THE EQUITY has been a familiar and welcome visitor at kitchen tables across the Pontiac for generations. For more than half THE EQUITY’S 142-year life, members of the Dickson family have had the privilege of being its stewards. It began when Rosaleen and David bought the newspaper in 1953 and founded Pontiac Printshop in Shawville where it has been published ever since.
For their six children, each of whom has worked in the business at one time or another, the newspaper has been like a member of the family. While this makes it difficult to part with THE EQUITY, it demands that, in doing so, it is entrusted to someone who values its legacy and is committed to ensuring it continues to fulfill its potential into the future. We believe we have found such a person.
It has been a few months in the making, but the time has come for the ownership of this newspaper to change hands. An agreement has been reached that will see Jon Stewart and his digital communications company, Calumet Media, purchase Pontiac Printshop and THE EQUITY this week.
It has been the experience of a lifetime to serve as publisher of THE EQUITY for a short part of its long journey through Pontiac history, and there have been many valued companions along this section of the road to thank. The dedicated and endlessly supportive members of the team at Pontiac Printshop who have reliably met every challenge, overcome every obstacle and cheerfully kept the presses rolling through thick and thin. Our advertisers who recognized what their support for this newspaper can do not only for the success of their enterprises but for the progress of the community in which they operate. And you, our readers, here and across the country who continue to tell us you value this newspaper and encourage us to keep it going.
A special debt of gratitude is owed to my parents who had the courage to pursue a dream 72 years ago, my brother Ross and his former wife Heather who kept the dream alive, my daughter Sophie who arrived just when her help as a reporter was needed most, and then took on and will continue in the role of editor, and my wife Erica for her encouragement to embark on this adventure and her steadfast support in seeing it through.
A community needs a community newspaper. A democracy needs a free press. In these terms, the Pontiac has been well-served. But it’s important to remember how easy it is to take your local newspaper for granted. While it has been here all the way back to our great-great-grandparents’ time, this is not a guarantee that it will be here forever. As with any community newspaper, that depends entirely on the support and engagement of the community it serves.
This week, THE EQUITY passes into the care of a new generation, with Jon running the business side of things while Sophie and her team of reporters write the newspaper. Together, they bring a fresh vision of the possibilities and boundless energy to pursue them.
It’s a promising new beginning for THE EQUITY, coming at what feels like a turning point in the history of the country. As Canadians take a second look at the extraordinary talent and resource endowments present within Canada, there is a growing sense of excitement over what we might be able to achieve together here at home and out there in a world of opportunity.
The Pontiac has a part to play in this unfolding story of Canadian self-confidence and optimism. Let’s seize the moment. Let’s be ambitious. Together, let’s be better than we have ever been.
