Reporter in Disguise: The Intrepid Vic Steinberg

On Amelia Bloomer List 2014

Who was Vic Stein? A man who enjoyed a pint of beer at the rugby match? A young woman who worked behind the counter at a local department store? A seamstress in a sweatshop? Yes - she could be any and all of these characters, depending on the story she was chasing for her popular column in the Toronto News.

Over 100 years ago, Vic Stein was breaking ground. She was one of the New Women, a Bachelor Girl who pursued a career in investigative journalism-- hardly the type of lifestyle for an upper-middle class young lady. But she had to be stealthy, secretive, and cunning if she wanted her scoop.

There are many details we do not know about this secretive and feisty journalist - we don’t even know her real name! - but one thing we know for sure: Vic Steinberg would be laughing if she knew that decades after her death, people are still wondering about her and trying to solve the puzzle that was her life.

Christine Welldon is the author of several children’s books including The Children of Africville; Children of the Titanic; Molly Kool: Captain of the Atlantic; Canadian Pacific Railway: Pon Git Cheng; and Pier 21: Listen to My Story. Her work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail and in The Fiddlehead, Canadian Business and Omni magazines. Christine currently divides her time between Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and Toronto, Ontario.