News
Nater, Pettapiece very saddened on shut down of Stratford Gazette and St. Marys Journal-Argus
November 27, 2017
John Nater, Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington, and Randy Pettapiece, Member of Provincial Parliament, were saddened and disappointed to learn that the Stratford Gazette and the St. Marys Journal-Argus will be closing.
M.P. Nater said, “This is a tremendous loss for our community. Both the Journal-Argus and the Gazette provided residents with a local perspective on many pressing issues. The two parent newspapers of the Journal-Argus are older than Canada itself. Our rural communities and small-towns will not be the same without these important voices.”
Pettapiece agreed, saying, “We’ve always been fortunate to have such vibrant community newspapers in our area. Everyone at the Gazette and the Journal-Argus, who worked so hard over so many years, should be proud of their contributions. They will be missed.”
Nater added, “My thoughts are with the reporters and newspaper staff who are affected by these closures. They are our friends and neighbours. The coverage of local events they provided over the past decades will be missed.”
Both Nater and Pettapiece expressed hope for the future of community news, and support for all local media outlets.
Today Postmedia announced that 21 community newspapers will be closed through a non-cash transaction with Torstar Corporation. The St. Marys Journal-Argus has been in circulation since 1920, when the Journal, founded in 1853, acquired the Argus, founded in 1857. The Stratford Gazette was founded in June 2001. Postmedia indicated that the acquired community newspapers will be closed by mid-January.
