2015 BNC Booklet

TABLE of CONTENTS

MESSAGE

PRESIDENT ’ S

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Spring temperatures have finally arrived. So too has the time to honour the great work of Ontario’s Community Newspapers. We received over 1,800 entries for the 2015 Better Newspapers Competition, showcasing the hard work that goes into every community newspaper. The publishers, editors, reporters, photographers and designers work diligently to hold their newspapers to the highest of standards. One look at the entries submitted, and you will no doubt agree that Ontario’s community newspapers have some very talented staff!

Our competition added two new categories this year. Best Headline Writing was created to showcase the creativity and the impact a great headline has to engage the reader. While the second category, Most Creative Grip and Grin Photo seeks to award the creativity and originality of the ever present photograph of cheque presentations, ribbon cuttings and award ceremonies.

We have a lot of people to thank for the success of this awards program.

First, to the judges who after a full week of putting their paper to bed spend their evenings and weekends reading and re-reading entries, sharing their thoughts and wisdom to make our program the success it is.

Next, to our sponsors for their generous donations allowing OCNA to offer a great program to highlight the accomplishments of our members. Thank you again for your continued support.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2015 OCNA Better Newspapers Competition.

Dave Adsett President Ontario Community Newspapers Association

GENERAL EXCELLENCE classes 1 - 8

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 1 CIRCULATION 1,999 & UNDER

1

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

MINDEN TIMES

The Minden Times is a very strong paper throughout. There was no area they produce a poor product and presented the best overall package. Quite often when judging, it comes down to first impressions. Minden’s front page photos were the best, as was its photography throughout. Good photos command the reader’s attention. As usual with winners, the editorials were excellent. Many do a poor job, some don’t offer local editorials and insight which is disappointing. Local writers are a must in editorials. A crisp, clean layout.

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE

This is a small-town newspaper that excelled in virtually every category. It earned particularly high marks for community news, presentation, advertising content, classified advertising, local features and production quality. It is a high-quality, easy-to-read publication that serves its readers in a vibrant, thorough fashion.

BLYTH/BRUSSELS CITIZEN

It might be prejudice on my behalf, but I love seeing smiling faces on the front page. It gives the reader a good feeling moving forward. The Citizen also has a wide variety of news coverage with good writing. This more than made up for the grey areas, which need to be broken up a bit with larger photos and/or graphics. Picture reproduction and/or printing is a small concern, but there are lots of photos to keep the reader interested. I find your cut line style interesting and very unique. My college instructor says as long as the style is consistent, never to delete points. One criticism: don’t put letters to the editor in the Sports section. However, with all that said, the news coverage more than compensates. A fine product.

The winners of this year’s OCNA competition have brought exceptional employees together, applied their talents and work ethic and produced papers that are the most informative and visually appealing. By and large, the newspapers in this category did a commendable job of delivering local information of note to their readers. Variances existed in the quality of design, ads and photography, but each newspaper had a certain charm and a clear intent to serve their communities. Compared to the rest of Canada, your papers use a lot more white space which is refreshing and easy to read. The winners of this year’s OCNA competition have brought exceptional employees together, applied their talents and work ethic and produced papers that are the most informative and visually appealing. Every community publication has its strengths and tries their best every day to bring their readers and viewers accredited local and regional coverage. By being the sources of record and integrity you maintain your community’s history and hence its future.

Judges

Jonathon Naylor Editor The Reminder Flin Flon, MB

Grant Harris Publisher & Sales Manager The Interior News Smithers, BC

Chris Clegg Editor The South Peace News High Prairie, AB

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 2

CIRCULATION 2,000 - 3,499

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

1 Judges

The Haliburton County Echo is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when all members of a team are pulling in the same direction. From writing and photography to page layout and print quality, the Echo demonstrates quality at every turn of the page. Readers get a great look into the community the newspaper serves. Solid reporting, insightful opinions, useful information, excellent photographs – I simply can’t find anything not to like about this newspaper.

FORT FRANCES TIMES

The Fort Frances Times seems to be connected to its community. It has a lot of local features, variety in sports, and a lot of photos. There were several letters to the editor in each issue, which demonstrates readers are engaged. It is also easy and enjoyable to read.

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT

The New Hamburg Independent was chocked full of local news, offered a variety of voices on the opinion pages and showcased the community and advertisers in features, such as a minor hockey salute. The paper didn’t shy away from reporting the news of the day, a voyeur sentencing case, as well as features on a variety of topics of interest to readers in the community.

It was a pleasure to read through all of the entries in this category. Community newspapers in Ontario continue to excel in their role as the eyes and ears of towns and rural areas, and are truly the only reliable source of local information for readers. Long may these newspapers continue to fulfil this very important role. While some of the papers in this category would benefit from playing photos bigger, using larger headlines and offering a modular format –all offered solid editorial content, the basis of any community newspaper. People love reading about their family, friends, and neighbours. As always, it was a pleasure to judge. Thank you!

Rob Vogt Editor Claresholm Local Press Claresholm, AB

Lorne Eckersley Publisher, Reporter Creston Valley Advance Creston, BC

Peter McCully Publisher Parksville Qualicum Beach News Parksville, BC

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 3

CIRCULATION 3,500 - 6,499

1

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

NIAGARA THIS WEEK, TOWN CRIER

Niagara This Week, Town Crier is a newspaper that gets it right. The paper is willed with a mix of hard news and features, with the stories supported by strong photography. The paper also offers readers an interesting opinion section. The package is completed by lots of great-looking, effective ads. Readers get a wealth of information each week from this paper.

EGANVILLE LEADER

The Eganville Leader offers a clear window into the community. There were varied voices debating on the opinion page, local community news, a healthy sports section and a glimpse at the community past through a time capsule. It contains strong topics and writing, coupled with solid photography and production values that draw the reader into the paper.

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

Nunavut News/North has an outstanding mix of hard news and features, which combine to make this newspaper an engaging and essential read for its community. The paper does a great job tackling the tough stories, but achieves great balance with quality features that go beyond routine reporting. A great job by the staff while dealing with the unique challenges presented by the North, and while working in two languages.

It was a pleasure to judge the entries in Class 3. The newspapers in this class are obviously “on the ground” in their respective communities, covering local meetings, helping fundraisers and volunteers, gathering news and capturing sporting moments. The readers of the newspapers appear to be responding positively as shown with Letters to the Editor, Viewpoints and active Classifieds sections. Strong news coverage, excellence features, good photography, attractive ads and great design were hallmarks of these papers. They are strong representatives of the high quality work that is being done by community newspapers in Ontario.

Judges

Frank McTighe Editor & Publisher The Macleod Gazette Fort Macleod, AB

Jordie Dwyer Reporter & Photographer Ponoka News Ponoka, AB

Peter McCully Publisher, Parksville Qualicum Beach News Parksville, BC

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 4

CIRCULATION 6,500 - 12,499

1

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

NIAGARA THIS WEEK, THE LEADER

Prominent photos and a clean front page, coupled with a wide-open second page and stimulating editorial pages, help Niagara This Week, The Leader, stand out among the crowd. Fonts used are crisp and pleasing to the eye, copy is lively and the bread-and-butter of our industry – local, local, local – is more than evident in the copious amount of community and sports coverage.

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

The Huntsville Forester brings a wealth of quality local editorial content to its readers, paired with an easyreading layout and captivating photography to draw readers into the story. A strong editorial page with a number of letters from informed readers proves the influence of the publication within the community. A variety and good balance of sports coverage, local features and community news is essential to retaining a broad readership, and the Huntsville Forester seems to do a great job in each category.

GLANBROOK GAZETTE

One of the Glanbrook Gazette’s strengths is its impeccable design, allowing for everything from small news briefs to full-page features to shine. The easy-to-read editorial mix is informative and very community minded. Ad features are attractively displayed, providing value to both readers and advertisers. This community is very well served by its newspaper.

In the digital age, breaking news is always just a click away, but the community newspapers in the general excellence competition showed the desire local journalists and their readers have to dig deeper into the story. There are many stories competing for shrinking space in newspapers these days, and figuring out how to divvy up this valuable real estate is a challenge. Newspapers need to keep readers front and foremost – not town councillors who want to see their comments quoted, or community groups that need help promoting an event. One truth remains: people like reading about other people. The papers that did well blended a mix of “things readers should know” and “things readers want to know.” Local advertising is just as important as local editorial content, and most of these newspapers have found a way to mix quality advertising content and editorial content to benefit their readers in every way.

Judges

Martha Perkins Interim Editor Glacier Media Vancouver, BC

Zak McLachlan Editor Wainwright StarEDGE Wainwright, AB

Sponsored by Metro Creative Graphics

Chris Foulds Editor Kamloops This Week Kamloops, BC

12,500 - 22,499

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER

GENERAL COMMENT

1 Judges

The Elmira-Woolwich Observer had a sharp front page, good community content, a strong editorial page and plenty of sharp, crisp photos. It also offers a huge number of news and community short tidbits, as well as a very detailed sports section. It really has the total package and does exceedingly well at what a community newspaper should, reflect the readership it serves.

MIDLAND/PENETANGUISHENE MIRROR

The Midland/Penetanguishene Mirror was a strong second, with particular strengths in local news, photography, editorial and sports pages and general advertising content. It offers readers a complete glimpse of their community.

WATERDOWN FLAMBOROUGH REVIEW

The Waterdown Flamborough Review was very similar to its Metroland stable mates in the greater Hamilton area, but edged out others in the judging due to crisp photos, a strong editorial page and local news coverage.

2 3 15 ENTRIES

Frank Bucholtz Columnist, Blogger & Retired Editor Langley Times Langley, BC

Walker

Andy

Editor Island Farm Montague, PEI

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 6

CIRCULATION 22,500 - 44,999

WATERLOO CHRONICLE

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

1 Judges

The Waterloo Chronicle’s main strength is its focus on community news and local features, as well as the overall look of the newspaper. The Chronicle also has a very strong sports section, which really pushed it over the top; it is extensive, with very engaging content and layout. The importance of sports sections in community markets cannot be overstated. Aside from sports, although somewhat text-heavy and monotonous at times, layout is interesting and uses photos well when they are printed, and front pages are clean. One major strength of the Waterloo Chronicle is its editorial pages with local content and opinion pieces that are relevant to readers.

NORFOLK NEWS

The Norfolk News found great success in three areas that are most important to community newspapers: community content and features, a strong sports section, and local photography. Layout is generally engaging, with the front page drawing in the reader, despite sometimes taking too much liberty with fonts – there should be a more consistent feel between editions. Weak classifieds certainly hurt the final score. Having said that, the Norfolk News recognizes the significant importance of community sports sections and strong, localized editorial pages: two areas that are often undervalued by community newspapers.

SARNIA JOURNAL

A snowboarder sailing across the sky and a 37-pound carp were the bright, colourful photos that invited readers to open up the competitive issues of The Sarnia Journal. Once inside, a bright layout, plenty of local focus and lots of colour pics make the Journal a vibrant page-turner.

The top papers in this category did what community newspapers need to do – deliver community news, sports and features. However, it must be stated that the news holes of many community newspapers seem to grow smaller and smaller every year. Native advertising is becoming more noticeable and it’s disconcerting to see ads placed in non-traditional advertising spots. Publishers and editors should continually be aware of the need to provide the news in newspapers.

Sponsored by Northern News Services

Ben Proulx Editor Sherwood Park News Sherwood Park, AB

John Kendle Managing Editor Canstar Community News Winnipeg, MB

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 7

CIRCULATION 45,000 & OVER

1

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK

Picking a winner in any newspaper competition can be a long and contentious process. However, sometimes a paper leaps to the front of the line on the strength of its content and imaginative spirit. This was the case as this year’s judges awarded Peterborough This Week first prize over some incredibly close competition. Other papers may have submitted very good work, but the power of the hard journalism was too compelling to overlook. The good work continued on This Week’s inside pages, with insightful columns, numerous letters to the editor, entertainment and lifestyle features and a comprehensive sports section.

BRANT NEWS

The Brant News is a good example of what a community newspaper should be. It focuses on local news and clearly presents it through well laid out pages. Starting with strong front pages and moving through the news, editorial, features, arts and sports sections, there was always something interesting to read and see. All in all, congratulations to the publisher, editors and staff for a job well done.

OAKVILLE BEAVER

With compelling local stories and a clean, uncluttered layout throughout, the Oakville Beaver was a pleasure to read. The Beaver’s sports and arts coverage helped set it apart from the competition, as did the paper’s design; photographs were given room to breathe, while clearly labelled section heads made for easy navigation of the paper. It’s clear the Beaver does an excellent job of keeping the residents of Oakville connected, and its staff should be very proud of the well-rounded newspaper they have produced.

This competition demonstrated that community newspapers occupy a special place among readers and provide a source of local news that is unlikely to be found anywhere else. Smaller papers continue to evolve with modern layouts and ideas. Most have come a long way since the days of endless grip and grin cheque presentations and that can only be judged as positive news for an industry beset with challenges. In all, the entries in this year’s OCNA competition prove community journalism is alive and well. Every one of this year’s entries provide great value to the communities they serve.

Judges

Jeff Holubitsky Editor St. Albert Gazette St. Albert, AB

Robert Mangelsdorf Managing Editor Westender Vancouver, BC

Anthony Bonaparte Associate Editor The Suburban Montreal, QC

GENERAL EXCELLENCE CLASS 8 COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO | IMPRINT

Imprint is an overall excellent student newspaper, with a clean front page, compelling design, good use of graphic elements and solid, informative storytelling. Whether seeking story suggestions from readers or offering multiple points of view via columnists, the paper seeks to engage its audience. The photography is good, but too many photos lack cutlines, leaving out important information for readers. Remembering to include cutline information with all photos would improve this top-rate product.

DURHAM COLLEGE | THE CHRONICLE

The stories are generally well written and informative, with a good cross section of content available in a neatly packaged product. Readers receive a mix of relevant news, features and profiles. The paper is well laid out, with a clean design and good use of space. The Chronicle also includes well thought out editorials and reasoned local opinion relevant to the reader, something that seems lacking in many of the entries.

LOYALIST COLLEGE | THE PIONEER

When it comes to visual storytelling, the Pioneer is well ahead of the pack. It clearly excels in photography, which is the paper’s forte, and uses an overall attractive design. Too many submissions seem to use photos as an afterthought, which is unfortunate, but with the Pioneer it is often the focal point. The visual elements are coupled with very interesting personal stories from the community and strong local features. While the overall judging criteria didn’t work in Loyalist’s favour, the strength of these existing elements helped buoy it into third place.

