Squamish's newspaper has been named the best in Canada by the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA).
The Chief won Best All-Around Newspaper in its circulation category at the CCNA's annual convention Saturday (June 4) in Banff, Alta. The Chief also won first place for best editorial page in the competition.Community newspapers enter the competition by submitting two copies of their newspaper, one from each of two weeks randomly selected by the CCNA. Entries are judged for front page impact, community news, photography, design, editorial page, advertising content and design, sports pages, classifieds and production quality.
The judges cited "a lively editorial page, thorough news coverage and a healthy advertising base with clear, well-designed ads" in their overall comments on The Chief and said of its editorial page: "Well-written, pull-no-punches editorial and columns in both months' entries were a joy to read."
"We're extremely pleased and gratified by this honour," said Chief publisher Tim Shoults. "An award like this only comes because of the co-ordinated effort and talents of all of our staff and contributors, as well as the community which gives us such wonderful support. This award belongs to all of our staff, our readers and our advertisers who make The Chief what it is."
The Chief's sister newspapers, the Whistler Question and the Sunshine Coast Reporter, also won top national honours for Best All-Around Newspaper in their respective circulation categories, while the Powell River Peak placed third in Canada in its circulation category.
The award is the second major award for The Chief in the past two months. In April, The Chief won the title of Best All-Around Newspaper in B.C. at the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association's Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards.
