Federal Policies are a Gamechanger for Community Newspapers

This week, I was asked to write a national op-ed for Postmedia Network on the future of community journalism in Canada. That column will run across multiple publications nationwide.

Here at home, the results are already visible. The paper is bigger. We have more reporters. We are now covering the Elk Valley. This is the reason behind it.

That growth is continuing this month. In addition to a larger paper, more reporters and expanded coverage into the Elk Valley, we are also welcoming two new Documenters to the Pass Herald, Allison Capron and Shannon Maloney.

The Documenters program trains community members to attend council and subdivision and development meetings and create detailed notes that are shared publicly, giving residents greater insight into local decision-making.

As a small businesswoman and the owner of a community newspaper approaching its 97th year of publication, I feel for the first time in many years that reaching the 100-year milestone is a now real possibility. Two federal government policies have been game changers for my newspaper and for our community.

Prior to the Online News Act, Google did content licensing agreements with a few larger Canadian news publishers. Small independent community newspapers like mine, were left to wither or die on the vine. Google, at their discretion, was picking the winners and losers in the Canadian media landscape. Thanks to the Online News Act, the Pass Herald now receives about $35,000 annually from Google.

The other policy is the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI). the LJI supports the creation of original civic journalism in underserved communities across Canada. It allows media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelance journalists. A great feature of the LJI is that the content produced is made available to other media organizations through a Creative Commons license so that other communities across Canada can learn more about my community.

In 2023–2024, the LJI programme contributed to the hiring of approximately 700 journalists across Canada. Recently, the Pass Herald received LJI funding of about $39,000.

So, what does this kind of support mean to a small independent community newspaper publisher like me?

Let me state unequivocally, they have a direct and measurable impact on both editorial capacity and business growth. Comparing our 2025 and 2026 editions, the change is substantial and consistent. In early 2025, the Pass Herald was typically producing 16-to-20-page issues. By early 2026, we are consistently producing 20-to-24-page editions. This represents an increase of 4 to 8 pages per issue, or approximately 192 to 384 additional pages annually across our publishing schedule.

This increase is not cosmetic. It reflects a real expansion in reporting capacity. We have transitioned from a limited reporting model to a multi reporter newsroom. This includes the LJI reporter, and thanks to funds we received under the Online News Act, the addition of a second reporter hired by the paper and expanded use of contributors.

This has allowed us to significantly increase story volume, diversify coverage and improve consistency in our reporting.

That increase can be measured directly in story output. In 2025, we were producing approximately 9 to 12 core stories per issue. In 2026, that number has increased to between 16 and 21 stories per issue. This represents an increase of approximately 60 to 90 percent in editorial output and reflects a shift from a single thread newsroom to a multi reporter operation capable of covering multiple issues at once.

Most importantly, the nature of our coverage has changed. Where our coverage a couple years ago focused primarily on community events and features, we are now consistently producing reporting on civic governance, economic issues, development decisions, institutional accountability and regional matters. This aligns directly with the intended purpose of the LJI program.

It has also allowed up to expand geographically. We are now distributing approximately 100 copies per week into Sparwood, British Columbia, a community that previously had no dedicated local newspaper presence. This is not passive distribution. Our reporter is physically travelling into the community at least two days per week, building sources, establishing relationships and creating a visible and consistent news presence. As a direct result, we are beginning to see advertising interest from that market. This is early stages, but it is a clear indication that editorial presence is translating into business opportunity.

These federal policies are achieving their intended purposes. They are increasing reporting capacity, improving coverage, and restoring journalism in underserved areas. 

However, these outcomes are not cost neutral. Each additional page increases printing costs.

Each new community requires travel, time and distribution. Each expansion in coverage requires additional staffing and operational support. We are using a combination of LJI funding, Online News Act funding, and our own internal investment to build a stronger product for readers in the Crowsnest Pass and beyond.

The impact of these policies is visible in every edition we produce each week. Readers are noticing the difference. We are being asked what has changed to make the paper stronger, and I am proud to point directly to these programs. Independent community newspapers operate with extremely limited resources, often with very small teams carrying multiple roles. For papers like ours, the impact of these programs is extraordinary. 

On a personal level, to see a thicker newspaper, filled with a multitude of stories covering a wide range of topics, is something I have not experienced in many years. I am no longer trying to hold on and produce a quality newspaper. I now feel we are producing a higher quality product comparable to what we were able to achieve 10 years ago. As a result, my community is better informed about their community.

Lisa Sygutek is the Publisher and Owner of the Crowsnest Pass Herald and president of the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association