History Timeline

What follows is a chronology of significant events in the history of Dumont Press Graphix. Beginning in the 1960s students at the University of Waterloo were engaged in politically motivated activism on a range of issues affecting student life and society in general. This spirit of activism and community engagement led to the founding of Dumont in 1971 and served as inspiration for like-minded people throughout Canada and beyond .

The events recorded here are far from a complete history of the times. Readers are encouraged to add their thoughts and memories, either through comments or by writing to the editors at gabe@dumontpressgraphix.ca.

1960s

1965, September: 2000 students march from Seagram Gymnasium to Waterloo Square to protest disenfranchisement by Canada Elections Act. 

1966, November 18: 300 students stage bookstore sit-in following four years of frustration with high prices. Organizers include Tom Patterson, Stewart Saxe and Steve Ireland.

1967, January: Week-long conference of Student Union for Peace Action (SUPA) is held at Co-op residence. SUPA organizers include Waterloo's Peter Warrian and Lakehead University's James Harding.

1967, January 27: The Chevron reports on rumours that RCMP undercover 'narcs' are investigating marijuana use on campus.

1967, October 21:  120 students march from downtown Waterloo to Kitchener City Hall to protest the war in Vietnam, one of several demonstrations across Canada in opposition to the war.

1968, August 1:   Eddie Hale and Phil Elsworthy rent apartment in Waterloo Towers on University Ave, a meeting place for many of the people who move to 192 King St. Across the street, 132 University Ave. is one of K-W's first "hippie houses".

1968, October: Plans for a new student residence, dubbed "Habitat 69", are denounced by the students it's meant to serve who set up a picket line to show their displeasure.

1968, November 13: Students gather in the arts quadrangle to observe the burning of a dog to protest the use of napalm on civilians in Vietman.

1968, November and December:  Members of The Chevron staff and the Radical Student Movement (RSM) make several trips to Peterborough in support of striking newspaper staff during a lengthy and bitter dispute with management at the Peterborough Examiner.

1969, March 13: The RSM organizes a "study-in" to protest underfunding of the library. One student is arrested.

1969, May 19:  Massive fireworks display on the Village Green at the university to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike. Incendiary elements were donated by Roddy, who had found them in a wooden crate somewhere in Milton. Roddy did not smoke, and never had any matches.

192 King Street South

1969, August 1:  Fourteen student journalists, political activists and fun-loving hippies move into a big old nine-bedroom house at 192 King Street South in Waterloo. It soon officially becomes the Gabriel Dumont Memorial Co-op, though it was often referred to simply as "192".

1969, December 26 to 31:  National Conference of Canadian University Press held at the U of W, coordinated by Brenda Wilson, Frank Goldspink and Stewart Saxe. Major discussions on the underground press internationally and the emergence of the alternate press in Canada. Jim Klinck and Gary Robins abandon plans to travel to Europe and decide instead to launch a community newspaper in Kitchener-Waterloo.

May 1:  The Gabriel Dumont Memorial Co-op restructures to become the Gabriel Dumont Memorial Commune, with the expressed purpose of launching and publishing a still-unnamed alternative community newspaper.

May 9:  On a bright Saturday morning, Commune members join about 80 student activists on two chartered busses and head off to the U.S. Consulate in Toronto, joining about 5,000 of their friends in expressing their dismay and displeasure with the American War in Vietnam and Cambodia. By current political standards, a rather "tame" event, though we had to stop in at #52 Precinct on our way back to Waterloo to bail out about a dozen of our more excitable friends.

192 Strange Street

June 1:  With more people wanting to join the Dumont Commune and help produce the new community newspaper, a second house is rented at (and it's only a coincidence) 192 Strange Street in Kitchener. Seven members of the existing commune move over to the new house, where they also set up an office and production space for the paper.

June 23:  First issue of On the Line is published, as an eight-page biweekly tabloid. Lead story covers a lengthy and bitter labour dispute at the Dare Cookies plant in Kitchener.

July 11:  In a discussion that originated during a rock festival at Seagram Stadium in Waterloo, and continued late into the night, a plan is conceived and developed to establish a co-op typesetting and publishing house to support the production of On the Line. Co-conspirators and visionaries included several of the newspaper's staff, along with Norm Bolen from the Prairie Fire in Regina and Frank Brayton, from Northern Press Graphics in Montreal. About nine months later, Dumont Press Graphix was born.

October 27: Ed Hale and Rod Hay establish Dumont partnership.

October 27:  Last of nine issues of On The Line is published.

November 19: Negotiations begin for the typesetting contract with The Chevron.

April: The doors open on Dumont Press Graphix. The Chevron agrees to work with Dumont.

June 7: Dumont Press Graphix is officially incorporated.

June 11: First issue of The Chevron is produced.

September: After operating with a skeleton staff for several months, Dumont goes on a hiring spree to meet the upcoming demand for its services.

September 18: First issue of The Spoke.

September 28: First issue of the Cord Weekly.

Dumont Ducks are born in response to a challenge from effete university intellectuals, led by a certain L. Darryl Burko Esq., to a water polo game. Unfortunately the intellectuals prevailed. However, Howard the Duck and the slogan “Dare to Struggle, Dare to Win” live on in Dumont history.

Peterborough Examiner strike

March:  A Beginner's Guide to the Struggle in Ireland is produced by members of the Dumont Press staff, published in partnership with The Chevron and a number of other student newspapers and alternative press publications. Distribution (free) was 65,000 copies, project co-ordination by Gary Robins, Bob Mason, Bill Aird and Rod Hay.

Commercial work: The Ontarion, Guelph News Service and Alive Press. Lots of work from UW Federation of Students

Non commercial work expands: Praxis, Our Generation, Alternate Society, King St. Works, Women’s Press, Citizens in Action, This Magazine is About Schools, the Food co-op, On the Line.

