This past issue saw a massive delay, and with that, we were forced to make new friends and find new supports we had never thought of after four days of delays with Air Canada Cargo holding the papers in Vancouver for no valid reason other than “they’re small aircraft,” as one representative told me from his cushy chair in Ontario. Oh, the rage was real that day—and the day after, when the delay continued. I always know there is a chance of getting bumped from an occasional flight; it has happened before, but four in a row? It made me realize how precious it is to have a small newspaper surviving in rural B.C., how fragile a small business can be, and how wonderful it is to call an airline and speak to someone in the same province.
Pacific Coastal saved the day and the 28th issue of Haida Gwaii News from being an irrelevant fire starter. Shout out to their fantastic staff, who helped us find a courier to go to Air Canada, retrieve the issue, bring it to the plane and get all the boxes home to us. Kudos to the gentleman who even helped load the boxes into my in-laws’ car for them. I have nothing but positive words about the excellent local Air Canada staff. However, the red tape and bureaucracy of the company, where you cannot speak to anyone in the same province, have now forced HGN to find a new airline.
The delayed paper also caused a ripple effect in how I was able to cover all of the events going on these days. Why does the month of June feel so busy? Archie Stocker Sr. saved the day by going to the Masset grad ceremony and sharing his photos with us. Thank you, Archie! I truly appreciate all of your contributions and admire how willing you were to step in so we could highlight the accomplishments of our local youth the way we had imagined.
On the topic of graduation, Haida Gwaii News is very excited to announce that we will be offering our first-ever bursary in 2026. This bursary comes from our passion for local journalism and the hope of seeing the next generation of journalists come home to small towns and continue the work of local news. The bursary will be open to any student from Haida Gwaii who wishes to study journalism. This year, our grad advertising campaign helped raise funds toward the $1,000 bursary. Thank you to all the local businesses and organizations who helped make this dream a reality. Steller Jay’s in Daajing Giids went above and beyond, donating more than the advertisement campaign amount and bringing us even closer to our goal. We will be running this campaign again next year and look forward to awarding this bursary to a 2026 grad.
