Pass Herald closes out 2025 with gratitude
As I write the final editorial of 2025, I find myself reflecting on just how long this column has been part of my life. I began writing regular editorials after Buddy became sick in November of 2016. When you add it all up, this editorial marks roughly 439 editorials written over that time. That number is humbling, exhausting, and incredibly meaningful all at once.
It also places my time behind this column in the broader context of the Pass Herald’s history. Buddy began writing editorials in 1950. Over that time, he wrote approximately 3,200 editorials. That legacy is never far from my mind when I sit down to write each week.
This past year was a very good one for the Pass Herald. In fact, it was one of our strongest advertising years in many years. The level of support from local businesses has been the best I have seen in a long time, and it did not go unnoticed. At a time when independent newspapers across the country are struggling, our community chose to show up in a big way. That support is the reason we are still here, still local, and still telling the story of this place.
One of the most exciting developments looking ahead is the launch of our Documenters program in 2026. Through a partnership with Mount Royal University, we will be hiring someone from the community who will be trained by the Journalism and Digital Media department to attend public meetings throughout the year. That documenter will take detailed notes, which will be vetted by a Mount Royal University supervisor. From there, our newsroom staff will turn those records into clear and accurate stories for the community.
This model strengthens transparency, improves meeting coverage, and helps rebuild trust in local civic reporting. We are proud to be among a handful of Canadian newsrooms participating in this initiative and, to our knowledge, the first weekly newspaper in the country to do so. That matters. Weekly papers are often closest to the people they serve, and this program reflects our belief that informed communities are stronger communities.
There were many highlights in 2025, but the continued success of our Shop Local efforts stands out. Every dollar spent locally is a vote for the future of the Crowsnest Pass. Our Christmas Greeter was the strongest we have produced yet, both in advertising and in reader response. That kind of momentum does not happen by accident. It happens because business owners believe in the value of local media and residents choose to support the places that support their community.
Behind the scenes, the work never really stops. Every week we cover births and deaths, council decisions and community debates, hockey games and swim meets, fundraisers and festivals. We tell the small stories and the hard stories. We show up when it would be easier not to. That is what a community newspaper does.
Sometimes, usually late at night, I wonder how much all of this still matters in a digital world filled with noise, misinformation, and fleeting attention. And then someone stops me in the grocery store to talk about a story they clipped out. Or a family thanks us for handling an obituary with care. Or a business owner tells me an ad worked. Or I get a special thank you card from Wendy Fabro that puts a smile on my face all day. In those moments, the answer is very clear.
Operating remotely has been an adjustment, but it has also been a success. It has shown that a community newspaper is not defined by a physical office, but by the people behind it and the commitment to show up every week. The Pass Herald is not just a paper. It is the written and photographic history of the Crowsnest Pass, stretching back to 1930. Long after social media posts disappear, these pages remain. If nothing else about newspapers matters, that should.
As we close out 2025, I want to say thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for advertising. Thank you for trusting us with your stories. I have the best staff in the world, and I still wake up every day grateful that this is the work I get to do.
Here is to another year of telling the story of this place we call home.