As the newest member of the voice of the Pontiac, I look forward to familiarizing myself with the many municipalities of this county, as well as forming close connections with the residents who live here and drive this community.

Having recently graduated from Algonquin College’s journalism program, I’m thrilled to be able to work in my field of study, almost directly out of school – something I see as equally a great opportunity and important responsibility.

With seemingly everything in the world going digital nowadays, including news-papers, I’m honoured to take on the task of getting new readers interested in the online version of our paper as well as keeping our current subscribers pleased with our original, accurate and dynamic online content.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan and raised in Aylmer Que., I’m definitely what you’d call an outsider to this area. Plus it’s certainly a weird transition, going from living in the city to working in a small town setting. But I’m ready.

My sense of familiarity with the Pontiac goes as far as my experiences in minor hockey driving to Shawville with my dad for big games, tournaments and early morning practices or rushing my siblings to the hospital to avoid unbearable waiting periods in the emergency rooms of Ottawa and Hull hospitals.

I remember enduring the pain of the rink’s ice-cold air freezing my toes to numbness, making my skates almost unbearable to wear, as soon as I’d hop on the ice.

Before I came here, I used to think of the Pontiac as just Shawville. I knew about the arena, the hospital and that’s about it.

What I didn’t know about was everything else that surrounded the area, such as the vastness of the land, the municipalities that comprise it, the historical importance of the forestry industry.

After just a single day of working here, I already see how much more this community has to offer than I previously imagined, in terms of presence of small businesses, fun activities and eye-catching environmental beauty.

There’s so much to this community that I don’t know about or that I’ve yet to see for myself. So, whatever cool discoveries and surprises are waiting for me, I feel excited to find out and I’m eager to learn about them.

If there’s anything interesting going on in the region, whether it’s a delicious eatery, a fun place to hang out for drinks or if you just want to chat about something going in the community, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you.

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