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To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Hamilton Spectator, was first published on May 12, 2022.

Inspection reports reveal Amica neglected the 91-year-old resident, failing to do required wellness checks.

Blanche Dingle was the happiest she’d been in a long time during her eight-month stay at the Amica Dundas retirement home. 

Living among friends in her new home, the 91-year-old retired bookkeeper was freed from the pandemic isolation that had steadily chipped away at her mental and emotional well-being… 

To read the full story on the Hamilton Spectator’s website, please click here. 

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by CityNews, was first broadcast in September 2021.

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Hamilton Spectator, was first published on July 14, 2022.

Villa Italia executive director Pat Mostacci, former chair of Festitalia, is accused of being the architect of a seven-year-long fraud and embezzlement plot.

The banquet was vintage Pat Mostacci. 

Held in the opulence of the Michelangelo Event and Conference Centre in Hamilton, the spring 2017 event was attended by the city’s glitterati, leaders of the local Italian community and even the mayor… 

To read the full story on the Hamilton Spectator’s website, please click here. 

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Hamilton Spectator, was first published on June 22, 2022.

An inquiry into Hamilton’s Red Hill Valley Parkway reveals how officials focused on liability — not safety or transparency — when releasing a friction report about the road where people were dying in crashes.

Nearly 13 hours had passed since the start of a city council meeting, including six hours behind closed doors, when Hamilton’s acting city manager emerged from the closed session and publicly revealed something shocking…

To read the full story on the Hamilton Spectator’s website, please click here. 

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Peterborough Examiner, was first published on May 22, 2022.

When the May 12 windstorm hit parts of Ontario, the Examiner was the only media outlet in the area able to access electricity and working internet. For the next several days, our regularly updated news let people know where to go for help or support, what services were cancelled or available, and the status of repair and cleanup efforts.

City police reported Monday that a 61-year-old Lakefield man died Saturday after being hit by a falling tree near his home.

It was the fourth death in the area linked to the sudden storm.

Peterborough County OPP are investigating after a woman was struck by a tree in North Kawartha Township.

Emergency crews were called to a home on Highway 28 at about 6 p.m. Saturday.

A 64-year-old woman from Cornwall was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call 1-888-310-1122.

OPP also report that a 74-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Port Hope Saturday.

Durham police said a man, 30, died after he was hit by a falling tree in the Ganaraska Forest Saturday.

The storm hit shortly after an emergency alert, including a phone text message was issued at 1:20 p.m. Saturday. Environment Canada warned of a “life-threatening” storm and urged people to take cover.

Environment Canada estimates the winds hit 132 kilometres per hour in some areas. The storm swept easterly from Western Ontario into Quebec.

The weather agency is looking into whether a tornado touched down.

Hydro One tracks outages online.

Trees and branches fell all over Peterborough city and county, downing power lines, and most of the city was without power Saturday and Sunday. Many stores had to close on a busy long weekend Saturday.

There are pockets of the city in the south end with electricity, meaning some stores were open Sunday and traffic lights were working.

By later Sunday afternoon, the city reported that power was being restored in some areas, and the city’s water treatment plant had its power restored after operating on a backup since the outage. Water is safe to drink the city advises. The power is back on at the city wastewater plant, too.

Damaged houses and uprooted trees are visible in most city neighbourhoods, with an early estimate from the city indicated that hundreds of trees may have been lost.

Hydro One has stated it may take days to restore electricity.

Peterborough County

The Township of Douro-Dummer declared a state of emergency Sunday, with widespread damage reported and many closed roads.

“All available Public Works and Emergency Services personnel are working to remove trees and mitigate hazards created by downed power lines,” the township stated.

“At this point Hydro One has not determined an ETA to restore power in our area; residents should be prepared for a prolonged period without power. We ask for the public to stay off the roads as much as possible and avoid all downed power lines.”

Power remained working in Bridgenorth, which saw long lines of vehicles outside the village’s gas stations.