HONOURABLE MENTION

CENTENNIAL COLLEGE – The East York Observer is a small paper that packs a lot of punch, with strong headlines, great leads, some of the best written news stories found in the submissions and just plain good storytelling. What it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. However, its overall excellence was pulled down by some of the criteria in place, thus earning it an honourable mention.

GENERAL COMMENT

These student papers are generally covering a variety of very important issues with well written and researched stories. There’s a lot of creativity with infographics and design, which is refreshing to see. A number of submissions lacked editorials, which was surprising since post-secondary institutions is where one would expect to see reasoned arguments and a paper willing to take a stand on an issue. Photos are an important element and needed to be given more play in some papers. The judging criteria worked against some excellent publications. Overall an impressive display of what our upcoming journalists can accomplish.

Patricia Lonergan

Patricia Lonergan began her career as a reporter at a small Nova Scotia weekly, and has earned numerous journalism awards since. In 2006 she helped launch an Ottawa urban start-up, City Journal. She served as editor-in-chief at Transcontinental Media before joining Metroland Media Ottawa, where she launched four community papers in 2010. She is currently the editor-in-chief of Metroland Media South, which includes The Mississauga News and The Brampton Guardian. Patricia is a graduate of Carleton University (BJ, MJ).

PREMIER AWARDS

PREMIER AWARDS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TORONTO CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS

2 3

A compelling narrative by Toby Saltzman supported by a layout that showcases well the imagery from the exhibition.

NORFOLK NEWS

A clever lead, punchy quote, strong narrative and colourful description that brings the reader to the setting -- this all adds up for an interesting read written by J.P. Antonacci about a colourful character on the local arts scene.

KANATA KOURIER-STANDARD

Adam Kveton’s great use of the delayed lead technique, which brought me into Le Grand Chapiteau right there with him.

HONOURABLE MENTION

WATERLOO CHRONICLE – Through your choice of quotes and a strong narrative, Bob Vrbanac did great work in portraying the personalities of this local couple and their passion for film and the arts.

GENERAL COMMENT

I was impressed by a high standard of reporting and offer kudos to those reporters and photographers who so enthusiastically conveyed through words and pictures that people are what make a “community.”

1 Judge

Layne Christensen

Editor, North Shore News, Vancouver, BC

Layne Christensen is editor of the North Shore News, an award-winning media organization that delivers news and opinion online and in three weekly print editions, serving the communities of North and West Vancouver, B.C.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST BUSINESS & FINANCE STORY

1

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

How great to see a community paper devote the resources and space for such an in-depth story written by talented journalists Ian McMillan, Jillian Follert and Reka Szekely. A pleasure to read.

WHITBY THIS WEEK

This is an outstanding piece by Parvaneh Pessian that asks a question that typically is ignored. Great research and well told.

BRAMPTON GUARDIAN

Excellent. I am sure this story was very helpful to readers interested in the issue. We tend to over-rely on readers memories. Good work Peter Criscione!

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 66 ENTRIES Judge

Lorne Eckersley

Publisher, Reporter, Creston Valley Advance, Creston, BC

Lorne Eckersley has been in the newspaper business in several capacities for 37 years. He publishes and writes for a community newspaper, the Creston Valley Advance, and two magazines, Food and Wine Trails and Canadian Grapes to Wine.

PREMIER AWARDS EDUCATION WRITING

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

Exceptionally well researched, written and presented. The effort put into this story in terms of research, writing, collaborating among each reporter and photographer, has resulted in ‘must-read’ journalism. It sets a high bar for all reporters, in both teamwork and commitment to reporting out an important issue, in this case, racism in local schools.

2

OTTAWA EMBASSY

Nice lead in, and good follow up with statistics to back up the need for the story. This piece, by Carl Meyer was written with the advantage of travel, but the effort and resulting story is commendable all the same.

3

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Jeff Morris gives us a well written, emotional story with clear impact for the immediate community, and young athletes all over Canada. Poignant quotes. Reporting that could result in a change.

HONOURABLE MENTION

RICHMOND HILL/THORNHILL LIBERAL – Well researched, with a candid interview, and clear to understand writing. Skillful reporting and inviting storytelling by Simone Joseph. It’s clear through the design of the page and links out to the website, that this is part of a larger effort by the paper to help readers understand what children with autism are facing on their path to education.

GENERAL COMMENT

Sponsored by Ontario Journalism Educators Association

Reporter, Chilliwack Progress, Chilliwack, BC

Jessica Peters began working for Black Press in 1999, as a reporter for the Chilliwack Progress. In 2009, she jumped into an editor position at the Agassiz Harrison Observer, covering education along with every other beat in a one-person newsroom. Jessica recently returned to reporting in Chilliwack, as the education and community reporter.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST EDITORIAL CIRC. OVER 10,000

NORFOLK NEWS

A solid editorial that calls on council to act responsibly in spending its legacy fund and presents clear options. The lede graff is a little longish and that seems to be the writer’s style. The style is quiet, reasoned and could be a little more lively. I hope the editor varies his style as a treat for his readers.

BRANT NEWS

First and second place positioning might be interchangeable depending on the judge’s mood that day. This piece might have jumped to first if it had used more colourful language and had more fun in its criticism. In an editorial about chickens, were “feathers ruffled?” Did council “chicken out?” In both, the first graff is too long to grab the reader and draw him in.

KITCHENER POST

This editorial takes a strong stand on the loss of heritage buildings, an issue important to the community. It provides the right amount of background and comments on the actions the city needs to take. It’s critical where necessary but could be stronger still.

GENERAL COMMENT

Overall, the issues discussed in the editorials in this category were simple to read and understand for a judge outside of Ontario. The defining feature of the editorial is the clear presentation of the writer’s opinion. The best editorials not only informed their readers, but convinced them of the validity of the writer’s position. Editorials must be persuasive. It is not enough for editors to provide our opinions; we must defend them with strong evidence. We must have a clear and concise reason for the positions we take on the issues and those positions must be supported. Too many were simply a recap of an issue with the writer’s observation tacked on. There were few calls to action, either to the community or politicians and other community leaders. Editorial writers need to criticize and champion causes with convincing language. Writers of the weaker editorials seemed unsure of themselves, straddled the fence or thought they were being inoffensive by using cautious, wishy-washy language. You have to come down on one side or the other. There is no place for “seems like,” “maybe,” “perhaps.” Cut them from your vocabulary and your written voice becomes stronger.

George Brown

Managing Editor, VP, Grasslands News Group, Melville, SK George Brown

is

the managing editor and

vice-president of Grasslands News Group. He is a former president of the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association (AWNA) and a former director of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA). Over his more than 30 years in the industry, his newspapers and editorials have won numerous awards provincially, nationally and internationally.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST EDITORIAL CIRC. UNDER 9,999

EGANVILLE LEADER

This is an excellent example of how an editorial should be written. It is thorough, fair and has a well-reasoned argument. It is clear that the writer has a thorough understanding of the subject. Excellent job on this editorial.

NEW LISKEARD TEMISKAMING SPEAKER

A very well written editorial on suicide. The editorial was written after a local youth took his own life and left a note explaining why. No doubt the community needed to hear what this editorial had to say.

DEEP RIVER NORTH RENFREW TIMES

Very well written editorial on the need to encourage students to complete their education without lowering standards.

GENERAL COMMENT

This category was a pleasure to judge. It’s clear that newspapers are fulfilling their responsibility to be the conscience and the voice of their communities through their editorials. Many editorials would be greatly improved with a little research. Too many appear to have been written just before deadline with absolutely no research. It helps any argument to have a few facts to back it up.

Kevin Weedmark

Editor

& Publisher, The World Spectator, Moosomin, SK

Kevin Weedmark is the editor of the Moosomin World-Spectator, an independently owned community newspaper. His journalism career has taken him to Vietnam, the Philippines, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. His dozens of writing awards include twice winning the Award for Excellence in Writing on International Co-operation and twice winning the Media Human Rights Award presented by the League for Human Rights of B’Nai Brith Canada. His investigative reporting on the Sun Country Health Region led to the resignation of Sun Country vice-president of finance Hal Schmidt. Based on Weedmark’s reporting, the provincial health ministry investigated hiring practices in the Sun Country Health Region, and CEO Cal Tant was fired by the board the day it received the report.

PREMIER AWARDS

FEATURE WRITING CIRC. OVER 10,000

1

OTTAWA HILL TIMES

This piece is an excellent read. It opens with a great scene reconstruction that is both vividly written and solidly reported. Although there was no shortage of coverage about this terrible event in the broader media, a wellcrafted, human-focussed story like this one would have been much appreciated by Hill Times’ readers. Really nice work by Mark Burgess.

NIAGARA THIS WEEK, FORT ERIE POST

What a great opening scene. Right away we clearly see a vivid example of just why this joyful, good-natured man was so loved by his friends and family. The rest of piece includes excellent details and tidy writing. It was a pleasure getting to know Bob Payne through this writer, James Culic.

ORLEANS NEWS

The fact that this piece exists at all is its first main success. Kudos to the reporter for spotting the story’s potential and introducing us to these two award-winning paramedic communications officers. Their unique perspectives on Ottawa’s terrorist tragedy is fascinating. The piece is also a smooth, tidy read with some excellent details and great quotes. Nice work Brier Dodge.

HONOURABLE MENTION

BARRIE ADVANCE – Vivid anecdotes and crisply delivered facts and information make reading about this tough topic pleasurable. Sara Carson has done a great job.

GENERAL COMMENT

Sponsored by O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo

2 3 61 ENTRIES Judge

Julie McCann

Journalism Professor, Faculty of Arts, Media and Design, Algonquin College, Ottawa, ON

Julie McCann is a full-time journalism professor at Algonquin College. She oversees the production of Glue magazine, a city-wide magazine for Ottawa students, and its sister website, Glue online. She is also coordinates the field placement program. In her pre-college life she was a staff writer at National Post Business magazine and a contributor to Chatelaine, Canadian Geographic, Applied Arts, the Montreal Gazette and the Ottawa Citizen. Previously she was the managing editor at Canadian in-flight magazine and a staff writer at Marketing Magazine. She holds an M.J. from Carleton University and B.A.A. in journalism from Ryerson University.

PREMIER AWARDS FEATURE WRITING CIRC. UNDER

9,999

BURKS FALLS ALMAGUIN NEWS

Rebecca Zanussi gives us an outstanding example of good reporting in a small circulation newspaper. A story of this length absolutely needs subheadings, however, if only to break up the long columns of type. Good work with the editorial callouts. Could this story have been shortened a bit with a combination of copy editing and structure? Those are the questions I always ask myself when I’m writing a longer story or document.

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER

A well-written, compelling story with an excellent photo. The paper might have considered devoting a two-page spread to this article, with more photos. Nice job by Alison Brownlee.

MINDEN TIMES

Well-written piece by Chad Ingram with an unexpected kick at the end. Excellent photos, which should have been credited by the paper. As great as the photos are, it might be better to display a couple of them a bit smaller, to leave room for a deck under the main headline and one- or two-word subheadings within the copy.

HONOURABLE MENTION

WEST CARLETON REVIEW – This is an important story courageously told. Very well written and organized.

TILBURY TIMES – An excellent interview with one of the most important people in the town. Good job on the layout and thank you for using subheads! Good to see a deck on the headline too; it really helps to draw the reader into the piece.

KING CONNECTION – A good story with an excellent dramatic photo to illustrate it. I’d suggest a bit of attention to writing style. Good use of available space by the layout crew.

GENERAL COMMENT

It’s good that smaller-circulation newspapers are devoting a significant amount of ink to the people who make communities tick and the contributions they make to their towns. Good community newspapers will cover these stories even when the subject might be a difficult one, as many of this year’s entries showed. The best of this year’s entries were well structured to keep the reader’s interest and clearly written, with evidence of much thought and good technique. The best layouts featured clear, readable typography and good use of white space. Layout staff were certainly helped by some excellent photography. Congratulations to all the entrants. Keep up the good work, but always strive for improvement!

Sponsored by O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo

Collin Gribbons

Founder, Union Communications, Toronto, ON

Collin Gribbons is the principal of a small advertising agency but continues to specialize in writing and editing. His work on behalf of clients has appeared as opinion pieces in many major Canadian newspapers. He writes copy for magazines and web sites, news releases, leaflets, briefs and position papers. Over the years, he has worked on everything from national campaigns on public-policy issues to financial documents for employee-owned business. An advocate of clear, concise communications, Collin has conducted a number of seminars on writing for non-writers.

PREMIER AWARDS ENVIRONMENT ONTARIO

1

NORTHUMBERLAND NEWS

Karen Longwell and the Northumberland News have assembled an eye-catching package that’s just one informative part of a series on the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes region -and in particular, on the shoreline communities in the newspaper’s catchment area. This handsome instalment is an impressive collection of historical background, scientific data and personal anecdotes bearing on the good, bad and ugly impacts of human activity that are coalescing on the north-central shore of Lake Ontario.

NORFOLK NEWS

J.P. Antonacci has prepared a well-sourced and balanced piece on new provincial regulations covering the pesticides known as neonicotinoids. With clear writing, J.P. clearly draws the divide among beekeepers, who generally applaud the new rules, and the people who make and use the pesticides, who generally don’t. Controversy and technicalities are well-handled in a deep but straightforward article.

UXBRIDGE TIMES-JOURNAL

Moya Dillon and the Uxbridge Times-Journal engagingly tackle the scourge of invasive plant species with a dramatic layout and an informative and entertaining story. The dangers of invasive plants are clearly spelled out, and there’s added value in references to steps that readers themselves can take to combat the problem.

HONOURABLE MENTION

OTTAWA HILL TIMES – From atop Parliament Hill, Rachel Aiello and the Hill Times assess the attitudes of Canadians and of their leaders toward measures aimed at climate protection. Although there have been changes in the cast of capital characters since the article’s publication a year ago, many of the basic issues remain salient, and they’re clearly presented and attractively packaged here.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 63 ENTRIES Judge

Stephen Cogan Program Coordinator, Centennial College,

Toronto, ON

Stephen Cogan is a proud alumnus of community newspapers in the Upper Ottawa Valley. He’s also been a writer and editor at the Kingston Whig-Standard, CBC News in Toronto and NBC News in New York. He teaches in the journalism programs of Centennial College in Toronto.

PREMIER AWARDS HEALTH

1

AYLMER EXPRESS

What Rob Perry gives us is comprehensive and interesting. There is something for everyone in the piece; with original layout.

