Simma Holt: Rosie the Riveter of Canadian Journalism

By Alicia Costa

Undoubtedly one of the most exciting and frightening times to be entering the world of journalism is now. The slow death of the traditional newspaper as the only way to get news is plunging traditionally trained journalists into new and un-chartered waters. The greed of corporate owners of many newspapers coupled with the advancements in technologies is making "the grey lady" newspapers obsolete. For example, CanWest's $4-billion debt has lead to massive decreases in locally produced news content, thus severely understaffed newsrooms are producing less than good journalism as a result.

However, online news sites, fast becoming the standard for the masses to access their news owe a lot to their predecessor, the newspaper. Online news sites have opened up the door for untrained writers or "citizen journalists" to post anything. Thus writing, pay and employment levels for trained journalists are at all-time low.

The history of journalism is Canada in built on a foundation of people with strong ideals who paved the way for the journalists of today. The birthplace of Canadian journalism was in Halifax where the first newspaper, Halifax Gazette, was founded in January 1752 by Bartholomew Green. These early papers grew as an avenue to inform the people about politics and trading along the east coast.

Historically a male-dominated profession, newspapers did not often feature female journalists and women were rarely allowed near a newsroom. However, a shortage of men in World War II opened the door for several female reporters across Canada. One of them has been Simma Holt, the self-proclaimed "Rosie the Riveter of Canadian Journalism" who entered the newsroom of The Vancouver Sun in November of 1944 at the age of 22.

Holt's autobiography, entitled Memoirs of a Loose Cannon (Seraphim Editions, 2008), chronicles her life and career as a 30 year reporter for the Sun, the first Jewish woman to be a Member of Parliament and a volunteer on George Bush Senior's presidential campaign. Having similar feelings and thoughts about the profession of journalism lead me to try to track her down.

We met on a sunny afternoon at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club near downtown Vancouver where Holt has been a member for over 40 years. With a dazzling smile and sparkling eyes Holt spoke frankly about her life, career, and the people she has met over the years. Even at a time in Holt's life when she should be on a beach somewhere sipping margaritas she is still writing and fighting injustices in society. She smiles as she talks about running into people she wrote stories about 50 years ago: "When you live a long time and have a news sense stories have a sequence." Holt shared a particular story about a crack addicted baby, who she had very much earlier in her career written a story about who had recently contacted her to tell her how her had life turned out.

LIFE WITH THE NEWSROOM "BASTARDS"

Holt's experience as the "token girl reporter" in the newsroom of The Vancouver Sun was challenging for Holt. She constantly had to be one step ahead of the male reporters who were constantly trying to edge her out. "I was the young girl [in the newsroom] with all these bastards," she said with a smile. The Sun's editor at the time was Himie Koshevoy who she credits in her memoir as being "the most important person in my professional career" (Holt, p.58). He supported her throughout her career at The Sun. "[ But] If the bosses didn't help me I would have fought to keep my job," she said.

Dealing with harassment from the male reporters who pinned up pornography around the newsroom and wrote rude comments about her writing and intelligence on her copy was a daily experience for Holt. "[Many women today] have no idea what it was like to be totally alone and just be lucky to be in it. It was no place for women," she said.

Survival in a man's world meant not allowing the men she interviewed and worked with to see her as sexual being. "I didn't get involved sexually with any of these men. They called me ‘the sexless wonder of Canadian journalism,' but I liked it that way." She chuckled as she told me she never really had to deal with men hitting on her when she was trying to be professional because she just threw out a vibe that said, "Keep your distance baby."

Leon, Simma's husband of 37 years, is a prominent character in the book and in her life. He accepted her decision to devote her life to journalism and not to a household. Unlike many women journalists I have come into contact lately who also sacrificed having children to dedicate their lives to journalism and have regrets about it, Simma doesn't. "You can't have regrets. I made the decision," she said. "I would have left my husband if I couldn't do journalism, and he accepted that." One of her most startling comments during the interview was this one: "I love journalism more than any human being."

As many papers (especially in the United States) are folding in favour of the cheaper and ultimately more sustainable online version, many journalists are struggling to stay afloat in the industry. "I loved the life and I am so sad because newspapers are so crucial," she said. Simma does believe the papers will ultimately make a comeback because there will be dedicated individuals who fight to bring them back.

FROM VANCOUVER SUN TO VANCOUVER-KINGSWAY

At the age of 52 Holt left the newsroom at The Sun after winning the Vancouver-Kingsway riding with the Liberal Party of Canada. Despite her reservations about making the leap into politics and the bad political advice she occasionally received, Holt made women a real presence in the House with her outspokenness. It also helped that she had a close friendship with the Prime Minister of the day, Pierre Trudeau. Once again she found herself in a man's world, struggling to right the wrongs and defend her right to be there.

Simma Holt around the time she was a Liberal MP from British Columbia

After the death of her husband Leon in November of 1985 Simma was offered a spot on George Bush senior's presidential campaign. Being always the ever curious reporter, she went along for the ride despite some upset comments from her former colleagues. "My close friend Barry Broadfoot left a howling vulgar message on my machine. He said in effect, ‘…crazy dumb broad… have you gone insane? How the hell can you work for those bloody a—hole Republicans, you [who were] once a Liberal Member of Parliament?' When he finally talked to me in a long-distance phone call I told him, ‘Hey buddy, if you had the chance to work and hear what I am hearing, and declined, you would not be much of a reporter.'" (Holt, p. 214).

THE CONDO CON HALTS HOLT – TEMPORARILY

In 1989 Holt returned to Canada, eager to retire somewhere quiet to write her stories and books. In the spring of 1999 she purchased a condo in Port Moody for $110,000 outright without a mortgage in hopes she could use it for a home and office. However, a few weeks after the purchase, she was informed that she owed $31,280 to help reconstruct the leaky condo complex. She had been misled about the state of the building, and about the fact that behind her walls was mould. Unable to sell the condo, Holt had no choice to stay while the walls were ripped apart around her and she developed lymphoma. For seven years Holt fought with lawyers to bring public and political attention to her plight and that of hundreds of others in similar situations all over the Lower Mainland. Now, fully recovered and out of the condo, Holt is still a force to reckon with.

Although I was greatly inspired by Simma's memoir and her life story, she is not pleased with the end result of Memoirs of Loose Cannon. Holt plans to revise the book and re-release it sometime in the future. Because she was living in one of the infamous leaky condos while writing the book she was distracted and felt she did not get to say everything she wanted to. "I just kept flashing back to Leon's dreams and how it [the condo] was the end of the dream," she said. Leon had hoped that in their retied years they would be financially stable enough to enjoy the rest of their lives. The financial and emotional cost of the leaky condo situation was obvious in the way Simma spoke. However, once again it presented her with a new challenge and a fight for justice.

Simma Holt's memoir is an inspiring story about one woman who paved the way for the female journalists of today. In the book she credits her work to rally people and bring attention to the leaky condo scandal in Vancouver as the last major fight of her life. In fact, however, she is far from throwing in the towel. One of the last things she said to me was this: "As far as America is concerned there is still a lot of racism which is dangerous too." Simma plans to continue writing until her last day. "I really want to write a book about being a bitch and how to survive."

Alicia Costa, originally from Kelowna B.C., currently resides in East Vancouver. Graduating from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies in 2008, she is currently in Langara College’s Journalism Certificate program. She hopes someday to break into daily news writing and radio.