Hilroy says sorry for leaving Newfoundland, Cape Breton off notebooks’ Canadian map

“That’s our mistake, and we’re sorry,” it said. “To everyone who spotted it: you’re right and thank you for telling us.”

Hilroy’s parent company, ACCO Brands, said Wednesday that the faulty books have been on shelves since last year. However, it seems customers only recently noticed the errors. The mishap has generated discussion on social media, prompting posts from Newfoundlanders and Nova Scotians expressing their dismay.

The incorrect map even drew the attention of Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston on Wednesday.

“This is unacceptable,” Houston wrote in a social media post. “I’ve asked the Minister of Education to send the makers of Hilroy scribblers a map of Nova Scotia that includes Cape Breton and Newfoundland.”

The mistaken map also appears to be missing Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off the coast of British Columbia. An ACCO Brands spokesperson said the company is aware and addressing the omission is part of its “correction plan.”

Sean Cadigan, a history professor at Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L., said Newfoundland did not join Canada until 1949, and it has been left out of maps and descriptions of the country before. It can be a sensitive issue on the island, he said.

“When there are big tours and people say they’re touring Canada, Canada often stops somewhere in Nova Scotia,” Cadigan said in an interview Wednesday.  

“I think that’s just probably an old habit that often predates Newfoundland’s joining Confederation,” he added. “Obviously, people here want to emphasize, of course, since 1949, we’re part of Canada.”

Cadigan said the map was an “an embarrassing mistake” for Hilory.

“I wouldn’t read it as any intent to slight,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2026.

Lyndsay Armstrong and Eli Ridder, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Hilroy says sorry for leaving Newfoundland, Cape Breton off notebooks’ Canadian map

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