The Halifax Gazette – Nova Scotia, Canada’s First Newspaper, John Bushell, 1752

Halifax was founded in 1749 and just a few years later Bartholomew Green of Massachusetts decided to relocate his press to the newly established British colony of Nova Scotia. In the fall of 1751, Green set up a printing office on Grafton Street, but died just a few weeks after arriving in Halifax.

John Bushell, (who had been Green’s partner in Massachusetts, took his place. He moved to Halifax with his family, including his daughter Elizabeth, a skilled typesetter who assisted her father in the print shop. The country’s first newspaper, The Halifax Gazette, was published on March 23, 1752. It was one sheet, printed on both sides in two columns. Two woodcuts adorn the front page; on the left a ship in full sail, and on the right a hunter chasing game.

In the beginning the paper was the semi-official voice of the government and published mostly proclamations and laws. The Seven Years War (1756–63), however, brought a boom to Halifax as more merchants opened up shops. The Halifax Gazette became more independent, publishing news and advertisements; at times, it even lampooned the government. There were a few local ads, but in general Bushell filled the small paper with news excerpts from the newspapers of Britain, Europe, and New England.

In 1758, he took on Anthony Henry as an assistant and in 1760 made him a partner. Bushell died in 1761, and Henry took over as publisher. John Bushell is buried in the graveyard of St. Paul’s Church in Halifax.

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