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Daily Press publisher bids Timmins fond farewell

It's not easy saying farewell to a community that has been so good to you, never mind twice.

In my case, it means leaving Timmins, again. I first arrived as a young reporter in the late 1980s, then moved on to The Nugget in North Bay before returning to Timmins as publisher six years ago. Today, I'm in Sudbury, as publisher of The Sudbury Star.

To those loyal readers, advertisers and customers of The Daily Press, I thank you for your support and I hope you will continue to invest your time in the newspaper. It provides a great service to the community, but also supports a number of your friends and neighbours.

We live in a changing world, and we often hear of other communities turning their back on their local newspaper because information is so readily available in so many different ways. Timmins has largely bucked that national and international trend. That's not to say that The Daily Press has not adapted to these changing times. We have had an online presence since the beginnings of the Internet and our web readership continues to grow. As in print, The Daily Press continues to be the predominant source for local news, sports and information in Timmins and surrounding area.

During these last six years, I've been fortunate to meet and become close to a great number of people in the business community as well as the general public, and I thank you all for helping me further my personal and professional development.

Among the committees, agencies and boards that I was a member, I'd have to say Timmins is particularly well served by its chamber of commerce and economic development corporation. Both boards have members who are truly committed to making Timmins a better place in which to live and deserve a great deal of credit and support.

There are too many people to mention specifically by name and not leave someone out but I recall something in particular that Shania Twain said when she returned to Timmins for the official opening of the Shania Twain Centre that also applies to me.

Shania looked at former mayor Vic Power beside her on the stage and, with a smile, said that some things in Timmins never change. He was mayor when she was growing up in Timmins and here he was still mayor for the official ceremony.

Coincidentally, the city's longest-serving mayor was in that role when I first came to Timmins as a young reporter and then again as publisher of The Daily Press. He was just as supportive of me then, as now. It's hard to imagine that chair without him but Tom Laughren is more than up to the challenge of guiding Timmins into the future.

What I will surely miss the most about Timmins, aside from the Porcupine Ski Runners' trail network, is the people I worked with every day. Lisa Wilson, Lisa Cote, Gio Crispo, Tom Perry and Joe Vodusek are some of the hardest working and dedicated people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I wish you well and od fortune as your community continues to grow and prosper.

Olaf Karls also deserves special mention. Since his passing over a year ago, there was never a day that his memory and the void he left behind at the newspaper were not keenly felt.

To everyone in the newsroom, the advertising and classified sales staff, circulation department and mailroom, keep up the good work you do at ensuring Timmins stays connected. And to the drivers and carriers, young and older, who deliver the newspaper to loyal readers in some of the most difficult weather conditions in the country, thank you.

This move to Sudbury will undoubtedly lead to new friendships and rewards, as well as challenges, but I will forever treasure my memories and experiences in Timmins.

Who knows?

I may be back for a third time so this is not goodbye but all the best, and good luck.

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