Hi there,

For the third year running, The Discourse and our network at Discourse Community Publishing have proven that small is mighty by sweeping the nominations at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. 

Our team is up for 11 awards in total, with at least one nomination in eight of the nine available categories. (We don’t make podcasts — yet!) You’ll find the full list and links to the nominated work below.

To celebrate, we’re extending our offer to receive a special Discourse gift pack: a sticker, bookmark and earrings, handmade with love by me! 

Support The Discourse before midnight on Thursday, Dec. 7 and I’ll mail your gift to the address you leave at checkout.

Every little bit helps, which is why we’ve expanded this offer to contributions in any amount, whether it’s one-time or recurring support. If you prefer to give by e-transfer or cheque, reply to the email and I’d be happy to help. 

We’re 29 per cent of the way towards our goal to raise $10,000 by Dec. 15 to sustain The Discourse’s independent local journalism. Every dollar goes towards paying local journalists to report with care on issues that matter to our communities. 

To our existing supporters, THANK YOU. You are the reason we can take the time to tell stories that go deeper than the surface and contribute to healthier public discourse in our communities. 

Here’s some of what our newest supporters had to say about why they support The Discourse:

“My husband and I appreciate how The Discourse carefully listens to local people about community concerns. Your journalism always reflects the thorough way you do your homework to cover stories.”

“I believe independent journalism is essential in a working democracy.”

“Local journalism done professionally by folks who care about journalism and our communities. News I don't get anywhere else, in depth and ongoing engagement in local issues.”

If you’ve read a newsletter or article that meant something to you and can afford to chip in, we truly need you. Please consider joining hundreds of supporters who have stood up to say that honest community journalism is worth fighting for. 

We’re hiring a community journalist in Kamloops (Tk'emlúps).

Discourse Community Publishing is looking for a curious, caring journalist to report local news for The Wren, based in Kamloops. Is this you or someone you know? Apply by Dec. 22. Please help us spread the word!

Some good news.

• A Cree mother and her newborn are together again, several weeks after the baby was apprehended at two days old in a Surrey hospital. IndigiNews reported on the separation last month, and MLA Adam Olsen cited "the unrelenting IndigiNews reporter Anna McKenzie" when he raised the issue in the B.C. Legislature last month.

• If you get The Discourse’s Cowichan This Week newsletters, you may have read my recent email about a grandmother facing cold nights unsheltered on the streets of Duncan. A day later, the Cowichan Valley Regional District announced that it will operate an extreme-weather shelter at the Cowichan Community Centre this winter. The shelter is not yet open, but I’m grateful that more people will soon have a warm place to go overnight during the worst winter weather conditions over the coming months.

• In case you missed it, Shalu Mehta and Anna McKenzie recently took home the prestigious Webster Award for Excellence in Community Reporting. This collaboration between The Discourse Cowichan and IndigiNews centred calls for justice after the death of Indigenous teen Carsyn Mackenzie Seaweed. 

• IndigiNews publisher Eden Fineday recently debated the future of journalism at an event hosted by The Tyee in Vancouver. She wrote a song about it — and performed part of it ahead of the event on CBC’s The Early Edition. Watch the video here, or listen to the full radio segment here.

Our award-nominated work.

Here’s a roundup of stories from the Discourse Community Publishing network that have been recognized as finalists in the Canadian Online Publishing Awards. A big congratulations to all my colleagues on this impactful work!

Best Feel Good Story - IndigiNews

Married at the powwow: Dancers tie the knot at snpink’tn event where they first met

Reporting and photography by Aaron Hemens

Best Multicultural Story - The Discourse

Tribunal report reveals new complexity in Victor Mema case

Reporting by Julie Chadwick, editing by Jacqueline Ronson and Lauren Kaljur

Best Column - The Discourse

‘Pride is a protest’ as queerphobia rises on Vancouver Island

Reporting by Lys Morton, editing by Lauren Kaljur

Best Daily News Coverage - Sun Peaks Independent News

Family coming to Sun Peaks for fifth anniversary of Ryan Shtuka’s disappearance

Reporting by Liz McDonald, editing by Tegwyn Hughes and Jacqueline Ronson

Best Continuing Coverage of a Story - IndigiNews and The Discourse

‘They were just children’: c̓išaaʔatḥ confirms potential graves at former Alberni residential ‘school’

Reporting by Cara McKenna and Julie Chadwick

Best Investigative Article - The Discourse

Former and current staff at Haven Society allege ‘toxic environment’ breaks from the nonprofit’s feminist values

Reporting by Rae-Anne Guenther with contributions from Julie Chadwick; editing by Lauren Kalur and Jacqueline Ronson

Best Photo Journalism - The Discourse

‘It’s better than Disneyland’: Local environmentalists unite to protect Harewood Plains

Photography by Rae-Anne Guenther, reporting by Julie Chadwick, edited by Lauren Kaljur

Best Photo Journalism and Best Local Community News - IndigiNews

Seven years after her disappearance, family of Caitlin Potts reignites calls for justice

Reporting and photography by Aaron Hemens

Best Local Community News - The Wren

History at the Confluence: A glimpse into Tk’emlúps’ past

Reporting by Lyssa Martin, editing by Lauren Kaljur, Hollie Ferguson and Tegwyn Hughes

Best Video Content - The Discourse

Quw’utsun Stories

Video storytelling by Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, editing by Shalu Mehta