BARRHAVEN INDEPENDENT

Great piece of health reporting. Notes from a friend and rounding out the story with different angles is very important. Well done Jeff Morris. The photos really add to the story.

BURKS FALLS ALMAGUIN NEWS

Great headline, great topic and well-written. Rebecca Zanussi left nothing missing.

HONOURABLE MENTION

SUDBURY NORTHERN LIFE – Excellent topic. Well-written with outstanding layout.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 Judge

Lily Ryan

Editor, Co-Publisher/Owner,

Bulletin d’Aylmer, The West Quebec Post, Journal du Pontiac, Gatineau, QC

My sisters and I joke that we grew up under the fax machine at the Pontiac Journal, in Fort-Coulonge. Growing up in a family newspaper is a vibrant place, one that has kept me in the newsroom. I worked in virtually every post along the way, from the dark room, to the police report, to pasting up with the wax machine, even sales and collections. After exploring the world and completing two undergraduate degrees at McGill University, I spent five years as editor of the Pontiac Journal and then took a few years off to start a family. Now, I work as editor of the West Quebec Post and of the third newspaper run by my family, the Bulletin d’Aylmer. I am co-owner/publisher of these three wonderful newspapers.

PREMIER AWARDS HERITAGE

1

WATERLOO CHRONICLE

Article perfectly captures spirit of this category. Well written and well done by James Jackson!

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

Didn’t know if eight pages about tanks would hold my interest, but it certainly did. Very well written and presented by Jeff Mitchell.

NORFOLK NEWS

Very good, in-depth article on a little known subject. Well written by J.P. Antonacci – captures the reader’s attention right off the bat.

2 3 76 ENTRIES

HONOURABLE MENTION

AJAX PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER – Very nice layout. A well-researched article.

GLANBROOK GAZETTE – Very interesting article with excellent background and story-telling.

TORONTO CITY CENTRE MIRROR/ANNEX GUARDIAN – Fantastic layout. Very good article for this category.

DEEP RIVER NORTH RENFREW TIMES – Thoroughly enjoyable read. Excellent concept and well executed. Paints a vivid picture of early Deep River and its people.

GENERAL COMMENT

Judge

Kim MacAulay, Publisher/President, Clipper Publishing Corp., Beausejour, MB

Sponsored by Fort Frances Times

Kim has worked in the community newspaper industry for over 25 years, starting at her hometown paper in Pilot Mound, MB where - like most small town newspapers - she did layout and design, photography, reporting, ad sales, paper deliveries, bookkeeping, customer service, office maintenance, snow clearing and grass mowing. She moved to Beausejour, MB in 1999 on the day she assumed ownership of The Clipper Weekly. Kim has been publisher and president of Clipper Publishing Corp. for 17 years and thoroughly loves every aspect of the business. She currently sits as a director on the CCNA board, is President of AdWest Media, and Chairman of MCNA. A little closer to home, she enjoys volunteering her time as a director of the Beausejour-Brokenhead Development Corporation, is an executive member of the Lac du Bonnet Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer advisor with the North Eastman Community Justice Committee.

PREMIER AWARDS

1

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

This story takes on an important issue. What pushes it into the lead is the multiple-source, extensive footwork by the reporters. It is given plenty of space and strong page design. It would have been more powerful, and worthy of higher points, with a compelling opening narrative from a victim of racial profiling, clearly illustrating the impact upon that person’s life. Great work by Reka Szekely, Parvaneh Pessian, Leeanna MacLean and Dominik Wisniewski.

RICHMOND HILL/THORNHILL LIBERAL

Lyme disease has received considerable media attention in recent years, and this series is among the stronger efforts. It covers many facets of the condition, and Kim Zarzour includes a wide range of sources. Good work.

PORT PERRY STAR

A comprehensive look at an interesting situation. Plenty of voices and supporting statistics. As an investigative piece, it seems there was potential for more “gotcha” opportunities and scenarios. Nevertheless, this work, by Chris Hall and Dominik Wisneiwski, displayed the effort and research necessary to be an award contender. Far too many entries in this category were stories based on single sources, council coverage and/or official reports.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 Judge

Andrew Holota

Editor, Abbotsford News, Abbotsford, BC

Andrew Holota is currently the editor of the Abbotsford News, a twice-weekly community newspaper that is part of the Black Press chain. Andrew also carries the title of regional editorial manager, Black Press Lower Mainland. Andrew’s journalism career began more than 35 years ago, as a photographer. He moved into reporting, and has been an editor since 1984 at various Valley and Lower Mainland community newspapers.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST NEWS STORY CIRC. OVER 10,000

1

OTTAWA HILL TIMES

Timely, well-written, beautifully laid-out and well-researched. Plenty of pertinent info, interviews etc. The lead surprised me in that it could have been so much tighter. Great work by Laura Ryckewaert!

COLLINGWOOD CONNECTION

Successful weekly news reporting today means getting the deeper story on local items. “Town keeps Elvis Contract Confidential” is a testament to the future of local news reporting. The writer digs deeper, asks questions and goes further to provide a relevant article. Readers will always appreciate true journalism; and true journalists will ensure the future of news reporting.

OSHAWA EXPRESS

Well-written piece about a very current and wide-spread public health challenge. Adding another source would have tipped the scale for this article being a superior piece. Well done Joel Wittnebel.

2 3 56 ENTRIES

GENERAL COMMENT

Judge

Lily Ryan

Editor, Co-Publisher/Owner, Bulletin d’Aylmer, The West Quebec Post, Journal du Pontiac, Gatineau, QC

My sisters and I joke that we grew up under the fax machine at the Pontiac Journal, in Fort-Coulonge. Growing up in a family newspaper is a vibrant place, one that has kept me in the newsroom. I worked in virtually every post along the way, from the dark room, to the police report, to pasting up with the wax machine, even sales and collections. After exploring the world and completing two undergraduate degrees at McGill University, I spent five years as editor of the Pontiac Journal and then took a few years off to start a family. Now, I work as editor of the West Quebec Post and of the third newspaper run by my family, the Bulletin d’Aylmer. I am co-owner/publisher of these three wonderful newspapers.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST NEWS STORY CIRC. UNDER 9,999

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH

We work in an industry which day after day reports on the tragedies of life. It can leave us cynical when we are asked to judge our peers in competitions like this one. Therefore it is rare to find a story which leaves our own jaded selves shocked and having to remember to take a breath. The writer, Michele LeTourneau, has done the job well, telling the tale, and carrying the emotion that must have filled the courtroom. Amazing work.

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT

Succinct, and informative. Hard to stay true to both of those elements, but Scott Miller Cressman has done so very well in this piece. Excellent work.

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE

Excellent printed story considering the short time available to get it to print. Never easy to do, especially with multiple scenes and the inevitable competition for attention from the national and provincial media. Inclusion of the Mayor’s comments brings it back to being a local story. Nice work by Christine Hudder!

HONOURABLE MENTION

MANITOULIN EXPOSITOR – Dentist. Unprofessional. Wind Turbines. What a weird and bizarre connection of angles to pull together in to a story. Very lengthy – hard to chew through – but necessary to bring what must have been a long-covered story to a close. Loved it.

GENERAL COMMENT

Investigative journalism entails more than reporting the utterances of elected representatives, or data from official reports. Investigative reporters dig for elusive details that are yet unknown or revealed, and engage in extensive research to push an issue into new light. The concerns of individuals and groups, or the findings of official agencies may make strong news stories, but they are not investigative until the journalist actually “investigates” rather than “reports.” The majority of the entries in this category lack that critical element.

Sponsored by Hydro One Networks Inc.

Derek Kilbourne

Editor & Co-owner, The Gabriola Sounder, Gabriola Island, BC

Derek Kilbourn is the editor and co-owner (with his wife and publisher Sarah Holmes) of the independent Gabriola Sounder Community Newspaper on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. Prior to purchasing the Sounder in 2008, Kilbourn worked for five years as a reporter and editor with Star News in Wainwright, Alberta.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST RURAL STORY CIRC.

OVER 10,000

1

NORTHUMBERLAND NEWS

Todd McEwen’s piece on a proposed firearms bylaw change takes top spot for in-depth research and skill in weaving emotions, a community’s culture and history, and dry bylaw language to create a compelling read in the Northumberland News. An excellent front-page photo set the stage for the full-page story inside.

CLARINGTON THIS WEEK

The same strong graphic treatment accompanied Jennifer O’Meara’s article about frost-damaged apples in Clarington This Week, including a small but ultra-clear photo of what a damaged apple looks like. Jennifer’s clear writing style also made a science/biology topic completely accessible to readers. I also like the use of “How This Impacts You” sidebars in both the Northumberland News and Clarington This Week submissions.

NORFOLK NEWS

When it came to actual writing skill, I felt J.P. Antonacci’s story on migrant workers in the Norfolk News shone through all of the entries, but it required less research than other pieces and did not have the benefit of a dedicated page or a strong photo or two. More investment in the layout and photo treatment could have put the story in first or second place.

2 3 27 ENTRIES

GENERAL COMMENT

Judge

Gail Sjuberg

Editor, Driftwood Gulf Islands Media, Salt Spring Island, BC

Gail Sjuberg has been the editor of the award-winning Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper in B.C. since 2003 and in the community newspaper business for more than 25 years. She is also the editor of Driftwood Publishing Ltd.’s magazine called Aqua-Gulf Islands Living and the Gulf Islander tourist guide, and has been a judge for numerous community newspaper competitions. Since 2013 she has also been the chair of the Salt Spring Literacy Society, which offers free adult and family literacy services on Salt Spring Island.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST RURAL STORY CIRC. UNDER 9,999

EGANVILLE LEADER

2 3

Loved this one by Bruce McIntyre! A fond look back on a fine horseman. Well done.

MINTO EXPRESS

Excellent feature story – good quality photos by Mike Wilson. I would have liked to have seen some faces without gear hindering our view.

MOUNT FOREST CONFEDERATE

Farming community cleans up for peers after a tornado. Good broad approach to a feel good story. Good work by Mike Wilson.

HONOURABLE MENTION

MINDEN TIMES – Too bad this story got bumped by Christmas – the photos are front page worthy. Excellent job Chad Ingram.

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH – Excellent piece by Casey Lessard – very rural & dramatic concern.

GENERAL COMMENT

1 Judge

What an interesting class. Rural can mean so many aspects of life in the country. I really enjoyed reading these stories because the bulk of them are not topics the dailies would seize upon. Remember to go after both sides of any story and collect as many voices as you are able in the rush of reporting.

Sponsored by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Wendy Elliott

Reporter, Editor, Columnist, Kings County Advertiser/Register, Kentville, NS

Wendy Elliott has been a reporter, editor and columnist for over 35 years. Writing for The Kings County Advertiser/Register in western Nova Scotia, she has picked up regional and national awards for Best Columnist, Best Sport Story and Best Series.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST FEATURE/NEWS SERIES CIRC.

CAMBRIDGE TIMES

OVER 10,000

Living on the Edge of Poverty – Lisa Rutledge’s series started off with a bang – her amazing and descriptive lead had the reader hooked and was the best lead in this category by far. (I am willing to bet she was reading a good novel when she wrote this.) Correctly choosing to start the series using a real-life example to put a real face to the issue, Lisa perfectly details the heartbreaking situation of her source, going from executive in Jamaica to homeless shelter in Canada, followed by seamless transition into stats and numbers. The series also effectively utilized informative sidebars, which added graphic elements and prevented the main stories from being bogged down with stats and numbers. Finally, Lisa used parts two and three to advance the series, taking it in new directions, rather than rehash information previously presented. My only critique (only half serious here) is the presentation to kick it off in part one. I mean, I know a celebrity was in town and everything but I feel this should have been given a bigger splash on the front given the quality of the series and impact on the readership. (Besides, it’s just James Franco – Have you seen ‘Your Highness’?) Excellent job, Lisa!

OTTAWA EMBASSY

From the Tundra to the Jungle: Canada and Vietnam in the 21st Century An excellent series with compelling writing style and layout. A lot of work and research went into this and Carl Meyer’s passion for the subject was clear. Judging by his descriptive writing style, I am willing to bet that he, too, was reading a good book while writing this series. Just read the first few graphs of Part 2. Congrats, Carl!

NEWMARKET ERA/AURORA BANNER

Seniors & Boomers – An excellent job with an important issue in the community and Lisa Queen quickly spelled out to the reader why they should care. Perhaps starting the series with the real life story of a senior would have had a bigger impact, though. The layout and graphics were excellent, although the unorthodox use of sidebars in part two was a bit confusing – Lisa’s lead in Part 3 was one of the best in the category – very emotional, especially when combined with the excellent use of photography to tell the story. Congrats, Lisa!

GENERAL COMMENT

A compelling feature news series is a big win for a newspaper. It makes an impact on the community it serves and when properly done, really sets the newspaper apart from its competition. This year’s entries featured many strong series but the ones that stood out used real people to present the issues. The authors were more than just reporters – they were writers. Using colourful, descriptive language (not to mention excellent layout, headlines and photos), the winning entries hooked the reader right from the beginning and had them invested in the series from the first few graphs. While many entries were simply several stories about the same topic (some even separated by weeks and months), the best of the bunch were clearly marked as a series, told the reader where the series was going and advanced the issue with every new part.

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Beau Simpson Editor, The Now, Surrey, BC

Beau Simpson is the award-winning editor of The Now Newspaper in Surrey, B.C., where he lives with his wife and two children.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST FEATURE/NEWS SERIES CIRC. UNDER 9,999

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE

2 3

Three Women Dead, One Man in Custody – Superb breaking coverage of an unspeakable crime and the community’s reaction. Great work by Christine Hudder!

PETROLIA LAMBTON INDEPENDENT

Clean Harbor gets Love Canal Waste – An international story by Heather Wright – written with crisp attention for the small community it most greatly affects.

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

Where are they now? – A great idea, well-realized and with beautiful art. Nice job by Darren Lum.

HONOURABLE MENTION

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH – Fascinating article by Michele LeTourneau about a changing population.

GENERAL COMMENT

A diverse example of how community newspapers, though smaller in circulation and resources, can shine a light on stories bigger than the communities they serve and rise to the challenge of powerful modern journalism.

1 Judge

Jacob Boon

City Editor, The Coast, Halifax,

NS

Jacob Boon is city editor with The Coast, Halifax’s independent alt-weekly newspaper.

