The campaign has kicked off for the 2022 provincial elections in Ontario, and Woodstein Media is speaking with candidates in its home riding of Perth-Wellington. This time, Ontario Party candidate Sandy MacGregor answered the questions.
Author: Colin Burrowes
In 2016, I returned to college as a mature student. Studying Journalism at Mohawk College in Hamilton and Conestoga College in Kitchener, I graduated in April 2019. While studying Journalism, I started freelance writing for Metroland Media in 2017.
For five years, I have been writing for newspapers in Southwestern Ontario, and I guess I have gotten pretty good at it too. That's not just me tooting my own horn. I have won three awards from The Ontario Community Newspapers Association over the past two years.
However, on the same weekend, the award nominations were announced, I decided to resign from my post at Midwestern Newspapers.
The work I do as a journalist is enjoyable, and I do not see that it must end. I have worked hard to deliver high-quality stories that have earned community trust and explored experiences in a way that both validated and empowered people who, for years, did not feel valued or included. Perhaps the best example of that connection in my work was in my award-winning series The Homeless Experience in North Perth.
I plan to continue writing these high-quality stories at my news website Wood-stein.ca. I will continue to focus on social issues such as homelessness, the affordable housing crisis, harm reduction, the opioid crisis, LGBTQ2S+ Pride, Indigenous issues, diversity, inclusivity and ongoing systemic racism in Canada. I'll continue to cover municipal politics in Perth County, and I will dabble in provincial and federal politics, especially when election time rolls around. I will write stories on environmental issues, education, restorative justice, public health, and mental health. There will be Southern Ontario art, entertainment, books, authors, musicians, and music.
There will be no coverage of sports, well, maybe roller derby. Although I encourage you to pitch me stories about
exciting businesses, there will be no advertising on the website. So that is why I am hoping you will support me on Patreon.
Roller derby will bounce back, skates are already hitting the track: Ottawa edition
As pandemic-related restrictions loosen, many people across Southern Ontario and beyond are hoping they can lace up their roller skates and hit the roller derby track again. This series of articles will check in with teams as they prepare for some action in 2022. This time, sharing the progress of their league are Ottawa Roller Derby’s Bethany Vowles-Hartree and Alyx Gardner, who some people in the derby community might know as RapunzHell #666 and Coco Flannel, respectively.
Meet Perth-Wellington candidate for the NDP, Jo-dee Burbach
The campaign has kicked off for the 2022 provincial elections in Ontario, and Woodstein Media is speaking with candidates in its home riding of Perth-Wellington. This time, New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Jo-Dee Burbach answers the questions.
Province announces $1.8 million for North Perth Technologies and Skills Learning Hub
An announcement on April 19 of over $1.8 million in funding headed to North Perth from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Development’s Skills and Development Fund will provide new possibilities for the region.
From Peterborough to Port Alberni, COVID drives Punks on Pizza from promotion to podcast
Punks on Pizza began as a way for Tyler Smith to get his band booked in his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario, but thanks, in part, to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been reinvented as a podcast where he chats with friends and heroes from his new home base in Port Alberni, British Columbia.
Meet Perth-Wellington candidate for the Progressive Conservatives, Matthew Rae
The campaign has kicked off for the 2022 provincial elections in Ontario, and Woodstein Media is speaking with candidates in its home riding of Perth-Wellington. This time, Progressive Conservative Matthew Rae answers the questions.
Roller derby will bounce back, skates are already hitting the track: Kingston edition
As pandemic-related restrictions loosen, many people across Southern Ontario and beyond are hoping they can lace up their roller skates and hit the roller derby track again. This series of articles will check in with teams as they prepare for some action in 2022. This time, sharing the progress of their league are Kingston Roller Derby’s Brooke Gilmour and Ashley McCallum, who some people in the derby community might know as Pepe Le Puke and Ashteroid, respectively.
Richardson concerned providing local produce at cost will affect people “genuinely trying to make a profit”
North Perth council approved a bi-weekly market to help address food security issues and allow Listowel residents to purchase produce sourced from local farms at cost or slightly more on April 11. However, not all councillors were on board with the decision.
Pleather Vegan Jerky offers authentic drool-inducing pleasure for ex-meat eaters
Somewhere in the greater Cleveland area, Melissa and Matt Trahan stumbled from punk rock to creating vegan snack treats for those who want the chewy drool-inducing flavour of jerky without the cruelty caused by the meat industry.
Pleather is vegan, non-meat, super-tuff seitan jerky, and its texture has captured the tastebuds of vegans, vegetarians and people who want to cut back on their meat consumption.
What the heck happened to Beaver Slap?
Barrie’s Beaver Slap was one of Ontario’s most exciting punk bands to emerge over the past decade, as far as Woodstein Media is concerned, but they went quiet just before the pandemic. What happened, and what are the band members doing now?
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