Residents of Vaudreuil-Soulanges have a new source of local news.
It’s a bi-monthly newspaper called The 1019 Report and it covers the 1019 square kilometres of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC.
Launched by three seasoned newspaper people, including well-known former Montreal Gazette journalist Brenda O’Farrell, the newspaper calls itself “old school” with a new business model.
It will be published every second week on Wednesdays.
O’Farrell, who is the former editor of the West Island Gazette and was named Hudson’s first ever Irish Woman of the year in 2019, said she and her partners are old school newspaper veterans with a new business model. “We’re instilling an element of enough,” she said. “The idea is we become the buy local, support local champion.”
The mayor of St-Lazare, one of the communities served by the new newspaper, said he thinks The 1019 Report will be an asset. “Our businesses here in town have done an amazing community job,” said Robert Grimaudo. He sees this as another link in the chain to serving the community.
O’Farrell is convinced that local businesses will support the newspaper through advertising. “They want to be part of something that means something to them. All we need is a little bit from everybody and we can do something that is quite amazing.”
The first issue included a congratulatory message from MP Peter Schiefke, which said “Local and regional media is as important as ever, particularly as we as a community in Vaudreuil-Soulanges navigate these uncertain and challenging times.”
The newspaper is available in print only.