PREMIER AWARDS SPORT & RECREATION STORY

MOUNT FOREST CONFEDERATE

I would make the lede the nut graph and come up with a shorter, snappier lead. But that’s nitpicking – strong writing, strong use of quotes and most importantly strong subject by Mike Wilson. Instead of just doing the old guy on the track, I appreciate that his history with mental issues was delved into. Good layout, though an action shot of him racing would have been excellent.

CLARINGTON THIS WEEK

Touching story on a determined young athlete. The access given by the family is the key to the article. Well written and reported by Brian McNair.

OTTAWA SOUTH NEWS

Nice treatment by Erin McCracken on a tremendous individual in youth athletics. The reader is left with a very good impression on who Howard is as an individual and his impact on the community.

GENERAL COMMENT

It was a strong class of stories overall and several did stand out among the huge list of entries. What I was looking for was a unique personality featured, a unique sport and unique story well told and illustrated with sharp writing, well-thought out layout and striking and creative visuals. Several articles fell one or two pegs short of those criteria. There were also a number of articles with spelling mistakes and typos and those with weak use of grip and grin photos that did not really catch the eye. The top 5 stories did a tremendous job of capturing the reader’s attention with crisp writing, strong visual layouts and most importantly captivating subject matter. It was difficult to rank the top stories and decide on a winner with several strong candidates. The winning article captured the right blend of unique and well treated.

Remy Greer

Sports Reporter, Okotoks Western Wheel, Okotoks, AB

Remy Greer has been the sports reporter for the Okotoks Western Wheel newspaper since 2011. He was educated at the University of Victoria where he earned a bachelor arts degree prior to jetting off to Toronto for two years of post-graduate journalism study at Humber College. Greer has helped the Wheel win four consecutive Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association Best Sports Page awards during his tenure with the weekly.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST HEADLINE WRITING

OTTAWA EMBASSY

Hand waves goodbye – great double imagery and play on words. Canadian Armed Forces air dirty laundryexcellently done.

2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

CALEDONIA, THE SACHEM

“I thought I was going to die”– if you reach so far that you use a quote in a headline, it had better be a good one, and this is it. It would have drawn every reader to it, which is the whole point, isn’t it?

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT

Good use of humour in the Cold Case head. Would definitely have caught the reader’s attention, which is the whole point!

With rapidly changing technologies, and the need to grab the audience attention even harder than it has ever been before – competing with internet, television, radio, texting, emails, social media – and it seems the list goes on and on - we need to be more inventive and more savvy when it comes to the headline. Break the rules. Be Funny. Use word plays, large type and different layouts for heads. Just grab the audience attention. This doesn’t mean to diminish the work we do – it simply means that we have to adapt and find those little evolutionary leaps that will keep our industry competing and viable. The headline has become, as a result, just as important as the need for great graphics.

Sheena Read

Nanton, AB

Sheena Read has worked in communications for 30 years. Last year she took a change from full-time journalism, and is pursuing a new career path, while still keeping her fingers in the industry with communication consulting and some freelancing.

PREMIER AWARDS

HUMOUR COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

MANOTICK MESSENGER | JEFF MORRIS

I laughed out loud. Nice set up in each column. I liked the style with recurring characters – the Diva – and recurring theme – man adjusts to the fact of growing older while reflecting on youth. Good writing, great lead-ins, very well done.

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER | STEVE GALEA

Good example of making writing look easy. I enjoyed the recurring theme of the columns – basic survival of an outdoorsman; and the style of writing. Good lead-in and concluding sentences for each one. Well done descriptions that created images in my mind of a bewildered man on a runaway toboggan, bowls of freshly ground wild meat and prep work for an ice fishing day. Very well done.

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE | DAVID GOULET

Wonderful imagination. Nice snappy sentences littered with wit make for an easy and enjoyable read. Like the style of an advice column that sets it apart from other entries.

GENERAL COMMENT

For me, good humour is based on these things: quick wit, concise writing, interesting characters and description that creates an image that makes me laugh out loud. The winners scored points in all those categories. Who could not laugh at a bewildered man on a runaway toboggan or appreciate the humour of a man who is aging faster than he wants to. Throw in a few farts at the dinner table and ... well... you get the message. To all I encourage you to hone your skills by reading and listening to humour – to the setup, description and flow of the story, all the way to the punch line. Learn from those who have paved the way: Stuart MacLean, Garrison Keillor and W.P. Kinsella – some of my favourite contemporary humourists. And take a moment to read the work of this year’s winners. I guarantee, you’ll have a laugh. Congratulations to all who aim to include a little lighthearted fun amongst the news.

Barbara Dean Simmons

Regional Editor, The Packet, Clarenville; The Southern Gazette, Marystown; The Gander Beacon, The Lewisporte Pilot and The Advertiser, Grand Falls-Windsor; Nfld & Labrador

Barbara got her start in the newspaper industry in 1980 as a reporter with The Packet. Over the years she has collected many awards from the Atlantic Community Newspapers Association, the Canadian Community Newspapers Association, and the Atlantic Journalism Awards, for news and feature news writing, editorials, community service and investigative reporting. For humour she depends on W.O. Mitchell, Garrison Keillor, Stuart McLean, Rick Mercer, Mary Walsh, Gavin Crawford, Shaun Majumder and, of course, American politics and the occasional webcast from Parliament Hill.

PREMIER AWARDS

1

TILBURY TIMES | GERRY HARVIEUX

A brave, bold writer that covers issues of the day with depth and grace. Topics as diverse as a dying dog to political hypocrisy are covered with intelligence and wit, allowing the reader to think beyond the sound bite of everyday news. Very well done.

NIAGARA THIS WEEK, FORT ERIE POST | JAMES CULIC

Funny and brash, James Culic calls them as he sees them, much to the delight of his readers. From the ridiculousness of not keeping score in youth soccer to the fate of public pools, he cleverly dissects the issues down to their core. Great stuff. 2 3

HONOURABLE MENTION

MARKHAM ECONOMIST & SUN | BERNIE O’NEILL

Funny and imaginative, Bernie O’Neill successfully takes on Tim Horton’s, Christmas and the crazy world of real estate to give readers a smile as well as pause for a second thought. Bravo.

Honourable mentions go to Jim Mason, Gordon Cameron, Marney Beck, Bob Vrbanac and Tamara Botting, who, along with others, made this a difficult but enjoyable category to judge.

GENERAL COMMENT

Ontario is well served by its community newspaper columnists. It takes guts to put yourself out there on a regular basis, no matter what the topic, and for the most part these writers are bravely and capably providing provocative topics for discussion (and letters) in their respective communities. Well done to one and all and keep up the good and important work.

Glenn Mitchell Managing Editor, Vernon Morning Star, Vernon, BC

Glenn Mitchell is the managing editor of The Morning Star newspaper in Vernon, B.C. and has worked at Black Press newspapers since 1986. He is a former director of the B.C. Press Council.

PREMIER AWARDS

REPORTER OF THE YEAR

1

11 ENTRIES

OSHAWA EXPRESS | JOEL WITTNEBEL

Botched murder investigation leaves Frank Cara fatherless and jobless. Kudos Joel on a fine series that attempted to right the wrong.

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK | TODD VANDONK

Murder investigation looks at all aspects of the case. Well done Todd!

BRAMPTON GUARDIAN | ROGER BELGRAVE

Very in-depth look at a disgraced politician. Well-handled when you even trek to the jail. Bravo Roger.

HONOURABLE MENTION

NUNAVUT NEWS/NORTH - MICHELE LETOURNEAU – Suicide crisis time – excellent effort.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 Judge

Wendy Elliott

Reporter,

Editor,

Columnist, Kings County Advertiser/Register, Kentville, NS

Wendy Elliott has been a reporter, editor and columnist for over 35 years. Writing for The Kings County Advertiser/Register in western Nova Scotia, she has picked up regional and national awards for Best Columnist, Best Sport Story and Best Series.

PREMIER AWARDS EDITOR

1

ETOBICOKE GUARDIAN | GRACE PEACOCK

Keeping track of Grace Peacock’s numerous community undertakings is a little like counting kittens. Just when you think you’ve accounted for them all, another cute ball of fur emerges from under the couch. Grace scored highest in initiative and innovation because she did more than lend a helping hand, she led the parade, all in the service of her newspaper and her community. Also, she is excellent at her job. In fact, if there is a better word than “excellent,” this would be a good place to use it.

SCARBOROUGH MIRROR | AL SHACKLETON

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE | CHRISTINE HUDDER

When you lead a small newsroom, you are more than just the editor. Add reporter, photographer, researcher, archivist, designer, social media director, and editorialist to the list. Christine Hudder does all these things, and does them with enthusiasm. It’s obvious from her work that she loves her community and takes pride in her newspaper. More than this award, she deserves a medal.

In a career that has spanned close to 30 years, Al Shackleton has embodied what it means to be a newspaper editor at the grassroots level. There is a quiet competence to his work, which is evident not only in the awards he has won for his newspaper, but in his involvement with numerous community activities. The word “humble” is often used to describe Al. Perhaps it’s time he stood to take a bow. 2 3

GENERAL COMMENT

This is, I believe, the third year I have judged this category and I derive an enormous satisfaction from doing so. Every year, I am reminded that community journalism in Ontario is not just in capable hands, but in earnest, hard-working, and caring hands. The three winners this year are the personification of a most noble pursuit: serving their readers with the very best in community-based newspapering.

Judge

Terry McConnell

Author, Columnist, Palm Springs, CA

Terry McConnell has been a best-selling author, a high-profile columnist for one of Canada’s largest newspapers, and a president of OCNA. He grew up with community newspapers – his father was also an OCNA president – before he began his own career in Dundas in 1973. For 20 years, Terry was the publisher in Tilbury, Belle River and Tecumseh and during that time, his newspapers won more than 100 awards for newspaper excellence; Terry was also recognized nationally and provincially for his column and editorial writing. He served as president of OCNA in 1986 and of CCNA in 1993, and in 1990 was the recipient of the OCNA President’s Award for his contribution to the industry. Terry relocated to Alberta in 1995 and for 12 years was a columnist and editorial writer for the Edmonton Journal. In 2009, Key Porter Books published Terry’s first book, titled I’d Trade Him Again, a biography of Peter Pocklington. Today, Terry lives in Palm Springs, California, where he works as a communications advisor.

SLIPPIN’ANDSLIDIN’ONASUNDAY

Beating the heat was never more fun for dozens of children on Sunday afternoon in Earlton. The community’s new playground equipment was unveiled July 26 and organizers used the opportunity to turn it into a fun day of family activities. The fire department was on hand to create a special waterslide on the hill next to the pool and the fun only intensified when the water cannon came out to hose down the proceedings. (Staff

Increased funding for Englehart, Kirkland Lake hospitals

municipalities have been funding the operation of the airport on a per capita basis, while Armstrong Township has been the owner. One of the board’s greatest interests in the airport is its ability to provide a runway and services for fixed-wing air ambulance airplanes.

An ongoing goal also is to return scheduled air passenger service to the airport.

POTENTIAL

The economic potential of the airport and its assets is also of interest to board members.

Armstrong Township put forward the proposal for the development of a not-for-profit corporation to be formed by area municipalities to own and manage the airport in the future, and the strategic business plan is a step in determining the feasibility of that proposal.

The per capita funding arrangement of operations means that the City of Temiskaming Shores is the lead investor in the management of the airport. The Town of Englehart is another major investor in the airport operation.

Temiskaming Shores Mayor Carman Kidd said in a press release that “invitations will be going out shortly to business owners, academic, aviation stakeholders, and airport tenants, to attend consultation meetings on August 24 in Temiskaming Shores and on August 25 in Englehart, to listen to opinions, ideas and visions for our airport.”

Mayor Kidd stated that data will also be collected on similar airports in Ontario. “Further consultations will follow with municipal council representatives before a final report is released early in January.”

Darryl Holyk

Editor, The Minnedosa Tribune, Minnedosa, MB

Darryl Holyk began working at The Minnedosa Tribune, in Minnedosa, MB as a reporter/photographer in 2001. Five years later, he was promoted to Editor and in 2008 purchased the historic newspaper becoming the ninth publisher since it was founded in 1883. Since 2009, Darryl has served as a director on the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association (MCNA) Board of Directors. Holyk’s photo of the arson of the Minnedosa United Church appeared in publications and other news media across the country and earned him a First Place Best Spot News Photo from MCNA in 2007.

“Opinions, ideas, visions”

2 3 1

The Best Seat Getting on track

TemSAR (Temiskaming Search and Rescue) member Matt Duke was well tethered in as he perched on the edge of the Hercules’ open loading ramp high in the air to lm the parachute jump of two SARtech (Search and Rescue technicians) in a training ight Sunday, April 12. For more pictures and story see this week’s C-Front. (Sta photo by Darlene Wroe)

Voice for Agriculture Thousands

Creative shot by Darlene Wroe that many people never get to experience in real life.

Diane Johnston Speaker Reporter

EARLTON – Chicks and calves, goats and lambs, and thousands of two-legged visitors took in this year’s farm show in Earlton.

The two-day Earlton Farm Show drew an estimated 3,000 visitors, which is up about 500 from last year.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Moore stated Ontario Northland’s motor coach service has 260,000 passengers a year.

Ontario Northland has three major business lines, she said: motor coach, rail, and remanufacturing and repair.

The annual operating cost of Ontario Northland ranges between $52 million and $98 million a year, she continued.

organizing committee. And volunteers from local food banks – who accepted donations in lieu of admission fees to the show – were “ecstatic,” he said. Some 70 trade show exhibitors filled the floor of the arena, while large equipment was stationed outside. Exhibitors reported “a steady flow of traffic,” Mr. Koch said. Business interest in the show appears strong – 28 trade show hopefuls On the educational side, students from Englehart Public, Holy Family, Kerns Public and École Catholique Assomption paid visits, some with agriculture-related assignments in hand, on April 10. In addition to the trade show, visitors could take in educational sessions. They included a proposal to expand beef herd numbers in the North, information about sheep handling systems, and farm insurance needs.

She said 75 per cent of rail freight is from four major customers. It was five but with the loss of the mill in Iroquois Falls, that number has now dropped, she explained. That loss had “a major effect” on Ontario Northland. “We now have to focus on assuring we can get new business,” she said. She said the motor coach division of Ontario Northland is “in the red.”

The Englehart train station is being closed, and Ms. Moore explained that it was averaging $184 in sales a day.

NEW HAMBURG INDEPENDENT – Doug Coxson give us a nice crisp action shot.

take part in annual farm show Buy a daffodil pin to support Canadians living with cancer Canadian Cancer Society’s April is Daffodil Month “ Ontario Northland is staying in public hands.” -- ONTC interim president and chief executive officer Corina Moore See “Getting on track” on 3a Mike’s Bantams win OWHA All-Ontario title 1B 10a City stresses need for infrastructure help ............................................10a

GENERAL COMMENT

help municipalities with

Excellent photo capturing all the colours of bubbles by Scott Howard.

Many very good shots. Sadly, the quality of some of the entries took away from the image’s impact. A good variety of feature photos showcasing all ages and various events and attractions. All entries were a pleasure to view.

Darryl Holyk began working at The Minnedosa Tribune, in Minnedosa, MB as a reporter/photographer in 2001. Five years later, he was promoted to Editor and in 2008 purchased the historic newspaper becoming the ninth publisher since it was founded in 1883. Since 2009, Darryl has served as a director on the Manitoba Community Newspapers Association (MCNA) Board of Directors. Holyk’s photo of the arson of the Minnedosa United Church appeared in publications and other news media across the country and earned him a First Place Best Spot News Photo from MCNA in 2007.

PREMIER AWARDS

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

This is an impressive collection of photos by Ron Pietroniro providing snapshots of a hockey season to tell a story. A nice variety here and very well laid out.

HONOURABLE MENTION

CLARINGTON THIS WEEK

Talk about impact. What a collection of photos from a huge event. It’s difficult for any community newspaper to compete with the resources put into this feature.

MANITOULIN EXPOSITOR

Wow, some of Giovanni Capriotti’s photos are like paintings. The composition, light and colour are so rich. With a little better layout, this would have been the winner.

OAKVILLE BEAVER – There is so much joy and colour in this photo feature, it deserves an honourable mention.

KING CONNECTION – Nice variety of photos well laid out.

MILTON CANADIAN CHAMPION – I love Justin Greaves’ photos in this feature and the layout is fine. Only problem is the readers needed a full page of these wonderful pix.

ORANGEVILLE BANNER – This feature is so bright – great faces, great colours, nice layout and typography.

GENERAL COMMENT

A massive range of quality characterized this category. From the impact, artistry and craft shown in the top three, to the sometimes powerful photos among the honourable mentions hampered by space or layout, to the throw-a-bunch-of-photos-on-a-page at the low, low end of the category. A few notes to those who want to do better: Get rid of ovals. And funky fonts. And wonky cut-outs.

Richard Dal Monte

Editor, The Tri-City News, Port Coquitlam, BC

Richard Dal Monte has been editor of The Tri-City News since 2001 after spending 14 years with The News and other Black Press papers as an editor and sports and general assignment reporter. He has won provincial, national and North American journalism awards for feature writing and page design.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST SPORTS PHOTO

News Adver ti

Canada’s diamond boys are golden

AJAX PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER

Boom! Ryan Pfeiffer catches a classic sporting moment and an explosion of emotion. It’s composed well, showing the elation and dejection of winners and losers, cropped well and played perfectly.

NEW LISKEARD TEMISKAMING SPEAKER

Steven Larocque’s hoops photo has major impact, showing an angle on basketball seldom seen on newspaper pages. It’s played big, which is great, and the use of type/boxes over the photo is not as offensive as many, many other entries.

PORT PERRY STAR

Sabrian Byrnes took a wonderful photo with excellent composition and impact, then someone decided it would be a good idea to drop the credit and cutline on the pic. As impactful as the pic is, the type is distracting -- the difference between 2nd and 3rd place.

HONOURABLE MENTION

STOUFFVILLE SUN-TRIBUNE – Good photo - should have been played bigger -- and without the type. SARNIA JOURNAL – Lovely photo - well played.

GENERAL COMMENT

Great to outstanding photos outnumbered the average in this category. Unfortunately, in many cases, good photos were played poorly and/or ruined by excessive use of type -- heds, kickers, cuts, etc. – over them. If it’s your paper’s style to use these elements on pix, perhaps you should change that and let good photos bring impact to your pages. Think about this: When some huge international event happens and we see front pages from the best papers around the world, how many times are those pages amazing because of the type and how many because of kickass photos? Got good pix? Let them sing.

Judge

Richard Dal Monte

Editor, The Tri-City News, Port Coquitlam, BC

Richard Dal Monte has been editor of The Tri-City News since 2001 after spending 14 years with The News and other Black Press papers as an editor and sports and general assignment reporter. He has won provincial, national and North American journalism awards for feature writing and page design.

PREMIER AWARDS

Cookie campaign supports Mississauga kids

Fire crews able to stop Lindsay house re before it spread

OPP divers recovered a .357 calibre handgun from the Scugog River on Friday, the day after Brian Eley, 46, was shot twice at the Carew Park Apartments in Lindsay. Mr. Eley is recovering in hospital. Bradley Christopher Cox, 36, of no fixed address, was arrested on Monday and is charged with attempted murder. HARRISON PERKINS/SPECIAL TO THIS WEEK

KAWARTHA LAKES THIS WEEK

Lindsay shooting victim described as a ‘hardworking, obliging man’

Simply a great photo by Harrison Perkins. Right place, right time. Very clean and crisp, and the news value has huge punch. With the diver emerging from the water, holding up the revolver, the photo shouts, “Got it!” This entry would have scored even higher had it not been placed on a page with another spot news photo; a run-of-the-mill fire; which reduced the visual dominance of this extremely unique picture. This image (and story) deserved ownership of the front page, and even slightly tighter cropping.

(June 1), police arrested Bradley Christopher Cox, 36, of no xed address. He is charged with attempted murder using a restricted rearm, possession of a rearm contrary to a prohibition order and unauthorized possession of a rearm. He will appear in court on June 9 for a bail hearing.

been con rmed as the one used in the shooting. Four days afterward, on Monday

HONOURABLE MENTION

See page 12

BROCK CITIZEN

Farmhouse re causes $1.5 million in damages

Fire photos abound in this category, ranging from pedestrian to eye-catching. The position and posture of the firefighter, who appears dejected and defeated, is what makes this photo speak volumes. This image also takes a step above the rest with excellent layout allowing it to dominate the page. Good cropping and composition shows the magnitude of the destruction. Great photo by Scott Howard!

NoticeofthePassingoftheDevelopmentChargesBy-Law

ByTheRegionalMunicipalityofPeel

TAKENOTICE thattheCouncilofTheRegionalMunicipalityofPeelpassedDevelopment ChargesBy-law46–2015onthe10thdayofSeptember,2015underSection2ofthe DevelopmentChargesAct,1997(the“Act”).

ANDTAKENOTICE thatanypersonororganizationmayappealtotheOntarioMunicipal BoardunderSection14oftheAct,inrespectoftheDevelopmentChargesBy-law (the“By-law”),by lingwiththeClerkofTheRegionalMunicipalityofPeelonorbeforethe 20thdayofOctober2015anoticeofappealsettingouttheobjectiontotheBy-lawandthe reasonssupportingtheobjection.Anoticeofappealcanbemailedtotheattentionofthe RegionalClerkattheaddresssetoutbelow,orfaxedto905-791-1693andmustbereceived priorto4:30p.m.onOctober20th,2015.

TheBy-lawimposesdevelopmentchargesagainstlandtopayforincreasedcapitalcosts requiredbecauseofincreasedneedsforservicesarisingfromdevelopmentoftheareato whichtheBy-lawapplies.By-law46-2015appliestoalllandswithintheRegionofPeel, andforthatreasonakeymapshowingthelandstowhichtheby-lawapplieshasnotbeen providedwiththisnotice.AcopyoftheapprovedDevelopmentChargesBy-lawisavailable onlineathttp://www.peelregion.ca/ nance/links.htm#chargesandinpersonduringregular businesshoursatthefollowinglocation:

Of ceoftheRegionalClerk RegionofPeelAdministrativeHeadquarters 10PeelCentreDr.,SuiteA,5thFloor BramptonONL6T4B9 Businesshours:MondaytoFriday,8:30a.m.–4:30p.m.

DatedattheCityofBrampton,this10thdayofSeptember,2015 KathrynLockyer RegionalClerk

InformationwillbecollectedinaccordancewiththeMunicipalFreedomofInformationandProtectionofPrivacyAct. Withtheexceptionofpersonalinformation,allcommentswillbecomepartofthepublicrecord.

MISSISSAUGA NEWS

Foam flows from airport hangar after fire suppression system malfunctions

Peel Regional Police were called to Vedeete Drive in the Derry and Airport Roads area Saturday morning for tra c control after concerns re retardant foam leaking from an airport hangar could spill onto the roadway.

Police were called to the scene at about 8:40 a.m. to assist with tra c, but found the large body of foam was mostly contained on airport property and not threatening to interfere with tra c on the main roads.

According to a Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesperson, the chemical was leaking from the re suppression system in an Air Transat hangar. e white u y-looking foam oating out of the airport property hangar had no “environmental impact and no impact to commercial schedules,” the GTAA said, noting it is 98 per cent water.

An attention-grabbing scene makes this photo a contender. It was likely posed, but the presence of the video crew in the shot adds to the curiosity. An entry refreshingly different from car accidents and fires. Nice job by Rob Beintema!

Air Transat con rmed there was no re in the hangar, which was empty at the time.

“ e situation is under investigation. We don’t know at this time what happened,” Air Transat Spokesperson Debbie Cabana said Saturday morning. Cabana did not know how much of the chemical was released by the re suppression system, but said it posed no environmental or safety threat.

“Since it’s foam, this will become liquid in a few hours, so there’s no action taken at this point to remove it because it’s just going to become liquid a remove by itself,”

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE – This is a good photo by Christine Hudder, with a great dynamic, as a police officer and fireman walk past a major blaze, seemingly disinterested. The image would have scored higher had it been given dominant play. Unfortunately, it was visually buried on the page by four other photos from the same fire, all of which were standard fire pics. In page design, more is usually not better.

GENERAL COMMENT

Flames and bent metal do not automatically generate winning spot news photos. The best images contain a compelling human element, captured with technical skill and excellent composition in a fleeting moment. Entrants in this category must ask themselves whether their submissions are unique, impactful and powerfully presented. Honestly answered, those images will compete for recognition.

Andrew Holota is currently the editor of the Abbotsford News, a twice-weekly community newspaper that is part of the Black Press chain. Andrew also carries the title of regional editorial manager, Black Press Lower Mainland. Andrew’s journalism career began more than 35 years ago, as a photographer. He moved into reporting, and has been an editor since 1984 at various Valley and Lower Mainland community newspapers.

Langley, acting presCanadian Union of Workers Hamilton said he expects some confusion switchover based up to the occapeople

Well framed. Gord Bowes takes the reader straight to the point.

HONOURABLE MENTION

placed against the property. That same developer owns the adjacent property at 155 Caroline St. S., the only other Mady project in the city. It became a contentious issue when Mady succeeded in asking the city to relocate a portion of the Iron Horse Trail, which bisects the two properties, to make space for the future building. “We’ve not talked to Mady about their development intentions for the 155 Caroline property,” said Joel Cotter, interim director of planning approvals for the city. “144 Park is in receivership but that does not affect the 155 Caroline parcel.”

The 19-storey 144 Park building — at the corner of Park Street and Allen Street West — contains 149 units, 129 of which have been sold, but liens against the property mean Mady is unable to close the deals on the remaining 20 units or provide the current owners with titles to their property. In January, Collins Barrow Toronto Limited was appointed as a trustee to help finalize the sale of the building and resolve its debts. The city is currently focusing on resolving that issue before concentrating on the fate of 155 Caroline.

Eyeing it up

More than a dozen teams are competing in the annual Canstruction challenge at Conestoga Mall this year to benefit the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Local companies and organizations build their best structure out of cans of food, which are then donated to the food bank once the competition is over.

Hui Zha (left) and James Burmaster of NCR make sure their cans are straight last Friday afternoon.

Excellent photo by James Jackson.

Open Streets a go, but route still unknown

BY JAMES JACKSON Chronicle Staff

Fans of the popular Open Streets festival that closes down a section of King Street to vehicle traffic for several days during the summer months will be happy to know the event is set to return again in 2015. The route, however, is still up in the air as light rail transit construction in uptown Waterloo may force the festival onto other

streets for one or more of the event dates this year.

“We often use the public square and part of our plan is we’re still going to do that, but it’s a matter of do we also use Willis Way? Regina (Street)? The route has no been set yet,” said uptown councillor Melissa Durrell. Sam Trieu, co-chair of the event, said the committee is planning to meet next week to develop a plan for the route and to iron out the exact dates.

The uncertainty around the route has not been enough to end the festival, which is entering its fifth year. Car-free Sundays first appeared in Kitchener and Waterloo in 2011, but was cancelled in Kitchener soon after it began. In Waterloo, the event was rebranded as Open Streets in 2012. The change in the route has also given planners the opportunity to think outside the box.

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK – Good photo by Todd Vandonk. Well timed, worth the wait for the MP to be led out of the court house. STOUFFVILLE SUN-TRIBUNE – Great photo by Nick Iwanyshyn - full length captures the step stool. Adjustments to the text box to avoid hyphenations could have shown great attention to detail.

GENERAL

A pleasure to judge this category. The quality of entries show the calibre of Ontario’s reporters and photographers commitment to composition, patience and the quick thinking that it takes to tell a story through a photograph.

Sarah Holmes

Publisher & Co-owner, Gabriola Sounder, Gabriola Island, BC

Sarah Holmes is a 4th generation newspaper publisher, a director of the BC and Yukon Community Newspaper Association, and is co-owner of the Gabriola Sounder on Gabriola Island. Growing up in the newspaper industry was a great way to gain appreciation for the industry and watch the changes in technology from paste up to digital and beyond.

PREMIER AWARDS

MOST CREATIVE GRIP AND GRIN PHOTO

Crayola sale triumphs again for United Way

The United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes’ 2014-15 campaign took a big leap forward courtesy of Crayola Canada. Recently, sta gathered to o cially present representatives from the United Way with a cheque for $42,963.10; a combination of payroll deductions and the $39,882.10 raised from the 26th annual Crayola Sale and gift basket ra Shoppers braved the inclement weather and

letter to the editor

came out to pick up some incredible products at extremely reduced prices.

is year’s sale was very good,” stated Crayola Canada nance manager John DeBois. “We had an increase in shoppers over the two days, looking for those great Crayola deals.”

e generosity of the Lindsay-based company continues to help the United Way commit to its important work in the community, noted

New train schedule ruining our sleep

I am one of  many residents living along Lake St. Clair between Lighthouse Cove and Tecumseh who has CN tracks behind our homes.  e tracks are about 50 feet from my back door and I’m blessed with a set of rail crossing guards  100 feet away from my bedroom window. I would like to take this opportunity to thank CN

for changing their freight train schedule from 7 am to 3:30 am. I enjoy being awaken at 3 am by the rumbling and shaking of my house by a 40 plus car freight train, its warning whistle and the ashing lights and clanging  chimes of the crossing guards. Feeling this is becoming detrimental to my quality

of life I called the township only to learn  they have no control over what CN does on the tracks in our township. I don’t think I’m the only one of the hundreds of people that live along the tracks that  this new freight train schedule bothers. But I guess if no one complains the situation will only get worse. Vince Renaud

Susan Dozois, CFP

Tilbury Times photo: Gerry Harvieux

Free swim donation

executive director Penny Barton Dyke.

“Crayola and its employees continue to be remarkable leaders. We feel very privileged to have such ongoing support from them and the Lindsay Agricultural Society,” stated Ms Barton Dyke. “ is year, we saw shoppers from across Ontario, many of them attending the event for the rst time. It was a great success.”

e Lindsay Agricultural Society has also been a big supporter of the sale for many years, generously donating the use of the Lindsay

Exhibition grounds. Crayola Canada’s long, proud and generous history of giving to the United Way has resulted in more than $850,000 in donations via the and active workplace campaigns. e company is a major asset to the United Way campaigns - this year’s goal sits $500,000 - helping support the vital programs accessed by one in three City of Kawartha Lakes residents. For more information, please contact the United Way o ce at 705-878-5081.

TILBURY TIMES

Craig Lanoue of Lanoue Chevrolet, Tom Mayhew of Tilbury Chrysler, and Adam Lally of Lally Ford got into the spirit of things last week when presenting the Tilbury Auto Mall’s cheque to sponsor Sunday Night’s Rock The Pool event, organized by the Tilbury Area Action Team. The trio were joined by pool lifeguards and some local swimmers, all quite amused by the three suit-wearing car dealers who took the plunge to support a local cause.

Amazing Race raises $35,000

Continued from page 3 planning committee members, and day of volunteers,” said Curtis Xavier, Race Day Co-ordinator and United Way of Chatham-Kent summer student.

What caught the judge’s eye with this photo was the fact that it is set up as a typical (boring) cheque presentation. People are static, holding a cheque...as if standing in the middle of a swimming pool wearing street clothes was an everyday thing. Super cool idea! How did you get them to cooperate?

All 13 teams participated in gruelling challenges across Chatham-Kent that tested their physical and mental strength.

e day started at Union Gas Riverview location. From there the teams made their way to other challenge sites in Tilbury, Merlin, North Buxton, Ridgetown and Blenheim. Teams also stopped at

Parks Blueberries in Bothwell to eat lunch and refuel for the a ernoon challenges. e event culminated at Links of Kent Golf Course where the top four teams plus one team who earned re-entry a er previously being eliminated earlier in the day, completed the nale. Once again Union Gas acted as the signature sponsor for this event. Not only do they kick-start the event nancially, they also provide some of their people as volunteer planners; a location to start the event; and enter two teams.

Tilbury man arrested in Chatham

Like that it is presented in black & white – it doesn’t rely on color to capture reader’s eye. A larger photo would be our only suggestion. A great pic like this deserves to be big and bold. Congratulations Gerry Harvieux!

A 23 year-old Tilbury man will be in court to asnwer to charges of impaired driving following an incident in Chatham on Friday night.

It was close to 11 pm Friday when a Chatham-Kent Police o cer received a driving complaint of a pickup truck in the

Bloom eld Road area. e Tilbury man was located and arrested for impaired operation of a motor vehicle. He was transported to Headquarters where he provided a breath sample which registered more than two times the legal limit. He was later released with a future court date.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Crayola Canada came through once again for the United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes, contributing a total of $42,963.10

Planner 519 682-1616 #29207 519 682-2401 susan.dozois@nbc.ca

KAWARTHA LAKES THIS WEEK

Good use of balancing colour and drawing the view to center with the large green crayon. A fun, lighthearted way to bring interest to the story. Also like the way it is shot from a high vantage point, giving a different perspective on the scene. Well done Catherine Whitnall!

OAKVILLE BEAVER

Great emotion and action! Graham Paine gives us an exciting “Grip ‘n Grin” – love it. At least an inch could have been taken off the top – cropping well into the top of trophy and giving facial expressions more impact. I would like to see a version with the background not in focus to compare the impact... Very nice pic! Congratulations.

The

MINDEN TIMES – While this photo still has a little bit of a staged and static scene, the method of staggering the people from front to back draws your eye into the photo and gives an overall balance making it a great Grip ‘n Grin pic. It looks like great care was given to positioning everyone and it works. On the technical side, the lighting is terrific, filling nicely in spite of unpredictable sun light. No shadows on any faces! I am guessing a flash was used to fill the scene? Nicely done Darren Lum.

GENERAL COMMENT

GOLF

The Consort Enterprise was pleased to participate in judging the Grip and Grin Photo competition for OCNA and we were all impressed with the great quality of the entries – congratulations to everyone on some very fine work and some interesting ideas! It was difficult to select a clear cut top three from among several standout entries and the top ten can all be called great photos. It was nice to see such a great diversity of images submitted, with different design techniques and approaches used very effectively – In fact we will unashamedly be stealing some of your ideas... thanks! Best wishes to all OCNA papers for a successful and prosperous 2016! – Dave Bruha and staff, Consort Enterprise

www.lakeshore.ca

Dave Bruha is editor and co-owner of the Consort Enterprise, and has been with The Enterprise since 1998 - a small independent paper in East Central Alberta. Dave currently sits as president of the Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association and is chairman of the AWNA Government Relations Committee.

PREMIER AWARDS

WHITBY THIS WEEK | RYAN PFEIFFER

Nearly all Ryan Pfeiffer’s photos told a story. This photographer made expert use of depth of field, shutter speed and composition to achieve his aims. The photos contained movement and/or passion. The sports photo received highest marks from the expression on the celebrating player’s face to the defeated catcher on the ground to the helmet flying mid-air and the fellow player racing into the frame, the photo tells a full story and is very engaging. The photo covering a fire of a firefighter at the top of a ladder with shallow depth of field showed ingenuity and shifted the focus of the story from the house fire to the equipment used to fight it. The photo of the girl at a dairy farm facing a tagged and collared cow (looking less happy) told the story of a PR event without becoming PR itself.

PETERBOROUGH THIS WEEK | LANCE ANDERSON

Lance Anderson excels at capturing fleeting moments, with appropriate composition, shutter speed and depth of field. The photo of the children chasing a goose with the goose flying across the frame in semi-silhouette was a great accompaniment to a story about the future of parks management – a topic that some might otherwise have found boring and simply glossed over while reading. The news photo of the protesters facing off contains emotion, conflict and tells a story. The sports photo is sharp with good composition, pulling us right into the action.

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO | DARREN LUM

The feature photo of the girl looking up at her hair takes a potentially boring photo event and makes an irresistible photo. The sports photo is outstanding. I like that the kayaker’s paddle is in the air and not the water. It creates that arch in the kayaker’s arms and shows his incredible strength. His expression conveys his determination and viewers unfamiliar with kayakers can still infer that the kayaker is trying to pass between those two poles, completing the story. The photo of the election forum tells the story of this event, the older demographic, the woman whose hand rests on her chest as she speaks, the line-up of people whose heads poke out behind her. Great photos by Darren Lum!

HONOURABLE MENTION

WATERLOO CHRONICLE – JAMES JACKSON – James Jackson deserves an honourable mention for his excellent work. Several photos were outstanding. The Community Event photo took a potentially boring fundraising event and created a lean-in-closer photo that made me need to read the caption. The spot news photo contained passion and conflict and told a story. The feature photo was an effective portrait of not your average physicist; and made me want to know more.

GENERAL COMMENT

All submissions contained some exceptional work. The photos that stood out had many or all of the following elements: they contained passion and/or conflict (ie. a story); they made me smile, lean in closer, and read the caption; the longer I looked at them, the more I got of the story. Photos that took a potentially run-of-the-mill event and created a dynamic photo also received higher marks. While this didn’t make or break any entries, some of the supporting letters did not outline the community commitment of the photographer very well – they relied on naming previous awards and accolades. The letters that stood out to me were the ones that spoke to the character of the photographer and gave specific examples of how they go above and beyond and how they relate interpersonally to community members (ex. Their subjects).

Laura Keil

Publisher, The Rocky Mountain Goat New, Valemount BC

Laura Keil holds a Masters of Journalism from Carleton University. She is co-founder and publisher of The Rocky Mountain Goat News, based in Valemount, BC. She is also a professional photographer. In the newspaper she combines her two loves of writing and photography.

PREMIER AWARDS

CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR

1

OTTAWA HILL TIMES | MICHAEL DE ADDER

As always, Michael de Adder hits it out of the park! He tackles the political issues of the day with humour, style and a whole lot of talent! Each entry submitted was exceptional. Congratulations!

DUNDAS STAR NEWS | MIKE VUKOVICH

Great cartoons by Mike Vukovich doing an impressive job of tackling important issues. Love the pole dancing politicians!

CORNWALL SEAWAY NEWS | JAMES LAPIERRE

James Lapierre has a real knack for capturing public sentiment on the issues that matter. The intent and meaning of each submission was abundantly clear and the pieces were beautifully done!

HONOURABLE MENTION

NEW LISKEARD TEMISKAMING SPEAKER | DAVE DICKERSON – Great talent Dave Dickerson! These cartoons are impressive in that they clearly and cleverly illustrate what is going on in a way that is understandable and recognizable to any reader.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 11 ENTRIES Judge

Jackie Jardine Editor, Pictou Advocate, Pictou, NS

Jackie Jardine is the editor of The Advocate newspaper in Pictou and has been working in the publishing industry for 27 years as both a writer and an editor. She feels blessed to be working in a field where she gets paid to do what she loves every day: reading, writing and meeting new people. She loves to travel, especially to sunny, hot destinations. When not working, Jackie spends time editing books for other published writers.

PREMIER AWARDS COMMUNITY SERVICE

BARRIE ADVANCE | MEDIA FOR YOUNG MINDS

What an innovative, thoughtful and profound initiative! I really enjoyed the concept, stories and message. If helping our communities to prosper and fundraise is not part of what we do as a newspaper, I don’t know what is, but the Barrie Advance went above and beyond that, over 19 weeks. Wow! Amazing job!

HAMILTON MOUNTAIN NEWS | THE WARMTH PROJECT

To dedicate ad space and articles to such a wonderful project really warms the heart - excuse the pun. And by collecting over 1,000 items of clothing for the Mountain Kidz Klub, the Hamilton Mountain News took an important local issue into its own hands, with no financial benefit, to make a big difference in the community. And that’s what community newspapers are all about.

PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR | ADOPT A SENIOR

To get hundreds of donors and thousands of donations is no small task. Running Santa’s list, with items checked off as they come in each week, was brilliant! Who is more important to help than our elders, who often suffer in silence, too proud to ask for help? Bravo!

GENERAL COMMENT

This category was probably the easiest to judge in my many years doing so. There were clear winners (and not many entries), and the ones who didn’t place simply did not dedicate as many resources, articles, ads and awareness to a good cause. Their projects were and are still laudable and important, of course. But when you put a campaign that ran almost half the year and raised a whole lot of money against one that raised a little (or none), and dedicated 1/4 of the resources (especially in terms of free ad space) – picking who had more impact and staying power was not hard. Our newspaper runs various community initiatives over the course of a calendar year, and these wonderful projects gave me some really good ideas to help our community. One thing I wondered, however, was why there were only six entries? Community service is something all papers need to do. I really hope the low number of entries is because the other papers thought they wouldn’t win, and not an overall scope of where community newspapers are going. There were no losers in this category. Great job everyone!

Steve Bonspiel

Editor & Owner, The Eastern Door, Kahnawake Mohawk Territory

Steve Bonspiel is an award-winning journalist who owns and edits The Eastern Door newspaper in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory.

PREMIER AWARDS

BEST FRONT PAGE CIRC. OVER 10,000

1

SUDBURY NORTHERN LIFE

Everything about this cover works - the photograph is the visual anchor from which the eye circulates around the page at a leisurely pace. The wonderful vantage point of the photographer makes magic on the page and the quality of the stories and teaser for the inside content wraps it all up in a perfect package. Great job.

ALLISTON HERALD

Very even front page. Great work by the graphics department with integration of visuals. Interesting content and enough front page teasers to want to make me turn the page. Well done.

WATERLOO CHRONICLE

Wonderful page. Great balance between hard news, human interest photo, and headline puns (Library due...) Perfectly balanced. Bravo.

HONOURABLE MENTION

NIAGARA THIS WEEK, NIAGARA FALLS – Love the juxtaposition of the large scale image balanced by the vertical column on the right. My only quibble is having a photo illustration in lieu of an actual news photo on the front page.

GENERAL COMMENT

Sponsored by Laurentian Publishing

2 3 45 ENTRIES Judge

Carmen Marie Fabio

Editor & Columist, Your Local Journal, Vaudreuil-Dorion,

QC

A recovering high-tech employee, Carmen Marie Fabio made the leap to journalism in 2009 and has enjoyed (almost) every minute of it. An award-winning journalist and staunch advocate for the role of the community paper, she is now the editor and columnist at Your Local Journal in Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec.

PREMIER AWARDS

TILBURY TIMES

Although the page is busy, I like the layout, especially the use of the blue vertical line separating the 2 stories that allows for the stories to not run across all the columns on the page. It makes it pleasing to the eye of the reader. Overall a very good front page. Good job.

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

This paper has a clean look which also includes the effective advertising that does not muddy up the front page. Only suggestion I would make, and it’s a pet peeve of mine, is to not carry a story to the inside, in the middle of the sentence. Great front page.

RAINY RIVER RECORD

Very excellent front page. Easy to read, spot news photo with story. Just a couple things tweaked. One, you say Wednesday in the top story but don’t clarify the calendar date. I believe we have to write stories for the archives as much as present day, so it might just be my personal preference, but I like the calendar date. Good job!

GENERAL COMMENT

This was a very difficult category to judge as over three quarters of the newspapers put out excellent front pages. I do, however, encourage all newspapers to limit the number of carry over stories on front page and for sure, never carry over a story in mid-sentence. The reasoning for that is a reader will typically read the entire page before moving on to the next page. They seldom flip inside and then flip back. Also, I encourage some sort of On The Inside on front page to draw readers into the inside pages. It was a really tough decision between the top 20 or so papers. Congratulations to all.

