As some local news outlets dwindle, these northern Ont. residents try to fill the gaps
CBC
Like much of Canada, the local news landscape in northern Ontario is undergoing significant change.
Several once-thriving outlets have closed their doors after decades of serving their communities, while others have scaled back operations, leaving gaps in local coverage.
A notable exception is Village Media, a company that has expanded rapidly, launching a dozen hyperlocal, online-only news sites in the region since the early 2000s.
While some communities have managed to hold on to their local news, others have not been as fortunate.
In these areas, some people volunteer their time to inform their neighbours about issues, news and weather.
Whitefish River First Nation's General Store and Gas, for example, has become an unlikely hub for information about travel conditions.
One of the employees, Greg Sutherland, says the initial idea was to tell people about fuel prices and store hours, but that evolved as the audience grew.
Now the store staff put out a short video broadcast every day on social media to tell people about the weather and road conditions, along with traffic updates and information about events in the surrounding communities.
"At first it was hundreds of viewers and then boom, it just jumped to thousands," said Sutherland.
He said the store gets a lot of feedback on its videos when people stop to fuel up.
"People from Sudbury all the way to Sault Ste. Marie watch our videos to know the forecast," he said.
"It's crazy how social media works. Sometimes people drop by and they don't even get gas, they just comment on the latest video."
Sutherland says this is a public service, but it has important limitations.
"We don't do politics or heavy stuff," he said. "I just don't have that kind of info, so I just stick to what I know and can provide for people."
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