The Independent

The Independent of Petrolia and Central Lambton has won four provincial awards in the Ontario Community Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper Competition.

It also picked of two second place and three third place accolades at a ceremony in Niagara-on-the-Lake Saturday.

The Independent’s coverage of York1 Environmental’s plans to reopen the Dresden dump won the Best Investigative News Story category. 

Judge Greg Colgan said “(Reporter Heather) Wright went the extra mile with what was obviously a detailed FOI request,” to get to the meat of the story; particularly that Chatham-Kent politicians had been courting the company since 2019.

“ It’s clear this reporting not only informed the public but also led to more extensive environmental testing for the potential project.”

Also claiming top prize in the Best News Series Category was the ‘Hungry in Lambton’ investigation by Reporter Cathy Dobson and Photographer Glenn Ogilvie. “Both writer and photographer did an exemplary job,” wrote Judge Kimberly Kielly calling it an “excellent series.”

The Independent’s coverage of the Alvinston Pro Rodeo also gained top honours in the Best Photo Layout category with Judge Richard DalMote saying “Wright really captured the action with her rodeo photos. Lots of movement and lots of colour. Well done.”

And our Petrolia 150 – 1874 Replica Newspaper placed first in the Community Service Category. “This wasn’t a difficult choice for first place. The Independent staff obviously put a lot of time and energy into this project. Their efforts created a history of the community, the type of which is hard to find,” wrote Judge Manfred Tempelmayr. 

Nationally, The Independent’s Wright is a finalist in the Community News Category in the Canadian Association of Journalist awards for her coverage on the York1/Dresden dump story.

The CAJ will announce the winner in Calgary at the end of May.