{"id":879803,"date":"2026-09-01T19:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/879803\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T19:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T19:18:11","slug":"wheres-newfoundland-ask-shocked-residents-looking-at-hilroy-exercise-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/879803\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Where\u2019s Newfoundland?\u2019 ask shocked residents looking at Hilroy exercise books"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

As a new school year approaches, parents and students are out buying new school supplies \u2014 but one classroom staple has people in Newfoundland and Labrador demanding answers.<\/p>\n

Hilroy Canada exercise books are known for the map of Canada on the cover. The design for a glossy version of the notebook also features the map but it’s missing some of Canada\u2019s geographical features \u2014 namely Newfoundland and Cape Breton.<\/p>\n

When handed a book by CBC News, Victor Aucoin, a teacher, initially admired the design but on closer inspection asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s Newfoundland?\u201d before laughing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no Newfoundland. Oh, so we don\u2019t exist in Canada, OK! That\u2019s nice to see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most beautiful island on Earth and\u2026 we didn\u2019t make it to Canada,\u201d he added, shaking his head a little. \u201cWhat a sin.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ManVictor Aucoin, a teacher, says he plans to contact Hilroy to request the exercise books be removed from shelves. (Danny Arsenault\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Aucoin said given the province’s economic importance to the country, it was shocking to see the island missing, adding he won\u2019t be buying these books.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know in my classroom if some children come in, I will ask them to tell their parents to contact Hilroy and file a complaint, as I will as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added his mother is from Cape Breton.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait till I call her and tell her Cape Breton is no longer part of Canada. She\u2019s going to be pleased. No Newfoundland. No Cape Breton,\u201d he said, again shaking his head.<\/p>\n

Aucoin reiterated the situation is unacceptable and he would be contacting the company to tell them to take the new exercise books off the shelves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an uproar.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s not clear when the design was released. CBC News has contacted ACCO Brands, which owns Hilroy, for an interview but did not hear back by publication.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s bananas\u2019<\/p>\n

Johnathan Goodyear, also looking over the new design, said it was \u201ckind of crazy\u201d that Newfoundland is missing and wondered how it happened. He\u2019d like to see the company recall the exercise books.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s bananas,” he said.<\/p>\n

Goodyear added Newfoundland and Labrador has contributed a lot to Canada, especially on a military front, so \u201cknocking us off is pretty rough.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some people worried the omission could have a detrimental impact on students learning about the country.<\/p>\n

Goodyear is concerned it could leave students unaware of the country\u2019s geography.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WomanRose Wilkinson says Newfoundland should be included in the cover’s map and worries people don\u2019t know where Newfoundland is. (Danny Arsenault\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Rose Wilkinson said Newfoundland should be included in the cover and worries people don\u2019t know where Newfoundland is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like most people don\u2019t think of it as a place [in] Canada because it\u2019s so small,” she said.<\/p>\n

Dace Gruchy, who initially admired the new design for its bright colours, was also unimpressed when he noticed Newfoundland was missing from the cover.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s mad disrespectful,” said Gruchy. \u201cWe should be on this \u2018cause we\u2019re part of Canada.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Download our\u00a0free CBC News app<\/a>\u00a0to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our\u00a0daily headlines newsletter here<\/a>. Click\u00a0here to visit our landing page<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":879804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48],"class_list":["post-879803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=879803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/879803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/879804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=879803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=879803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=879803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}