As local news outlets dwindle, these northern Ontario residents try to fill the gaps

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, said 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 said 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." 

Keeping communities connected

In a similar vein, Daniel Pegg, a miner by profession, started the Northern Ontario Information Station Facebook page during the pandemic as a way to centralize reliable news from across the region.

He uses the platform to promote news media stories and posts from organizations, businesses and First Nations.

"I think people like to get their news quickly, then move on," said Pegg. "They don't have time to go check multiple sites.

"A lot of people, they're just cruising on Facebook... We find it helps to have it all in one spot."

Pegg said the project can be stressful and time consuming, and he has to schedule posts ahead of time to keep the page active as he does shift work.

But he believes in the value of work. "Helping the citizens in the North is what keeps me going." 

Pegg said running the page is a one-man operation and sometimes inaccurate information can slip through if not enough time is given to vet a post.

'The resource I need is time'

Time is also a major constraint for John Degen, who launched a hyperlocal news site called Shore Report as a pre-retirement project.

The substack covers events and issues in the different towns and First Nations along the North Shore of Lake Huron. 

Degen started this project when he moved to Thessalon and noticed there were few options for local media outlets.

"What's the expression? 'Be the change you want to see in the world?' I wanted news from the places I saw the most, the smaller towns," he said. 

Degen's Shore Report is still a work in progress, with a small but loyal audience. It's a crowd funded business model, and Degen said even if the project never becomes viable, he'll stay committed to it as a service to his community. 

"The resource I need is time," he said, adding he'd like to do deep dives on local topics like the closure of the Dean Lake bridge.

"It's a tiny story in terms of the big picture in Ontario and Canada, it only affects 120 families. But it is indicative of crumbling infrastructure in general, and the priorities of our governments."

Although the site doesn't generate revenue, Degen remains committed to the project as a service to his community.