2025; The Media and the Write Competition launch; Evolution of the design to transform 507 Gertrude Avenue into The Marshall McLuhan Centre
Proposed Design #1 for The Centre
Midway through 2025, The Initiative commissioned Neil Minuk to draft plans for a renovation of 507 Gertrude Ave into The Marshall McLuhan Centre. Here is the plan that was submitted. With this design, we would be able to accomplish all of our aspirations for The Marshall McLuhan Centre, including accommodations
The Media & the Write Competition
In this spirit, the Marshall McLuhan Initiative Inc. (“The Initiative”) is launching its inaugural “The Media and the Write” contest. The competition is open to all undergraduates at post-secondary institutions and Grade 12 students in Manitoba who wish to explore aspects of Marshall McLuhan’s thought
Unveiling of the Blue Plaque
The Marshall McLuhan Initiative has been approved for a Blue Plaque!
Blue Plaque Unveiling in the Free Press
We are delighted to announce that unveiling of the blue plaque by The Marshall McLuhan Initiative has been featured in the Winnipeg Free Press today.
Kelvin High School Celebrates Famous Alumnus, Marshall McLuhan
What is on everyone’s mind in this, the digital and “information” age? It’s the deception of false Artificial Intelligence and its looming threat to the human race. It’s the tantalizing lure of social media and their deleterious effects on our children. It’s the explosion of information that bombards our environment with
The Pebble 1.2 (July 2025)
Contents: Tribute to Richard J. Osicki; Polish Scholar visits Winnipeg; “Polished” Author and The Initiative Board Member Receives MEA Awards; The Initiative achieves charitable status; The Initiative chooses the contractor to transform 507 Gertrude Avenue; The Initiative chooses its Webmaster; A Blue Plaque for 507 Gertrude Avenue; Marking the 100th Anniversary of Marshall McLuhan beginning his studies at Kelvin Technical High School
The Initiative in the Free Press
The Winnipeg Free Press visited Howard and Esther recently and today has published a lovely article about the purchase of 507 Gertrude Ave.
Events
Guest Speaker (TBA)
Speaker will be announced shortly
Game Night with the Distant Early Warning (D.E.W.) Card Game
Game Night with the Distant Early Warning (D.E.W.) Card Game, created by McLuhan himself, with introduction/rationale.