Canadian Tire is bringing back the Bay blanket
Just in time for hibernate-at-home season
As the cottagecore among us had hoped, the Canadian Tire Corporation, in partnership with the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund, announced today that the iconic Hudson’s Bay point blanket will return, following Canadian Tire’s acquisition of HBC’s intellectual property last June.
Related: The Bay’s art collection is being auctioned off
Sales of the classic striped blanket will benefit Oshki Wupoowane: The Blanket Fund, described in a press release as “a national initiative that empowers Indigenous and Indigenous-led cultural, artistic, and educational projects and organizations.” (“Oshki Wupoowane” is Ojibwe for “new blanket.”)
In an effort to atone for its colonial history, HBC had launched the fund back in 2022, acknowledging its mistreatment of Indigenous communities during its origin as a fur-trading business. In the release, the company refers to the blanket as “both an enduring Canadian emblem and a symbol of colonial harm.”
Net proceeds will support two Indigenous-led grants, and Canadian Tire will share more information about blanket availability soon.
After HBC filed for creditor protection earlier this year and subsequently closed its stores, many wondered what would happen to the familiar striped design. Now, it’s nice to know we can still be cozy for a great cause.
Related: The Chinese billionaire behind the Bay’s acquisition says she may move to Toronto
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