Sponsored by Laurentian Publishing

Joyce Webster

Publisher & Editor, East Central Alberta Review, Coronation, AB

Publisher Joyce Webster has been in the newspaper business for 35 years. In a small paper, she’s done everything from reporting to photography, to management and has taken a 1,200 paid circulation newspaper to a very successful TMC regional community newspaper that covers east central Alberta, a total of 29,915 circulation.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST VERTICAL PRODUCT

1

OTTAWA HILL TIMES | POWER AND INFLUENCE MAGAZINE

Wow. Canada’s answer to Politico, the Power & Politics magazine is chock-a-block full of stories that are well written, well researched, well presented. From the cover to the last page, the content is dynamic, thoughtful and relevant to all Canadians. Bravo to the Hill Times team.

INNISFIL JOURNAL | WEDDING TRENDS

Couples must be clamouring to have their wedding featured in such a beautifully produced publication. The concept of featuring real weddings results in page after page of professional photographs. The ads are well placed and complementary. Including the list of each wedding supplier is helpful for both readers and advertisers. Well done!

BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER | MUSKOKA LIFE

The team behind Muskoka Life know exactly what their readers want and deliver it to them in an attractive, well-developed 196-page magazine. The professional photography helps give it the cache that complements the lifestyle it is celebrating. The design could be refreshed but overall, it’s a magazine that will stay on the cottage’s coffee table for months.

HONOURABLE MENTION

Here are the publications that were bumped off the winner’s list but temporarily held a place of pride there: The Barry’s Bay Valley Gazette’s Madawaska Valley and Neighbours; Cornwall Seaway News’ Shop/Save/Dine; The Haliburton Echo’s Summer Guide; and Niagara This Week, Fort Erie Post’s Community Services Guide.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 44 ENTRIES Judge

Martha Perkins

Interim Editor, Glacier Media, Vancouver, BC

Martha Perkins has won more than 60 provincial and national awards, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, during her 30 years in community journalism. She’s now based in Vancouver as part of Glacier Media’s team.

PREMIER AWARDS

BRANT NEWS

Ever it is thus: The best always shines through. Here’s an entry that did as others (follow big names, report award winners) but found – in a confining tab format, no less – space to tell interesting stories about athletes prominent and otherwise.

WHITBY THIS WEEK

A very credible entry. Some more work at delving into athletes might be possible, but the approach here seems to solve a challenge other papers struggled with: how to pack a tight tab with good stuff. By opting for the major-feature/minor story/secondary pics/secondary story approach, the Whitby paper seems to have a winning formula.

OSHAWA THIS WEEK

As some others in this chain did, there was an entry heavy with Pan-Am coverage. That’s not what made this entry attractive: rather, it was the deeper, feature-ish, but sufficiently expanded coverage of unique, local sports.

GENERAL COMMENT

There were some considerable variations in this year’s entries, driven by resources in some cases. Yet for all that, the reader will find great value in the thoughts going through the head of the Grade 11 striker who scored the winning goal, or the senior who has played his last game of varsity football – and that’s something any sports section can accomplish. Many writers seemed content at obtaining the comments of a coach. That’s OK for a brief, or when dealing with, say, an atom team, but if teens or older are involved, stories should – nay, must – have some of those athletes’ voices.

It was also noteworthy that some approaches were simple event-driven things – there was a game, and here was the result. Yet the interesting content comes when profiling athletes, previewing key matches, looking forward rather than backwards: create some advance interest in those local, amateur events!

Sponsored by Metroland Media Southwestern Ontario Division

Vern Faulkner

Editor, The Saint Croix Courier/Courier Weekend, St. Stephen, NB

Faulkner has served in both the community newspaper and daily newspaper industry for the past 18 years, and has written for a variety of magazine publications as well. He entered the industry writing about sports, and retains his connection to community sports through his writing and his photography. And, just in case that’s not enough, in his spare time, he also officiates sports, and is qualified to oversee soccer, lacrosse and football contests.

PREMIER AWARDS

SPECIAL SECTION CIRC. OVER 10,000

1

CORNWALL SEAWAY NEWS | CORNWALL LIVING

All members of the team involved in this project should be proud. It truly is jaw-dropping!

BRACEBRIDGE EXAMINER | REMEMBRANCE 2014

A wonderful tribute apart from the pixelated graphic on the full page back page ad.

HAMILTON MOUNTAIN NEWS | PANAM GAMES

Overall a strong product but a call to action re: displaying your pride when you display the centrespread flag would have been a nice touch.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 27 ENTRIES Judge

Mary-Ann Kostiuk

Regional Director of Advertising, Fort McMurray Today, Lloydminster Meridian Booster, Vermilion Standard, Cold Lake Sun, Postmedia, AB

Mary-Ann Kostiuk has been in the newspaper industry since 1995. Having been publisher at a number of Alberta community papers, she is currently Regional Directory of Advertising for the Lloydminster Meridian Booster, Vermilion Standard, Cold Lake Sun and Fort McMurray Today.

PREMIER AWARDS

EGANVILLE LEADER | IRISH EDITION

The Eganville Leader’s St. Patrick’s Day special is the clear winner in this category. The paper has taken a holiday that many newspapers have forgotten altogether and turned it into a meaty section chock full of colorful ads and filled with locally sourced content. Renfrew County clearly rejoices in some rich Irish history, and it’s a fabulous example of playing to your market’s strengths and needs.

AYLMER EXPRESS | EVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

The Aylmer Express has done a great job taking a high school program that runs in many communities in the province, finding interesting ways to report on it, and a healthy number of advertisers to support it. It’s an idea that could (and should) be reproduced in other markets. Next time – all ads should be in process color.

PETROLIA LAMBTON INDEPENDENT | THEN & NOW 150TH BIRTHDAY OF OIL SPRINGS

Every community newspaper is obligated to produce a section for community milestones and they can tend to all look the same. The Independent of Petrolia and Central Lambton stands out for its unique layout and typography. The story of Oil Springs is told primarily with photos and cutlines, which makes it an easy read –and no doubt comparatively easy to put together.

GENERAL COMMENT

The winners in this category stand out because they represent at least an attempt at a new idea or theme, or a different presentation. Traditional sections to celebrate fire prevention week or a store grand opening are important and can be done well, but they are still bread and butter revenue and readership. A great special is fresh, unique, and is more like honey and jam. If sales departments and editorial teams are not even trying to get out of the box, they are missing opportunities.

Andrea DeMeer

Publisher/Editor, Similkameen Spotlight & Keremeos Review, Princeton, BC

Andrea DeMeer has worked as a reporter, editor, ad director and publisher at a variety of weekly and daily newspapers over the past 30 years. A provincial and national award winning opinion writer, she is currently publisher of The Similkameen Spotlight and Keremeos Review for Black Press in British Columbia’s interior.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST CREATIVE AD

eachsalespersonspendswiththem, assistinginproductselectionbestsuitedto their tasteandtheirbudget fortheirproject. Trainingourstaffhasbecomeatoppriority. We investinourstaff by providingthemost updatedtraininginproductknowledge, designandcolourtrends,sotheycangive ourcustomersthebestservicepossible. CanadianManufacturershave

RICHMOND HILL/ THORNHILL LIBERAL

choicesin

With38 years of experienceandthousandsofsatisfied customers, youcanbuywithconfidence knowingthat youwillgetthekindof service,selectionandattentiontodetail that youcan’t getanywhereelse. We are committedtooffering you variety, quality and value fo yourdollar.

Whatisyoursignatureproduct orservice?

HALIBURTON HIGHLANDER

Amazing use of negative space. Extremely eye catching ad by Heather Kennedy.

HONOURABLE MENTION

A great way of showcasing both the subject of the ad and the company placing it – without one running into one another or looking like they’re separate. My only constructive criticism is that the image of the soldier is pixelated. Otherwise an amazing ad.

We prideourselvesinhavinga very broadknowledgeinfloorcoverings,both residentialandcommercial. We carry a uniquecollectioninallflooringcategories. We ha alignedourselveswithtopbrand suppliers,andareproudtobeanHGTV dealer,offering fabulousflooringthat’sbest inqualityandin value.

Whatisthesecrettoyour success? Ourmissionandourpriorityhasalways beentoprovidethebestcustomerservice possible.Ourcustomers valuethetime

ORILLIA TODAY

A total attention grabbing ad by Arlene Blackwood.

PRESCOTT JOURNAL – The old paper background is done really well – especially because you can see the ads popping through from the other side which makes it look very authentic. My only constructive criticism would maybe to have used more of a retro font on the body text. Very well done!

GENERAL COMMENT

There were some incredible examples of creativity in advertising and it was very difficult to pick just 3 to award. Pride of work and attempting

stand out is apparent in every creative submission.

Candice McLauchlan

Design/Production Team, Virden Empire-Advance, Virden, MB

Candice McLauchlan was born and raised in Metro Vancouver before making her way east to Virden, the bustling Oil Capital of Manitoba. She is entering her sixth year as a graphic designer with the Virden Empire-Advance. In her spare time she prefers digital scrapbooking and indulging in Rurex Photography.

PREMIER AWARDS IN HOUSE PROMOTION

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER

Very awareness and creativity! Great use of space and colours. Feel like “October 1st” is hard to read over the calendar, but other than that, a really great ad by Pat Merlihan!

PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR

Love the idea of showcasing changing designs through the years – very eye catching. Well done Tony MacDonald!

HONOURABLE MENTION

OAKVILLE BEAVER – Great idea to entice carriers!

GENERAL COMMENT

PRESCOTT JOURNAL

The old paper background is done really well – with the ads popping through from the other side it reproduces as very authentic. My only constructive criticism would maybe to have used more of a retro font on the body text. Very well done!

Though some ads I wasn’t sure if they actually pertained to the category subject, overall the effort of promoting each newspaper was apparent with a ton of creativity. It was great to see all the different aspects of Newspaper promotion.

Candice

McLauchlan

Design/Production Team, Virden Empire-Advance, Virden, MB

Candice McLauchlan was born and raised in Metro Vancouver before making her way east to Virden, the bustling Oil Capital of Manitoba. She is entering her sixth year as a graphic designer with the Virden Empire-Advance. In her spare time she prefers digital scrapbooking and indulging in Rurex Photography.

PREMIER AWARDS

LOCAL RETAIL LAYOUT

BURLINGTON POST

A pretty ad...product JUMPS off the page. Nicely done.

ORILLIA TODAY

Very nicely done...photography could have been improved by repositioning some of the staff so they don’t look like they are hiding behind others...

FERGUS WELLINGTON ADVERTISER

I liked most of this ad layout, except for the font on the headline. Too delicate for the layout. But otherwise, nicely done!

GENERAL COMMENT

Some eye-catching ads for local retailers this year! Local car dealer ads don’t fit well into this category (for future) as they use a lot of graphics from the car manufacturer (so they look very similar from paper to paper) and don’t score as well.

Wayne Aubert

Sponsored by Metro Creative Graphics

Professor, Advertising and Marketing Communications Management Program, McKeil School of Business, Mohawk College, Hamilton, ON Wayne Aubert is a Professor in the Advertising and Marketing Communications Management program at Mohawk College and Course Director with ICA (Institute of Communication Agencies).

PREMIER AWARDS ORIGINAL AD IDEA

PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR

Simplicity is what makes this ad original and earns top marks.

HONOURABLE MENTION

ORILLIA TODAY

Creative concept for a thank you ad. Nice bright colours makes it stand off the page.

FERGUS WELLINGTON ADVERTISER

The graphic elements in this ad are what made it stand out amongst the rest.

MANOTICK MESSENGER – The use of drawings and not photo’s helped this ad stand out from the rest.

GENERAL COMMENT

The majority of the ad submissions were very well done. Lots of new and interesting ideas. Keep up the good work. Judge

Tracy Greva

Tracy Greva - Display Ad Coordinator - Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association

Tracy Greva has been involved in the newspaper/print industry in one way or another for the past 20+ years.

PREMIER AWARDS USE OF PROCESS COLOUR

HALIBURTON COUNTY ECHO

Simple and elegant – the image attracts the eye while the illustrations and colour palette reinforce the logo and the messaging. The elegance of the design further reinforces the product presentation creating a sense of quality and confidence.

HONOURABLE MENTION

GUELPH TRIBUNE

The bright colours chosen tied with the birthday card feeling font create an eye catching ad filled with fun and energy. The logo and the community message are a bit lost in the colours.

FERGUS WELLINGTON ADVERTISER

The bold colour creative elements bring instant attention to this ad. The dense information has been broken into easily maneuverable elements and the ad succeeds in feeling airy despite the amount of information presented.

DEEP RIVER NORTH RENFREW TIMES – The use of minimal colour choices pulls the layout together and attracts the eye. The copy flows logically and leads the reader easily through the information. A brighter colour to reinforce the seasonal theme would add the extra eye appeal.

GENERAL COMMENT

The entrants showed a great level of creativity and ingenuity in using colour to bring attention to the ad and to move the reader through the information. The overall quality of the work was high with strong design sense.

Leslie Kellow-Hall

Leslie Kellow-Hall, VP, Production, Fuel Advertising, Toronto, ON

Leslie has more than 30 years’ experience in the marketing communications industry in the production and operations areas. Leslie has managed interactive and print studios, production management and operation departments in several major and boutique agencies. Leslie’s experience spans the gamut of interactive, CRM and traditional mass advertising. An instructor with the Institute of Communication Agencies, she has taught the Certified Print Production Practitioner’s course for 16 years. She has sat on the Mohawk College Marketing Communication Advisory Board for six years.

PREMIER AWARDS

OSHAWA EXPRESS | LEZLIE APPLETON

Lezlie’s passion for sales and customer service are tops in this category. The nomination support letters from both management and clients speak to her superior customer relation skills and professionalism.

BARRY’S BAY, THE VALLEY GAZETTE | MICHEL LAVIGNE

As an owner/operator, Michel’s love of the industry is something that we can all aspire to.

GENERAL COMMENT

While there is no doubt that the winners in this category were well-deserving of the honour, it was disappointing to see so few nominations. As someone who has spent many years working in the Ontario newspaper industry, I know first-hand that there are hundreds of passionate sales professionals. Dedicated people who not only offer service above-and-beyond the call of duty to their customers, but spend countless hours making the communities that they live, work, and play in, better places. Take a look around your operation, and make the time to nominate those on your sales staff who truly are outstanding.

Gordon Brewerton

Gord Brewerton, Group Publisher and Director of Operations, TC Media, Nfld & Labrador.

