Julie Trépanier-Boisvert, Fictional Reporter: The Revival of Print Media in the Early 20th Century

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the granddaughter of Henriette Trépanier and George Boisvert. Born in La Tuque, my grandmother worked her whole life for Le Nouvelliste. Maybe you’re familiar with her work from earlier in the exhibition. You might not know that, in the final years of her career, she was hired as a staff reporter by the same newspaper.

I never knew my mother. She died while giving birth to me. As for my father, he was an industrial worker. He spent his working life amid the suffocating heat of pulp and paper mills. I never met him, either. I was raised by my grandparents in the Saint-Marc neighbourhood of Shawinigan. Everyone always tells me that Saint-Marc was the city’s working-class neighbourhood.

Map of Shawinigan (1955)

Following in the footsteps of my grandmother and Claire Roy, I went into journalism. Fortunately, in 1981, there was a position available at Le Nouvelliste’s Louiseville office. I remember it like it was yesterday!

It was a sunny day, and I drove there in my Pontiac Firefly. You wouldn’t believe how much traffic there was! I had completely forgotten that the town was holding its annual Buckwheat Pancake Festival…

Louiseville Buckwheat Pancake Festival (1981)

I arrived a few minutes late and, against all odds, the interview went well! I got the job, and I’ve been working there full-time ever since. In my columns, I mainly talk about feminist issues in politics and the arts. And because I have a personal interest in sports, I cover that beat too. Even if it’s a favourite of my male colleagues.

From time to time, I enjoy reflecting on the accomplishments of female athletes from the past. This serves to remind the women and men of today that everyone, regardless of gender, deserves a chance to participate in whatever sport they choose.