Labour customers: East Coast Worker, Industrial Workers, Dare workers.

New publications:

The Maker magazine challenges the skills of Dumont workers.

Highrise and Superprofits becomes the first book to be published by Dumont Press Graphix.

December 17: DPG Employees Association is officially incorporated.

March 24: Dumont affiliates with CNTU.

July 11:  First issue of the Kitchener-Waterloo Free Press, a weekly community newspaper, hits the newstands and targeted neighbourhoods. Publication was organized by about a dozen former student journalists, with significant participation from a number of Dumont staff.

September: The Food Paper is produced by a group of Dumont Press staff members and published in partnership with The Chevron; co-ordinated by Gary Robins and Ken Epps, with participation by Carol Beam, Jim Campbell and Tim Grant.

Thursday, Sept. 19: Bob Mason and Mike Canivet begin the drive to the Boston area to pick up the VIP, planning to drive through the night, get the machine and be back in Canada Friday afternoon. When the Vermont customs agents lock the back of the truck on the return trip because they got to the border after 5pm the boys lost their bedroom. The sleep deprived lads manage to finally get to the Canivet family cottage near Kingston without incident early Saturday morning. Customs release the new machine on Monday to great fanfare at the shop.

Cuban Women Now is produced at Dumont Press, published by the Women's Press.

Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution is first collaboration with Black and Red Press (Detroit).

Better Read Graphics begins association with Dumont.

November: Major hit to the bottom line when a 6 year old Terrina Harding finds, unrolls and uses a complete roll of stamps. This expense is close to a monthly wage.

Theory of Capital Reproduction and Accumulation is published (a very challenging exercise in typesetting). 

June 20:  Fifth Anniversary Gathering for Dumont Press attracts over 150 smiling faces from across Canada to an idyllic rural setting near Chicopee. Music, softball, homemade ice cream, visits, big feast, fabulous time.

Chevron implodes. Free Chevron starts.

Development Education Centre (DEC), based in Toronto, begins association with Dumont.

RCMP Sabotage. Opaquing error changes education requirement for new recruits to Grade 1. Mixed reactions among Dumont workers and predictable one from RCMP (no sense of humour there). Culprits never found however the statute of limitations is up if anyone wants to claim the glory.

Second Annual Fifth Anniversary gathering.

Between the Lines begins. The Big Nickel by Jamie Swift is published.

Free Chevron/Imprint saga continues.

Reading, Writing and Riches by Nelson W. Randel and David A. Nock is published by Between the Lines.

Getting Doctored by Dr. Martin Shapiro is published by Between the Lines.

The Phone Book by Joan Kuyek is published.

December:  Reorganizing and restructuring for the future, the Existential Crisis of '79.

1981, March: Production begins on the Iron Warrior, a newspaper produced by the Engineering Society at UW. There are differing opinions about working with this group and the work overlaps with working on Imprint. We decide to give it a chance to see how it works out.

1981, June 28:  Tenth Anniversary Celebration for Dumont Press is held in an idyllic rural setting just north of Waterloo. Weather was fine. Highlights included volleyball, lots of music, great food, political news, a lot of visiting, speculative gossip and insightful analysis.

1983, April 24 and 25:  Dumont Staff Retreat. First day to discuss political/philosophical issues, second day to discuss practical implications.

1983, November: The subversive insertion of she/he pronouns by an unknown perforator, proof reader and/or paste up artist is not appreciated by the editor of the Iron Warrior or the UW Engineering Society.

1986, September 26:  First in a series of meetings to discuss the winding down of Dumont Press Graphix and distribution of its assets.

1991, August 3 to 5:  Dumont Press 20th Anniversary Gathering and Reunion is held at a camp just north of Waterloo. A ceremonial Dumont Ducks softball tournament is wildly popular, particularly with the inclusion of a new generation of Ducklings.

1994, July 29 to August 1:  Another Dumont Reunion at Bruce Mines brought together most of the usual suspects, several arriving this time by sailboat. The food, as usual, was superb, softball tournament pitted the Old-Timer Ducks against the Next Generation Ducks.

2000, August 4 to 6:  The Dumont Press Millennium Reunion is held at the Foreman's Club, a secluded and tranquil spot just north of Waterloo. Most attendees appear older and wiser.

2011, July 29 to August 1:  Dumont's 40th Anniversary Celebration is held, also at the Foreman's Club. A new competitive sport, bocce ball, is introduced, leaving waterpolo as merely a distant memory. Highlight of the weekend is a visit to the old Dumont Press building, temporary home of the Rod Hay Memorial Library.

2017

Between the Lines 40^th anniversary.

2020

Spring brings dreams and thoughts of A People’s History of Dumont and action is initiated by house bound fellow travellers in the newly unfrozen city of Regina who are soon joined by memorabilia buffs in Toronto, Montreal, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barry's Bay, Sudbury, Victoria, Vancouver, Thunder Bay, and Ottawa.

Cataloguing of the long stored archives of Dumont is begun in Kitchener.

2021

Dumont's 50th Anniversary

A People’s History website is launched into cyberspace.

2041

U Vic has received, scanned and archived Dumont material.

2127

Historian stumbles across archived Dumont material. They approach Between the Lines during 150^th Anniversary celebration and together publish a bestselling, world famous book celebrating the olden tymes and the vision of past fellow travellers.

Projects and publications perhaps worthy of special research and mention:

The paper on Westons, Hysteria, Red Menace, Health Sharing, Wages for Housework, KW Free Press, Women’s Place, Kids Can Press, Hogtown, Latin American Working Group, The Maker, Body Politic, Before We Are Six, Brantford Free Press, Other Woman, Alternatives to Alienation.