A tragic event in the history of the Kapuskasing area is being remembered in a new book.
Iroquois Falls native Charles Beaudoin has written The Reesor Siding Tragedy, Canada’s Bloodiest Labour Conflict.
In 1963, 11 people were shot, three killed during a confrontation between striking union members and independent woodcutters at Reesor Siding, a railroad siding, west of Opasatika.
Beaudoin says one area that struck him the most after writing the book was the work of the Ontario Provincial Police.
“So all of these guys knocking them over, on the way to knocking the wood down then getting shot at by the settlers, running back and knocking the police into the snowbanks,” he said. “And the police picking themselves up and looking after the wounded.”
Beaudoin started working on the book in 2019 but encountered numerous delays including the COVID-19 pandemic. Beaudoin says the book was a family affair with everyone getting involved.
“My wife was reading as I went along giving me her comments,” he said. “My grandson I asked him to do the illustration for the book cover. He was only 16 at the time and he jumped in and did that. My sons and their wives helped with technical stuff.”
His brother Ron was a police officer at the incident and was also interviewed. On Thursday, Oct. 3, Beaudoin will speak at the Kapuskasing Public Library from 2-4 pm.
He credits the public library for help in researching the book.
Listen to the full interview below:
