If you’re reading this, it means that the long wait is over. Niverville finally has a local newspaper: the newly minted Niverville Citizen.
Niverville has for many years been one of the fastest growing communities in Manitoba, and its residents have been hungry for outlets to connect with each other and share relevant local news. Facebook groups have sprung up to fill the void, but they don’t reach everyone. Niverville, with its population of nearly five thousand people, has needed a print publication to call its own.
Last year, the Talk of the Town news magazine was well-received, but unfortunately it only stayed in print a short
time. When its final issue came out this past spring, it became clear that Niverville needed a fresh voice to fill the gap.
The Citizen is a monthly newspaper serving Niverville and its surrounding area. We’re thrilled to bring you this paper, beginning a new era in the way we talk about our town and interact with each other as fellow Nivervillians.
Who are we, you might ask? Earlier this year, after nearly twenty years in the insurance industry, local businessman Ray Dowse stepped down from his position as a senior executive of BSI Insurance, enabling him to focus more time and effort on the affairs of his hometown. Together with his wife Cara, who has over fifteen years in business herself, including a recent tenure as administrator for the Niverville Chamber of Commerce, they hatched the idea of a 100% locally owned, locally operated newspaper.
Four people make up the paper’s ownership group, and all are involved in The Citizen in hands-on roles: Evan Braun, Dustin Krahn, Cara Dowse, and Ray Dowse.
Evan Braun serves as the paper’s managing editor. Braun holds a diploma from Red River College’s Creative Communications program, and has worked as a freelance book editor for the last eight years. He has also published three novels.
Dustin Krahn served as production manager for Talk of the Town, and he continues in that capacity for The
Citizen. Owner and operator of Niverville-based Excel
Graphics, a full-service graphic design and print shop serving southeast Manitoba, Krahn has a passion for getting involved in community endeavours. He also sits on the executive committees of the Niverville Olde
Tyme Country Fair and the Niverville Curling Club.
Cara Dowse has taken the role of operations manager, keeping the workflows and lines of communication moving behind the scenes. Ray Dowse rounds out the team as sales manager, the main contact for advertisers.
In order to bring you a broad range of stories, we have recruited two contributors to join our news team. Chantel Gadient, the town’s Community Services Director, is responsible for our Sports & Recreation section, and local writer comedian Matt Falk produces our monthly look at Arts & Entertainment.
In the coming months, The Citizen will strive to bring together diverse voices to lend their expertise and points of view. This venture is all about building something that the residents and businesses of Niverville will value—a community paper run by community people.
The Niverville Citizen will publish a new issue on the last Thursday of every month. See you in October!
