The Voice of Pelham/Pelham Today has won several awards in the Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s (OCNA) annual Better Newspaper Competition. Some 200 provincial news organizations are members of OCNA, and compete for the prestigious yearly awards. Results for 2022 were announced on Friday, April 14.
(The weekly Voice of Pelham distributed its last print edition in December 2022, and was re-launched as the online PelhamToday in January 2023, part of the Village Media network of media sites.)
The Voice was a finalist for awards in five categories in its under-10,000 circulation class, including Best Editorial, Best Feature Writing, Best Investigative News Story, Best Feature/News Series, and Best Police/Court Story or Series, along with honorable mentions in two additional categories. The paper took home two Golds, two Silvers, and one Bronze, along with the honourable mentions.
The judges awarded editor Dave Burket first place for Best Editorial, in which the newspaper took on then-Pelham Town Councillor Ron Kore’s attempt to ban the Town of Pelham from doing business with the Voice. The newspaper was unapologetic for its record of holding elected officials accountable for their actions (or inaction).
“I read this with my mouth open,” commented the judge. “As an editor of my own paper in a small town, I fully understand the guts and care for the community required to write and publish this. Bravo.”
Burket took home a second Gold in Feature Writing, shared with reporter Don Rickers and former Pelham Herald/Voice editor Carolyn Mullin, for a story which recounted the terrifying twister which swept through Pelham in May 1996, spinning an enduring urban legend along the way.
“This look back at a destructive tornado is an excellent feature by Don Rickers,” commented the judge, “with great photos from the event, and detailed comments about the urban myth that the tornado struck a drive-in theatre just as it was showing the movie Twister. The first-person account sidebar by Carolyn Mullin, the editor of the Pelham newspaper of the day, along with her photos, put the whole event, its destruction, and how it was covered locally into perfect context.”
Burket and Rickers shared a Silver award with freelance writer Helen Tran in the Best Feature/News Series for coverage of the trial (and traumatic aftermath) of disgraced family physician Charles Duncan, who was convicted on six counts of sexual assault against women, some of whom were patients in his Fonthill medical practice.
“Well written. It flowed nicely, with good sidebars,” wrote the judge. “A community interest story of newsworthy relevance.”
A Second silver for Burket and Rickers came in the Best Police/Court Story or Series category. The pair collaborated on a series of articles detailing the trial and conviction of two criminals whose actions led to the 2020 death of beloved Pelham husband, father, grandfather, businessman, and friend, Earl Clapp. Victim impact statements underscored the breadth of the outraged shared by the family, and the community.
The stories involved “senseless loss conveyed with some power,” wrote the judge. “Don Rickers also took the time to examine the impact upon the community. The case is closed, and one much-loved man remains gone too soon.”
Burket and John Chick took Bronze for Best Investigative News Story —a category unrestricted by circulation, meaning the Voice/PelhamToday was up against newspapers of all sizes— regarding an investigation by the Ontario Ombudsman’s office, which found that Pelham Town Council violated open meeting rules by holding a closed session—at the prompting of then-Councillor Lisa Haun— concerning matters at Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport.
“A well-written and thoroughly investigative piece,” commented the judge. “Through Access to Information filings, the paper obtained emails that showed how one councillor had pushed for the meeting to be held in-camera, despite reservations expressed by the Town Clerk. One of the most important roles of local media outlets is to report on local councils and ensure that what should be done in the public eye, is done in the public eye, for all to see.”
An honourable mention was received in the Best Diversity Coverage category for Burket and freelancer Brian Green for stories on freedom-seeking Black slaves from the United States, who carved out new lives in rural Niagara in the mid-1850s; as well as for Best Guest/Freelance Column, a retrospective by contributor Victoria Balfour on Sun Valley Gardens, a nudist resort in rural Fenwick founded in the 1950s.
In 2018, the paper earned just one award in the OCNA competition, taking Gold in the Best Investigative News Story category for its 2017 reporting on the Town of Pelham's land-for-credits scheme in East Fonthill. In 2019, the paper earned four awards, and then six in both 2020 and 2021. In 2022, the tally increased to nine awards, which was the third-highest total that year of any provincial entrant.
“Once again I have to emphasize that this is a team effort across the board,” said editor Dave Burket. “We’ve been blessed with some excellent talent—especially the hardest working reporter in town, Don Rickers—which has made it possible for such a small publication to rack-up so many awards over the last few years. I deeply appreciate their hard work, and of course the support of our readers, advertisers, and shareholders that helped make it happen.”
