Call it good timing. Call it fate.
Who knows what it is. But I find it rather fitting that as the New Year begins, I have found a new work home at PelhamToday.
Some of you may recognize my byline, some of you might not, and if that's the case I look forward to meeting you.
As the ball dropped on 2023, so too did my career end at Niagara This Week. I was among the hundreds whose employment was terminated at the end of the year. We were informed that 600 jobs would no longer exist as a result of Nordstar's decision to stop printing some 70 newspapers across Ontario.
It was hard news to hear. I worked with amazing reporters who were also really great people. I will miss them. But knowing I would be joining PelhamToday has given me hope there is a future for community news.
I arrived on the Niagara news scene after graduating from Niagara College's Journalism-Print program in 2011, and have been reporting ever since. Before starting at Niagara This Week, I worked for other papers including the Niagara Advance and the Fort Erie Times, weeklies that once served Niagara-on-the-Lake and Fort Erie. I also worked for the Welland Tribune.
Along the way I've learned a lot about journalism and why it plays a vital role in society. Reporters keep people informed about everything from local politics, to issues impacting residents, and events. Community journalism is shrinking as newspapers have been shuttered, making trustworthy news sources scarce.
Despite all the challenges that come with the news industry, there are outlets, like PelhamToday, that are thriving and growing. There are people working hard to make sure communities aren't news deserts.
I am honoured that I get to continue doing what I love to do, and I can't wait to share Pelham's stories with the readers of PelhamToday.
It's a privilege I do not take lightly.
