CollingwoodToday is happy to announce the hiring of a new reporter to the team who will continue to provide vital news coverage of civic matters in The Blue Mountains and Grey Highlands.
Greg McGrath-Goudie is the newest member of the CollingwoodToday team.
This will be McGrath-Goudie’s first full-time journalism position, but not his first work in the field.
While attending Lakehead University for a BA in English with a minor in political science, and an MA in English, he worked as an editor and reporter for The Argus, the Lakehead student newspaper. Following university, he worked as a freelance reporter for newspapers in North Bay and Muskoka.
“When I was studying English, I wondered how I could use writing to have an impact on the world around me,” said McGrath-Goudie. “To me, journalism presents the opportunity to find and share stories that matter most to communities … I chose journalism because I believe it is an integral part of a healthy community.”
For the second time, CollingwoodToday was successful in obtaining a grant through the Local Journalism Initiative, to hire a full-time reporter to cover town council news in The Blue Mountains and Grey Highlands.
Since February 2020, Jennifer Golletz held the local role, but she has since moved on to a full-time job in a different field. She’ll still be writing for CollingwoodToday as an occasional freelance reporter.
Created and funded by the Government of Canada, the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) is a five-year program that supports the creation of original civic journalism. The funds and application process are administered by seven non-profit organizations representing different segments of the news industry to protect the independence of the press.
The funding is specifically reserved for helping news organizations provide coverage of “news deserts” or areas of “news poverty,” meaning municipalities with little to no consistent local news source.
“Reliable, consistent, and objective journalism is so important in a community. It helps contribute to an engaged citizenry and an accountable government,” said CollingwoodToday community editor, Erika Engel. “I’m glad to have Greg on the team, and to keep providing civic coverage of these two neighbouring communities.”
McGrath-Goudie is already a news addict, spending at least an hour a day reading Canadian or American news, and he’s a believer in the importance of municipal politics to its constituents.
“It will be great to work on stories that are important to the citizens of Grey Highlands and The Blue Mountains,” he said. “It’s an absolutely beautiful area, and I am certain I will enjoy living in it.”
When he’s not reading or writing news stories, McGrath-Goudie enjoys getting outside for hiking, kayaking, enjoying the beach, or snowshoeing.
He is moving to the Collingwood area from North Bay, but is originally from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador, and grew up in Elliot Lake and Huntsville. His family has a long history in Labrador.
If you have any questions about the Local Journalism Initiative or you’d like to talk to us at CollingwoodToday, email Erika Engel, community editor, at [email protected]. You can reach Greg McGrath-Goudie at [email protected].
