Admittedly, I’ve always been a fan of reporters. Even though it seems their influence has diminished over the years, the role of the local reporter seems more important than ever. In Thunder Bay one of our very best is Ian Pattison, who was born and raised in Port Arthur and has a proud family history of community service.
His Grandfather, Russell Brown, was a city councillor, ship’s officer, auto dealer, federal Indian Agent (he was named honorary Chief Clear Sky by the Fort William Band for his long service) and, early on, was involved in a local family business called Brown’s Meats, the Lakehead’s first chain store that delivered products by horse-drawn wagon.
Russ lived until the ripe old age of 104, a milestone that Ian, now 77, would like to achieve. A collection of family artifacts is stored at the Thunder Bay Museum where Pattison served on the board.
Pattison held the position of reporter and ultimately editorial page editor at The Chronicle-Journal until his retirement in 2018 after 50 years at the paper.
“I’ve worked with so many talented reporters and journalists who passed through the city on their way up the career ladder,” said Pattison. People like Gord McLaughlin, now a senior writer at CBC’s the National; John Geddes, the Ottawa Bureau Chief of MacLeans Magazine; David Aiken of Global TV; Reg Sherren of CBC TV, Larry Hennessey of Rogers radio Vancouver and of course, Cory O’Kelly who went on to be widely popular at CBC Ottawa. Pattison recalls working with the Irish scribe to help hatch O’Kelly’s Pub, the city’s premier St. Patrick’s Day party.
Pattison still marvels at the power local media and newspapers had over the years. We discussed the Thunder Bay Press Club, which was a grand institution that was started back in the ‘40s. It was an active organization where many involved with local media would gather to socialize.
Pattison was president in 1989 and worked to expand a speakers program that would bring newsmakers to the city to provide professional development for reporters.
The annual Christmas party included an awards ceremony that featured well-orchestrated skits in which people in public life would hope to be targeted by the shenanigans that ensued.
“It was pretty brutal at times,” said Pattison, “but a badge of honour to be spoken of.”
Each year’s highlight saw four reporters, including Pattison, dress up in tutus, wigs and stockings to dance ballet in front of the crowd. Betty Cotton, a well-known Thunder Bay dance teacher, would rehearse with the participants to make sure “The Dance Of The Sugar-Tongued Hairies” was well choreographed for maximum effect.
“And the Fickle Finger of Fate award was given to the local politician who provided the biggest gaffe of the year. Not surprising, there was a waiting list for tickets.”
Pattison reflected on the hustle and bustle of the old News-Chronicle newsroom, which often contained 30 or 40 writers and editors on the second-floor banging on their manual typewriters to get the story completed for the daily deadline.
“I covered everything...police beat, court house, council meetings. People devoured their local newspaper when it arrived. Things may have changed, but the newspaper still provides a vital local connection to the community and what is important,” said Pattison.
The rise of social media has been hard on the industry. “There are no filters and no fact checks on social media and now everyone expects news for free. Editorial is expensive to deliver, so it was always a target for budget cutting.”
One example of how powerful the newspaper companies were at one time was evident when Terry Fox was forced to stop his Marathon of Hope here on Sept. 1, 1980, after another cancer diagnosis. The Toronto Star, a grand paper with an arsenal of resources and money, chartered a plane to get here in time to cover the story. They reportedly tried to convince the Fox family to let them fly Terry home to B.C., but the Canadian Cancer Society arranged for the Ontario Ministry of Health to provide a plane instead. Terry died in New Westminster hospital the following June at 22.
But in Pattison’s view the biggest story he has been involved in was the inquest into the deaths of seven young people who were hired by the Ministry of Natural Resources as Junior Forest rangers in Nakina in 1979 and perished in a prescribed burn after a sudden shift in winds. It was a national story that resulted in a formal government inquest in Geraldton.
“I was there with reporters from the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and the CBC,” Pattison recalled. “David Cheadle and Douglas Shaw, prominent local lawyers, represented many of the families who lost children in the fire. It was a horrific story to cover.”
One of Pattison’s most memorable interviews was with former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. “He was a force in a room, you felt his presence, yet he made time for smaller market reporters like me. He was gracious, forthcoming and thoughtfully defended his position when being questioned.”
Another big career moment was when Jane Fonda, who was at the height of her career in the late 1960s and took a vocal stance against the Vietnam War, appeared before a packed house at Lakehead University and talked off the cuff for about an hour. “I was lucky enough to get an interview with her. She was informed, opinionated and, like Trudeau, had an undeniable presence. You couldn’t look away when she was speaking. I remember my dad was so proud that I was able to meet with her,” said Pattison.
Back in the day, the term “Stop the Press!” was an expression used when a huge story broke while the newspapers were being printed. Pattison admitted that they didn’t stop the press that often since there was a small army of workers waiting outside of the loading dock waiting for the papers to roll off in bundles and get them to carriers to deliver on time.
The pressure back then to beat other local media was enormous. “I remember rushing back from council meetings with the then editor of the paper standing over me, smoking a cigar and yelling, “Get me that story!” said Pattison.
Upon deciding to retire in 2018, Pattison lasted about two weeks after leaving The Chronicle-Journal building on Cumberland Street. “I missed the rhythm of the job almost immediately, the discipline of the routine. I pitched the management about writing a weekly column in the Saturday paper that covers local stories and provincial and national topics I care about and they loved the idea.” In the six years since Pattison’s Point first appeared he has missed just one week.
Ian and his wife of 33 years, Susan Kew-Pattison, met at the newspaper when she was the executive assistant to the publisher. Susan still works at the paper as an account executive and creates their special features. Their home on Cloud Bay is their pride and joy.
“I’ve had a wonderful ride, and I hope to keep doing what I love for many years to come,” said Pattison. As long as there is a newspaper, Ian vows to continue to get to the heart of the story and still make time to have some memorable moments along the way.
