VANCOUVER — Following the closure of Glacier Media’s digital community newspapers in April and May, which affected the jobs of Unifor Local 2000 members, journalists are now banding together to form a worker co-op with the goal of launching a newspaper in regions of British Columbia.
“This grassroots project exemplifies the tenacity and dedication of journalists who care about their communities and the work they produce,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “This is not just a fight against news deserts, but a battle for democracy.”
Four longtime community news reporters have joined forces with Unifor and the Union Cooperative Initiative to launch the Save Our Local News campaign. This bold initiative aims to create a fresh, trusted and reliable news publication in the growing communities of New Westminster, Burnaby and the Tri-Cities.
The Glacier Media closures affected the communities of Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Moody, Anmore, Belcarra, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, contributing to the troubling news deserts in Metro Vancouver.
“Local 2000 has seen too many newspaper closures in small towns throughout B.C., which has left these communities without a local voice,” said Local 2000 President Brian Gibson. “People are not getting information about what is happening at their local City Hall. Having an informed electorate is an important check in our democracy that is removed by the loss of local media.”
Glacier Media said it is keeping all non-union websites online and will continue to print the non-union publications North Shore News and Delta Optimist.
“Thousands of residents and organizations in the Tri-Cities, Burnaby and New Westminster communities have lost access to their longstanding local news publications with the recent closures of the New Westminster Record, Burnaby Now and Tri-City News,” said Unifor Western Regional Director Gavin McGarrigle.
“This has sparked interest in developing a new worker-led and community driven model for local news — one that puts communities over profits.”
Unifor is donating $5,000 to this project.
The co-op is asking the community to support their campaign and fundraising efforts by signing up at SaveOurLocalNews.ca.
Unifor represents more than 10,000 media workers, including journalists in the broadcast and print news industry.
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