This is quite typical of the average reader of community newspapers. What has remained constant over the century is the commitment that our newspapers bring to respond to those needs.
If they were strictly commercial ventures, the owners would probably have thrown in the towel long ago. However, we're more than purveyors of news; we are the cement that unites members of a geographically dispersed minority community, a bridge between French-speaking and English-speaking neighbours, the link between past and present, and tangible evidence of the continued presence of an English-speaking population in Quebec. As long as there is a minority-language newspaper, there is proof of daily life in our communities to our schools, our churches, and community volunteer groups.
The need to inform communities, particularly those in isolated rural regions, is critical. Past editions of our newspapers documented the centralization of services and the dismantling of rural economies. The demise of VIA Rail and Canada Post and the cuts to regional CBC bureaus testify to the impact of decisions on all rural regions, but more profoundly on the minority communities who live there.