Bearing Witness
Journalists, Record Keepers and the 1917 Halifax Explosion
Saturday September 30
3-5pm
While admission is by donation, Preregistration is Required
Mississippi Mills Public Library, Almonte Branch
155 High Street
On December 6, 1917, the Belgian Relief vessel Imo struck the munitions-laden freighter Mont-Blanc in Halifax Harbour. Soon after Mont-Blanc, exploded in a devastating 2.9 kiloton blast, killing 2,000 people and injuring 9,000. Over 200 were partially blinded and some lost all sight. More than 6,000 people were made homeless, and an additional 12,000 were left without shelter. Join Explosion historian Michael Dupuis as he takes you through the day of the explosion and introduces you to the journalists who covered the disaster. Michael's presentation is based on his book Bearing Witness Journalists, Record Keepers and the 1917 Halifax Explosion.
Michael Dupuis is a retired history teacher, consultant and author. In 2006 he was a consultant to CBC television for the documentary Bloody Saturday and in 2011 to CBC television for the documentary Titanic: The Canadian Story. In 2014 Michael published Winnipeg's General Strike Reports From The Front Lines, in 2017 Bearing Witness: Journalists, Record Keepers and the 1917 Halifax Explosion, in 2018 The Winnipeg General Strike Ordinary Men And Women Under Extraordinary Circumstances and in 2020 The Reporter and the Winnipeg General Strike. He holds a BA (English) and MA (History) from University of Ottawa and a BEd from University of Toronto. Michael resides in Perth, Ontario with his wife Christine and golden retriever Ben.