Hydro towers along Highway 7 on the western edge of the city were down, and several poles along Highway 7 between Peterborough and Norwood had fallen. Hydro One and city Public Works trucks were out in force Sunday, with crews working to clear trees and branches and replace utility poles.

Tree damage in Norwood was extensive and the village remained without power Sunday midday.

“Members of the public are advised to avoid proximity to any trees that may have been damaged by the storm, even if there is no visible sign of damage,” OPP advise.

Concert cancelled

The Peterborough Memorial Centre postponed the Jann Arden concert scheduled for Sunday night, stating on social media that she’ll now perform June 1: “Due to power outages, and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of everyone in Peterborough, we have made the decision to postpone tonight’s show until June 1. All tickets will be honoured for the new date.”

Neighbouring areas

The storm did significant damage in Uxbridge, about 80 kilometres west of Peterborough in Durham Region, tearing roofs off buildings and flipping vehicles.

The possibility that a tornado touched down there is being looked at.

The township declared a state of emergency and asked people to stay off the roads.

“While the township assesses the damage, the public is asked to stay away from downed power lines and keep children and pets away from downed lines and fallen trees until the hazards can be addressed,” said Uxbridge Mayor Dave Barton in a statement shared on social media. “All available township staff are working as quickly as possible to reopen roads and remove tree hazards. We ask for your patience as work is underway. The public is asked to stay off the roads to help staff focus on the hazards rather than manage traffic congestion.”

There were some power outages in Cobourg and Port Hope but things were back on by Sunday morning.

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Peterborough Examiner, was first published on August 13,  2022.

This story involving QAnon “Queen” Romana Didulo made international news after her supporters tried to arrest police and the Peterborough mayor responded with an unusual message that is now available on a T-shirt.

Some of them ended up being taken into custody themselves.

The “queen of Canada” led supporters to Peterborough’s police station on Saturday, calling for the”citizen’s arrest” of local officers. 

Instead, two of her supporters were arrested. 

To read the full story on the Peterborough Examiner’s website, please click here. 

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Peterborough Examiner, was first published on January 28, 2022.

‘If it’s cold weather, my feet freeze, my fingers freeze. If it’s rainy, I get wet, you must be out there 24/7’.

An elderly Peterborough woman has resorted to panhandling to pay living expenses after her pension and government assistance were clawed back after receiving the Canada Emergency Recovery Benefit. 

Susan Maier, 69, has been living o a little more than $700 a month, for almost a year, after having to repay the government for collecting CERB. 

To read the full story on the Peterborough Examiner’s website, please click here. 

To mark World News Day on September 28, 2022, the World News Day campaign is sharing stories that have had a significant social impact. This particular story, which was shared by the Peterborough Examinercc, was first published on August 12, 2022.

City has cleared out shelter and says it works empathetically to find emergency shelter, housing services for occupants.

Julie Derrett, who works at the Market Plaza on George Street in Peterborough, wants city council to remove the nearby bus stop shelter, saying it’s regularly being taken over by homeless people.

“The police have been pretty good. But it’s frustrating all the way around, because the police are being told to pass it on to transit, and transit is telling us to call the police,” Derrett said.

Many times she’s witnessed people using drugs and defecating directly in front of the business she works at, she said.

“It’s a festival day, four o’clock in the afternoon, and our street is packed full of tourists,” said Derrett. “And there’s five people in that shelter, all smoking crack.”

Derrett also says that the bus station becomes littered with blankets, garbage and drug paraphernalia. Customers have told her they no longer feel safe parking near the location.

“They’re making it like a house. They put a big piece of plywood in front of the doorway at nighttime. Basically saying, stay the heck out of here, this is our space,” Derrett said.

This has led to the bus shelter no longer being used as intended, she said, and that even when it is cleared out, the fix is only temporary.

“The only solution that I see is to remove the shelter, because it has never been used for what it was erected to be used for,” Derrett said. “And no one in their right mind would walk in there.”

