Two community newspapers publish their last editions in B.C. this week
Two newspapers in British Columbia are publishing their last editions this week, eliminating coverage by community newspapers for a large swath of the province's northeast.
Glacier Media announced it is shutting down both the Dawson Creek Mirror and the Alaska Highway News out of Fort St. John.
A letter published online from Peter Kvarnstrom, the president of Glacier's community media division, says the business model for the papers is no longer sustainable as advertising dollars have shifted online.
“While we have participated in the digital media landscape and have grown our audience significantly, we have lost most of our advertising to those same digital platforms,” the letter says.
“These same platforms have helped us grow our audience engagement online, but we can no longer rely on the advertising revenue to keep our operations viable.”
The Alaska Highway News was first published in 1943 and the first incarnation of the Mirror arrived in 1930.
Both newspapers published weekly, on Thursdays, and maintained a daily news presence online.
In his own letter to readers, the Mirror's managing editor Rob Brown apologized.
“Here's something you won't hear often either. I'm sorry this company could not keep your paper going,” he wrote.
“Perhaps a new locally-owned, and smaller outfit could get one going. Perhaps.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
As Israel pushes deeper into Rafah, Hamas regroups elsewhere in ungoverned Gaza
Israeli forces were battling Palestinian militants across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including in parts of the devastated north that the military said it had cleared months ago, where Hamas has exploited a security vacuum to regroup.