Carleton Place Library to mark Halifax Explosion anniversary with Author Michael Dupuis

The Halifax Explosion in 1917 remains one of the most devastating events in Canadian history — a blast so powerful it reshaped a city and claimed nearly 2,000 lives, and left a lasting imprint on the country’s collective memory.

As the anniversary nears, the Carleton Place Public Library (CPPL) will commemorate the anniversary of the Halifax Explosion next week with a special presentation by historian and author Michael Dupuis who will examine and discuss how the disaster unfolded and how journalists documented its aftermath.

Dupuis, who has spent more than a decade researching major events in Canadian history through the lens of journalism, told Lanarkist that his deep dive into the national disaster began while investigating an entirely different story — the Titanic.

“I had written about Canadian journalists sent to New York City in April 1912 to cover the Titanic story,” he explained. “Two Ottawa reporters, Tommy Gorman and Grattan O’Leary, were among them. I figured that when the Halifax Explosion occurred both papers would have sent correspondents to cover the aftermath — and sure enough, I discovered both Gorman and O’Leary were again sent on the disaster assignment.”

That discovery opened the door to a much larger project and Dupuis eventually uncovered the work of more than 20 Canadian and American journalists who reported on the explosion and its aftermath. He tracked down their original dispatches on microfilm and used them to write ‘Bearing Witness: Journalists, Record Keepers and the 1917 Halifax Explosion’ in 2017 for the 100 year anniversary.

His latest novel, ‘The Woman Reporter and the Halifax Explosion’, draws from the same interest in historical reporting but adds a fictional dimension to explore the censorship and political fallout that followed the event.

According to Dupuis, the main character, Kate Dawson, is based on two real women reporters who covered the explosion. “In doing so I could show that a female reporter could do just as good a job as any male reporter,” Depuis shared. “Plus a woman reporter in those days had to tolerate bias against her by male colleagues and various officials.  The Woman Reporter and the Halifax Explosion is a testimony to women journalists of that era.”

At his upcoming talk at CPPL on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at 1 p.m., Dupuis will discuss both the disaster and the impact of the journalists who documented it — including the extraordinary speed, detail and accuracy of their work.

“In the case of the Halifax Explosion, the on-the-spot coverage, including accurate and graphic reporting, by visiting and local Canadian reporters and American correspondents, not only informed Canadians, many of whom had fathers and sons in Halifax waiting to convoy to the battlefields of Europe, but equally important, resulted in millions of dollars flowing to Halifax for relief and recovery efforts for the battered community,” said Dupuis.

One story in particular that still astonishes him from his research is that of James Hickey, Halifax’s Canadian Press chief.

“Despite being injured by the blast, within 30 minutes he gathered enough details and found a live telegraph wire to send a 100-word bulletin to the Associated Press in New York,” Dupuis told Lanarkist. “From there, the story went nationwide. Later in the day, he filed a detailed follow-up full of remarkable observation.”

The author argues that the role of journalists in 1917 cannot be overstated or overlooked. Their dispatches not only informed Canadians — many with family stationed in Halifax waiting for transport to Europe — but also triggered millions of dollars in relief funding for the devastated city.

In his talk, Dupuis says attendees on can expect an engaging blend of storytelling, original reporting, and historical insight. “They’ll learn the story of Canada’s greatest maritime disaster, become familiar with the 20 journalists who covered it, and, if they pick up the novel, discover Kate Dawson’s investigation into a conspiracy to scapegoat three innocent men,” he said.

The event is free to attend, and Dupuis’ book ‘The Woman Reporter and the Halifax Explosion’ will be available for purchase on site for $30 cash. Those wishing to attend can email Heidi Sinnett hsinnett@carletonplace.ca.