Citizen is 'our community newspaper'
Words of praise for the newspaper

The great playwright Arthur Miller once said of newspapers: "A good newspaper is a community talking to itself."

On the occasion of serving this community for the past quarter century, I would like to extend my personal congratulations to the Caledon Citizen for "talking" to its community.

There has been much speculation over the past years about the imminent demise of newspapers in general in the face of the increasing use and growth of technology and the Internet. Yet community newspapers all over this country remain a stalwart beacon of just what is going on in the place that we live, work and raise our families. The Caledon Citizen is no exception to this rule.

Community newspapers, while often overlooked as small and trivial, are really a true reflection of the activities of the community we live in. Its columns and editorials are a thermometer of the issues, the health, the happiness and the well-being of the people who live there. They become the conduits for community groups such as our service clubs, athletic organizations, churches and the not-for-profit agencies that are the core supports for many who live here.

In flipping through its pages we find ourselves recognizing the pictures of students, athletes, babies, award winners, business openings, fairs, parades, ribbon cuttings, politicians, championships, tree plantings, century birthdays, neighbors and sometimes even pictures of ourselves. Its pages reflect the births, the deaths, marriages and sometimes even those silly embarrassing clippings that read "Lordy, Lordy … look who's turning 40!" I smile to myself when I think about how many of those pictures have been clipped out of the paper and are covering the doors of the refrigerators in the kitchens in homes all over this community. Or about how many of those clippings and pictures have found their way into the cards and notes that we often send to our families and friends. We read the columns and the letters to the editor and the names ring a bell to us.

As a community unfolds itself, as it grows and changes, so it is reflected in our local newspapers. This is our life, this is our community and I'm very proud to call the Caledon Citizen my community newspaper.

On behalf of the community and the residents that I represent in Bolton I would like to applaud the Citizen for its commitment to fair, equitable and responsible journalism and community representation. I would also like to congratulate all of its staff, the editor and the publisher who, over the past 25 years have remained committed to serving the residents of the Caledon community.

I look forward to another 25 years of insightful and responsible community journalism! Happy Anniversary Caledon Citizen!

Annette Groves Regional Councillor