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Canadian and criminal justice history professor Gregory Marquis (MA’82) and author Mark Allan Greene (BBA'97) have launched a new podcast that looks deeply into the fog of Saint John’s history. Tales of traitors, epidemics, riots and famines abound in the early episodes, offering listeners a lively exploration of events pulled from the Port City’s storied past.

“We want to both entertain and enlighten — and the podcast format is ideal for these goals,” Marquis said. “We want Saint John to become better known to people outside the region.”

On September 17, Marquis, who teaches on the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Saint John campus, and Greene, an author, playwright and lawyer, launched Saint John: Nothing Happened Here with the first episode about an election riot in Loyalist Saint John in 1785..

The podcast will revisit these kinds of stories with a fresh perspective and examine little-known people, events and issues from the city’s past.

From archives to voices

Marquis’ interests revolve around criminal justice history, with a special emphasis on the history of policing, drugs and urban history. In recent years, he’s listened to a lot of podcasts that highlight his research interests.

“I have been interested in creating a history podcast for several years. Finally, in 2023, I had a conversation with [Mark], who suggested a focus on Saint John. He became my partner on the project,” said Marquis.

Both Marquis and Greene have been exploring Saint John’s history for decades. They aim to rely on published works, archival documents, old newspapers and interviews with authors and other experts.

A wave of connections

The story that immediately sparked media attention around Marquis and Greene’s new podcast is the 1968 plane hijacking at the Saint John Airport. The professor had a vague memory of the incident from when he was a child, but only realized its significance when he came across an old newspaper article that outlined the incident.

“The hijacking, or skyjacking, of commercial aircraft, for political or financial reasons - or sometimes just to get attention from media became a noticeable trend in North America by the late 1960 - and the first attempt in Canada started at the Saint John airport in 1968,” said Marquis.

“This story says a lot about the period and meets our goal of finding local stories that fit into larger national or international narratives.”

Having heard Marquis’ retelling of the event, folks who were involved in the hijacking resurfaced.

“We have been contacted by three of the passengers who boarded at Saint John and the daughter of another New Brunswicker on that flight.”

Marquis is excited by the prospect of interviewing those who reached out later this month.

Marquis and Greene are determined to revive the conversation around the impact of Saint John’s history on North American social, political and economic grounds.

“The port and the city’s rise in the 20th century as an industrial centre have shaped the city’s identity and image, as listeners will hear.”

A fall season to look forward to

The fall lineup will also include episodes on the devastating cholera epidemic of 1854, the violent York Point riot of 1849, the story behind the naming of the city’s streets, the impact of the Irish famine in 1847, the Saint John sojourn of the infamous American traitor Benedict Arnold, and of course, the 1968 plane hijacking.

UNB students, faculty and staff, and residents of the Saint John area should buckle their seat belts for these curious pieces of history to be explored on Saint John: Nothing Happened Here, which is now available to stream on platforms like Apple and Spotify. It’s an opportunity to get to know the local history from one of UNB’s own and an alumnus.

Most excitingly, people listening to Marquis and Greene’s podcast may just find their ancestors making Saint John history.

Visit Saint John: Nothing Happened Here for more information and links to show episodes.