A glimmer of hope for five local newspapers shuttered by Post Media.
Essex County Warden Gary McNamara, says after he voiced concerns via social media, the company reached out to him willing to talk about a six-month pilot project for digital editions of the Kingsville Reporter, Lakeshore News, LaSalle Post, Tecumseh Shoreline and Tilbury Times.
In April, Post Media announced the closure of 15 community newspapers in Ontario, including the five in Essex County.
McNamara says it could means jobs for those who were out of work.
"Obviously content would be required from people who were delivering a lot of that prior. You can see the value of those weeklies, in particular, with those who are still functioning within their communities. It keeps the community connected, in particular with what's happening within their municipal councils," he says.
McNamara says times are changing and a digital weekly newspaper may be the answer the community is looking for.
"There is an opportunity for us to be able to find a new means to deliver some news, the news within our local municipalities. They seem to show an interest. Let's see how far they'll go," he says.
McNamara says there's no question losing the newspapers has left a hole in the community.
"I've noticed the difference even in the last couple weeks without having that local paper within our own community where you were looking forward to that Thursday to see what local news was there. So I want to keep convincing them that this is a good things for our communities," he says.
McNamara says nothing is set in stone just yet, but he continues to be in contact with Post Media about the potential pilot project.
In April, Post Media announced the closure of 15 community newspapers in Ontario, including five in Essex County.