Welcome to the August edition of our monthly newsletter! ☀️
As the summer winds down, I hope this newsletter finds you relaxed, motivated and ready for a new season just around the corner.
With a new month comes a number of updates on the many things happening around our Village.
Thank you for being an essential part of our journey. Let's make August a month of shared achievements and memorable moments!
A warm welcome 👋
Our team grew by one last month with the addition of the following Villager:
BarrieToday LJI reporter Wayne Doyle
Welcome 🌟
The dreaded 'F-bomb'💥
Facebook.
Bill C-18 has been a hot topic in recent weeks as its impact resulted in alarming changes to the average person’s Facebook feed. Facebook’s decision to block news content on its platform in Canada means that no Canadian will be able to see any type of news links in their feed going forward.
It sounds scary - because it is. This decision greatly affects countless people who have become used to seeing their local news in their feed and are now concerned about accessing that information as passively as they were before.
The good news is: we have a loyal audience who places a much higher degree of trust in our information than in social media.
Village Media remains at the forefront of local news publishers in Canada, and our reach among local readers is stronger than ever.
More than ever, readers are visiting our sites directly to receive their community information and by focusing on growing our email subscriber base and enhancing our community presence through sponsorships and initiatives, we have continued to foster meaningful connections with our readers well beyond traditional social media platforms.
Village Media has always been vocal about not supporting the Online News Act or any form of government involvement in media regulation. We firmly believe in the importance of a free and independent press and will continue to advocate for a diverse and open media landscape.
BTW - We are now sharing our article links to our LinkedIn pages. If you haven’t yet, make sure you give your local site a follow 👍
NewmarketToday turns five 🎂
September marks a milestone anniversary for NewmarketToday!
Five years ago, the site was introduced to the community and since then has become a relied-upon source of local news and information for thousands of residents (over 22,000 people subscribe to the daily newsletter alone!).
With editor Debora Kelly at the helm, NewmarketToday has become a reliable source for readers to learn about their neighbours, their history and developments in the community they call home.
Reporter Joseph Quigley not only loves to dig deep on town hall coverage and other government-related issues in Newmarket and York Region but also enjoys telling the stories of the people — and sometimes their animals, too — that connect our community. Popular with readers is his What's Going Up series and articles on growth and development, including this feature on one of the last local farmers. Shining a light on challenges facing our community and possible solutions are highlighted in our When Ends Don't Meet series.
Photographer Greg King captures breaking news events, as well as the faces of Newmarket in his regular event coverage — including 'non-human' ones like the black bear that unexpectedly came to town, not to mention Newmarket's 'celebrity duck', getting the local scoop on what became a global story.
History Hound Richard MacLeod has been a highly popular weekly columnist since NewmarketToday first launched, sharing both the stories of the recent past and the roots of the Newmarket that we know today.
Keep up the great work keeping Newmarket informed, team!
Celebrating 10 years of Village with BIG community support ❤️
As Village Media’s 10th-anniversary approaches in the fall, we are reflecting on a decade of building relationships in Sault Ste. Marie, home of our head office and where it all began. Relationships with our readers, our advertisers, our community-at-large and certainly with the inspiring organizations working diligently to make Village’s hometown a more inclusive, enjoyable, safe and thriving community.
To celebrate this upcoming milestone, we are excitedly renewing our commitment to strengthening our community with a number of inspiring new sponsorships and donations on the horizon.
The first announcement we are thrilled to make is that Village Media is pledging a $20,000 sponsorship/donation to ARCH Hospice, an incredibly deserving non-profit that provides the essential service of easing the burden of end-of-life journeys for individuals and their families in the Algoma region.
It was our honour to celebrate this announcement with the ARCH Hospice team at our head office.
✨ Spotlight on sponsorships ✨
Sault Ste. Mare isn’t the only Village community with a bustling sponsorship schedule.
Here are the initiatives and events we sponsored in July:
BarrieToday
Down Syndrome Association of Simcoe County - Ride for Down Syndrome
BradfordToday
Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions
BurlingtonToday
VR Pro - Canada Day 5K
EloraFergusToday
Skol House - Canadian Soundwaves Summer Series
GuelphToday
Hillside Festival
HaltonHillsToday/BurlingtonToday
Corey Conacher - Flame of Hope Golf Tournament
LongmontLeader
Nepali Jetra, Skyline Kiwanis
OrilliaMatters
The Big Event - Back to the 90's Video Dance Party Sharing Place Fundraiser
PelhamToday
Welland Float Fest, Town of Pelham - Summerfest
SooLeader
Jim Ailing Memorial Golf Tournament
SooToday
Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie, Superior Staff It Cycling Without Age Golf Tournament, Downtown Association (various events), Sault Pridefest, Village of Hilton Beach Arts on the Dock & Classic Car Show, Every Breakfast Counts Sponsorship, ARCH Hospice, The Bandettes Drum and Bugle Corps - Rotaryfest Parade
StratfordToday
Stratford Summer Music
Sudbury.com
Community Living Greater Sudbury
TimminsToday
Sports for Kids Timmins
We have six opportunities looking to be filled 👀
Check out the Village job board to see details on the current job openings.
Pawesome Villager of the month 🐾
Meet Allie 😻
She is a seven-year-old chill kitty who enjoys the outdoors. Her favourite pastime while exploring nature is chasing moths or butterflies (she gave up on squirrels a few years ago as they are just too fast!).
(Proud pet parent: Rick Gordon)
See you in September!