Brendan Wedley, the city’s manager of communication services, said the bus shelter has been recently cleared out again and all items removed. The city has a process in place to deal with such situations, he said.

“When a report is received, trained outreach staff from Social Services engage with those individuals to assess their circumstances and work with them to find appropriate options such as emergency shelter and supportive housing services,” Wedley stated in an email.

“If an empathetic and understanding approach is not successful in the person vacating the bus shelter, then the city will engage its bylaw officers and police.”

Removing the shelter will not eliminate the issue of homelessness, Wedley said, adding the city is actively working to assist those in need find permanent housing.

“In 2021, 251 people exited homelessness and secured housing — 35 per cent were people who had experienced chronic homelessness. So far in 2022, about 100 people have moved into housing from homelessness,” he stated.

The Examiner also reached out to Mayor Diane Therrien for comment but did not receive a response.

Making a positive difference to someone’s life is the greatest gift a journalist can give. Perhaps an individual is heard for the first time, or an injustice is settled. 

Those moments when a news editor picks up a phone to hear a scared voice say, ‘you are all I have left, I have nowhere else to turn’. The last stand between hope and defeat. 

It is a sacred contract, as old as journalism itself yet the tenor of our times would try to divide the people from the newsrooms. If those who attempt to turn journalists into the enemy are successful, the people’s right to independent access to information will be lost. And as we all know a world where people are blinded from facts is a dangerous one.  

During the global pandemic, record audience numbers were reported around the world as readers, viewers and listeners absorbed the news and information that saved lives. Nevertheless, an ever more vociferous minority pedalled a derogatory term, the so-called “mainstream media” – as if being together in a fact-based environment is a bad thing. 

That’s because the facts can sometimes be uncomfortable, and journalists have a big responsibility to get them right. 

We know that since World News Day began in 2018, the challenges facing the industry have only grown. We may better understand the commercial pressures and the ever-changing audience habits, but we still don’t do enough to explain ourselves. 

That means newsrooms have their work cut out. Explaining methodology and how facts are uncovered has become as important as the facts themselves.  

Those who are potential audience members consume most of their information in closed, fast-paced networks. We have seen examples time and again where small but active minority groups simply believe what they are told, often by powerful forces with something to hide. The journalist is used as bait in an attack against uncomfortable truths. As a result, the industry has to devote more time to reaching those who have already decided the facts even without possessing them. 

Walled environments exist across the Internet preventing plurality of thought and opinion, fact and reality from being shared. Amid the myriad challenges facing us all, certainty is one of the least attractive traits on display. 

World News Day, involving more than 500 newsrooms, is a global initiative aimed at improving media literacy and audience engagement. We include examples of how lives are improved when journalists tell a story. We showcase the efforts of small newsrooms as they represent the importance of community. We underpin all our work with the belief that access to information is a human right. 

The speed of change, and the dangers and risks in society sometimes seem only to go in one direction leading to a global audience that is both exhausted and saturated with information. We have constructive roles to play amid the extraordinary news developments.  

The convening power of independent journalism has never been more important, and sadly because of that hyper-relevance the risks and threats to journalists, your storytellers, only grows. The speed of polarization, an 18th century term used originally to identify the characteristics of light in photography, today makes agreement unfashionable. But as newsrooms around the world often say, we are all entitled to our opinions but we are not entitled to our own facts. 

War, economic uncertainty, a determination to run roughshod over generational practices at our institutions are the changes facing the world. Journalism at its best is in the middle of it all, with a role to sew not division but mutual understanding and transparency. 

World News Day exists to help the news industry to explain itself better, to involve the global audience in showcasing how accurate information makes life better.  

The US president, Joe Biden, was born closer to Abraham Lincoln’s presidency than his own. That perspective shows less the age of the man and more the opportunities and advances that have been taken in the past century, raising with urgency the questions of where we go from here. 

About the author 

David Walmsley is the Editor-in-Chief of The Globe and Mail and is the founder of World News Day.