My name is Gord Brewerton, and I am Group Publisher, and Director of Operations for TC Media in Newfoundland and Labrador.

TC Media owns and operate the Province’s two daily newspapers – The Telegram and the Western Star, eleven weekly newspapers and four printing facilities. We employ more than 900 people in the province.

PREMIER AWARDS BEST COMMUNITY WEB SITE/WEB PORTAL CIRC.

OVER 10,000

TORONTO CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS | CJNEWS.COM

1

Well-organised home page and category sections. Great use of large images with dynamic loading. Clean and clear typography. Excellent tablet and mobile experience.

ELMIRA-WOOLWICH OBSERVER | OBSERVERXTRA.COM

Solid news coverage, nicely organized home page. Great use of photos and dynamic image loading. Showing comment count on story teaser improves engagement, great feature. Excellent tablet and mobile experience.

SUDBURY NORTHERN LIFE | NORTHERNLIFE.CA

Clean layout and design. Well organized navigation menu. Great use of colour to organize content in sections. Local business directory is a great way to give advertisers visibility on the home page. Excellent tablet and mobile experience.

2 3 18 ENTRIES

OTTAWA HILL TIMES | HILLTIMES.COM – Very comprehensive political news and opinion coverage. Excellent tablet and mobile experience. Website layout could be more organized.

OSHAWA EXPRESS | OSHAWAEXPRESS.CA – Very clean design. Well-organized navigation and home page sections. Breaking news widget is prominently displayed above the fold. Excellent tablet and mobile experience. Would like to see text snippets on all story teasers to encourage users to click and read the full story.

GENERAL COMMENT

Judge

Dan Sombach

Digital Marketing Specialist, Great West Newspapers, St. Albert, AB

After completing a Masters in Digital Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London’s Creative and Social Technology department, Dan worked for several years in the United Kingdom in the digital publishing industry. Upon returning to Canada he took a position at Great West Newspapers where he manages the digital properties for more than 20 publications. Dan’s passion is staying on the cutting edge of digital publishing and helping print publishers find their place in this changing industry.

PREMIER AWARDS

1

2 3

HONOURABLE MENTION

9,999

MANITOULIN EXPOSITOR | MANITOULIN.CA

This is a great community newspaper website. The front page is excellent - the first thing you see is the most important local news story. There are only a few widgets to navigate through and overall the website is very easy to use and the advertising works in well. It’s not ideal to need a subscription to the e-edition, though. Otherwise, there is interesting local content throughout the site. For a community newspaper of this size, the level of interactivity is good, with a high volume of Facebook and Twitter posts, as well as interesting videos. More interaction with your readers on social media would be great, though. And the videos could be improved by using the interviews as voiceovers alongside b-roll. Overall, it’s a great website, easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing. More interaction with readers is one way it could be improved.

HUNTSVILLE FORESTER | MUSKOKAREGION.COM

Overall, this is a good community newspaper website. However, like with many newspapers in this chain, I don’t like the structure of the front page. The amount of widgets and drop-down menus makes it difficult for the reader’s eye to settle onto the content. And the unfortunate prominence of national and international content makes it sometimes difficult for someone who is not tech-savvy to find what they were originally looking for. I enjoyed the local content featured on the individual local pages and found the photo galleries interesting as well. The poll question was not featured prominently, lost among the other widgets and advertising on the side panel. The Forester is very active on social media, though not necessarily interacting with readers. There were many links and updates posted but few standalone photos or videos. Free access to both downloadable PDFs and an e-edition are a plus.

BLYTH/BRUSSELS CITIZEN | NORTHHURON.ON.CA

The overall structure of the website makes it easy to navigate, but there are many subcategory widgets that lead readers nowhere. And from an interactivity standpoint, the website is lacking – no video, audio or slideshows that I saw. Having to log-in for the e-edition isn’t ideal, and the pages don’t load quickly. I found the content of the website to be very interesting and enjoyed the local focus. The history pages were especially interesting and I think that’s something to build on. Overall, it’s a good community newspaper website but there are a few minor details that hold it back.

FORT FRANCES TIMES | FFTIMES.COM – Overall, this is good community newspaper website. It’s easy to navigate for the most part. That said, I think there are too many subcategory widgets. Readers aren’t visiting your website for global news. The focus of the website is of course on local news and that’s great. I think the slideshow on the front page is a great idea but the photos selected for it should be your best work. The front page is clean and easy to look at. In terms of interactivity, the website has an online poll and the Facebook page is very active, however, Twitter is not. The Facebook posts are great, but instead of posting an entire story on social media, post a link to the website and drive the traffic there.

GENERAL COMMENT

Overall, each entry has some positives and at least one item they can improve on moving forward. Each is well positioned to be their region’s primary online news source.

CIRC. UNDER Judge

Thomas Miller

Editor, Spruce Grove Examiner, Stony Plain Reporter, Spruce Grove,

AB

Thomas Miller has served as a reporter in Lloydminster, Sask., Airdrie, Alta., and most recently as managing editor of the Spruce Grove Examiner and Stony Plain Reporter newspapers in the Edmonton area. A graduate of Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s journalism program in B.C., Thomas is returning to school this spring to further his education at Simon Fraser University.

PREMIER AWARDS

1

OSHAWA THIS WEEK | GREAT LAKES

Beautiful design.

BRAMPTON GUARDIAN | MAY 28 1975: TRAGEDY AT BRAMPTON CENTENNIAL SECONDARY SCHOOL Exhaustive research effort.

OTTAWA WEST NEWS | PARLIAMENT HILL SHOOTING COVERAGE

Looking at the long operational tail on what was an international story of panic. Well done.

HONOURABLE MENTION

TORONTO EAST YORK MIRROR | TORONTO TIME CAPSULE – Layout not the most user-friendly, but good overall.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 11 ENTRIES Judge

Jacob Boon

City Editor, The Coast, Halifax, NS Jacob Boon is city editor with The Coast, Halifax’s independent alt-weekly newspaper.

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY AWARDS

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY AWARDS STUDENT FEATURE WRITING

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO | MEGAN NOURSE

Good for you Megan Nourse for putting it all out there, and allowing your vulnerability to shine through. I can’t imagine it was easy to use yourself as a subject, yet you did it. As discussions surrounding mental health increase, so to should discussions about the possible outcome of those living in that state. Superb work, and an easy choice for first place.

2

3 1

NIAGARA COLLEGE | JOEL OPHARDT

An incredibly gripping and moving tale of the countless lives lost during a war that not only shaped Canada, but forever changed the landscape of certain European countries. Kudos to Joel Ophardt for his excellent on the ground reporting, and touching photographs in a cemetery dotted with Canadian graves.

LOYALIST COLLEGE | ANNIE SAKKAB

Outstanding coverage - a joy to read from start to finish. Annie Sakkab captured the essence of the story being told, and did so in a compassionate and constructive manner.

SHERIDAN COLLEGE | LINDA HERMIZ – Feral felines are an increasingly common aspect in many urban and rural areas. Good for shining a light on it.

GENERAL COMMENT

Matthew Uhrig

Editor, Winchester Press, Winchester, ON

Matthew Uhrig is editor of the award-winning Eastern Ontario weekly the Winchester Press. He started at the newspaper as a general assignment reporter in 2009 before being named editor in 2012. Prior to that, he worked at other publications in Ontario.

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY AWARDS

SHERIDAN COLLEGE | CATARINA MUIA & JEANYLYN LOPEZ

A very nice package. The story has a good lead and it transitions well from thought to thought. Lots of sources and excellent research to support the story. The full-page layout is very good -- really like the graphic in upper right which explains at a glance student habits.

LOYALIST COLLEGE | CARLA ANTONIO

Excellent work! Eye-catching design, strong photo, good headline. The lead captures the reader’s attention and the transitions move us swiftly through the story. I would be proud to run this on my front page.

NIAGARA

COLLEGE | JOEL OPHARDT

A good writer AND a photographer! Nice work. Photos and layout are very eye-catching -- although I’d avoid running type over the volleyball photo because it makes it hard to read. Good use of quotes.

GENERAL COMMENT

It was a pleasure to judge the Student News Writing category. The subjects covered in these entries are the same as those community newspapers everywhere are covering: student transportation, terrorism, protests, the unique and the unusual. Many of these stories I would be proud to run in my newspapers. I was, however, disappointed to see the widespread use of anonymous sources. Most notably the use of ‘quotes’ from unidentified posts on social media platforms. Aside from cases in which we are prohibited by law from identifying someone, anonymity should be reserved for that very rare occasion when there is absolutely no other way to obtain critical information of great public interest.

Sponsored by the Ontario Journalism Educators Association

Joanne Burghardt Regional Editor-in-Chief, Metroland Media Group’s Central Region, Toronto, On Joanne Burghardt is the Regional Editor-in-Chief of Metroland Media Group’s Central Region division.

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY AWARDS STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHY

1

ALGONQUIN

COLLEGE | MICHAEL ROBINSON

A great photo that grabs you and pulls you in. Technically very strong (is that grass on her cleats we see) and a great look of determination on the rugby players face – Thunderstruck is a great caption, too! Congratulations!

LOYALIST COLLEGE | ANNIE SAKKAB

Ah the joy of a dog! I love the look on the dog’s face which you have captured. Technically strong with lots of sharp detail.

LOYALIST COLLEGE | ALYSSA LLOYD

Talk about being at the right place at the right time! Beautiful nature shot.

LOYALIST COLLEGE | GIOVANNI CAPRIOTTI – A very interesting portrait. It is a little dark, but considering the subject matter it works. A good example of how a photo can add to a feature.

GENERAL COMMENT

2 3 20 ENTRIES Judge

Heather Wright

Publisher & Editor, The Independent of Petrolia and Central Lambton, Petrolia, ON Heather Wright is the publisher and editor of The Independent of Petrolia and Central

Ontario.

Lambton. She’s worked in radio, daily and community newspaper for 25 years in southern

COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY AWARDS

UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO | UWIMPRINT.CA

The Imprint offers a clean site with a clear content hierarchy. It has good use of social media and social streams as well as local advertising. The videos produced are very nicely presented.

SHERIDAN COLLEGE | THESHERIDANSUN.CA

The Sheridan Sun offers up different content hierarchy and even includes some top stories from different sections in their header. The integration of social media at the top of the site will help grow their social presence. The introduction of live events to their video section is a big step in the right direction.

LOYALIST COLLEGE | QNETNEWS.CA

QNet News looks clean and modern with social media integration and sub nav. The search is predominant and easily accessible. Featuring video as a main story and producing newscasts are a great way to get the message out.

CENTENNIAL COLLEGE | TORONTOOBSERVER.CA

– The Toronto Observer offers a clean simple look at what’s happening in Toronto. The inclusion of a video widget on the right and a floating social footer is great. The addition of social media in their header could help grow their number of followers.

GENERAL COMMENT

Having judged this category in the past, I was looking forward to seeing the innovation in this sector. There was some major headway made by some, but some entries are still missing new technologies and the addition of sponsored content instead of ads. Congratulations to all entrants –the numbers were very close. Keep up the good work!

Mathieu Beausoleil Manager – IT, Web & Digital Media, Northern Life, Sudbury, ON

Mathieu Beausoleil is the IT, Web & Digital Media Manager with NorthernLife.ca in Sudbury. He’s the past winner of the OCNA Best Community Website/Webportal award and the CCNA Best Website Circulation 12,500 and over.

2015 Insurance Bureau of Canada Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles

Scott Rosts, Group Managing Editor, Niagara this Week

Scott is never too shy to lend a helping hand. He believes that every group could use support to achieve their goals, whether with a monetary value or raising awareness through a newspaper profile. Since joining the Niagara this Week team roughly 15 years ago, Scott has encouraged and inspired fellow colleagues to do the same and build relationships with those working to make their community a better place.

Despite an already busy work schedule, Scott manages to find time to volunteer with various organizations, setting a positive example for everyone around him including his three children. Since 2013 he has been an active panel member with the NEXTNiagara youth retention and attraction initiative. The group of leaders are committed to seeing their community grow and become a viable place for the next generation to live and work.

He helped organize the inaugural Dining in the Dark fundraiser for CNIB, securing sponsorship, seeking silent auction items, coordinating media coverage and taking care of social media promotions. The dinner collected $16,440 and set a high standard for what is now an annual event.

In addition, he has served as director of public relations for the St. Catharines Female Hockey Association since 2011, and helped with a rebranding process which included a new the development of a new Web site.

His efforts do not stop there. Scott has built quite a strong reputation for being a key community partner, and

organizations recognize that he can be counted on to deliver their message. He truly believes a difference can be made through the power of numbers and rather than watch from sidelines, has participated in various events while also covering them for newspaper content. Scott has ‘Walked a Mile in HER Shoes’, pedaled during a 24-hour ‘spinathon’ for the Canadian Cancer Society and joined an ‘Out in the Cold’ program to help raise funds and awareness within his community.

Scott is an industry leader and community role model, which is why the Ontario Community Newspapers Foundation (OCNF) is proud to recognize him with the 2015 Insurance Bureau of Canada Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles.

The Award is coordinated by the OCNF, with generous support of the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Together, we are committed to recognizing dedicated newspaper employees who are constantly making a difference within their communities. Mary Knowles was a dedicated newspaper employee and active community member who died from breast cancer in 1996.

Congratulations to Scott and all of the nominees for showing strong leadership and connections to your communities.

For more information about the IBC Community Award in Memory of Mary Knowles, please contact Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org.

Awebsitethathasbeenspeciallycreatedforthe newspaperindustry,withafocusonpublications thataremovingonline.

Anational,incomegenerating,advertising placementservice.

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OPG is a proud partner in many community and environmental programs and initiatives across Ontario. And with 99.7 per cent of the power we produce free of smog and greenhouse gas emissions, we are just as dedicated to making Ontario a cleaner and even better place to live, work and play.

Congratulations to all the OCNA nominees and award recipients.

CLASS 5 (CIRC. 12,500-22,499)

JUDGE SCORESHEETS

CLASS 6 (CIRC. 22,500-44,999)

CLASS 7 (CIRC. 45,000 & OVER)

CLASS 8 (COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY)

2015 SPONSOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We

would like to thank all our award sponsors:

Fort Frances Times

Hydro One Networks Inc.

Laurentian Publishing

Metro Creative Graphics

Metroland Media Southwestern Ontario Division

Northern News Services

O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo

Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Ontario General Contractors Association

Ontario Journalism Educators Association

Ontario Power Generation