Eastern Door wins best newspaper in Canada, and then some

POINTE-CLAIRE, QC, April 28, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) released the winners of its annual National Awards, and The Eastern Door swept the General Excellence category in its circulation, a trifecta of awards that included winning best overall newspaper in the country, best front page and best editorial page.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Eastern Door editor/publisher Steve Bonspiel. "I take my hat off to my staff. They worked so hard to get to this point and we continue to make history with the best Eastern Door lineup right across the board."

The awards pit smaller circulation papers (less than 1,500) against each other in the CCNA. The Eastern Door won best overall for the first time last year.

Bonspiel finished second for best historical story for a piece about the demolition of a large part of the historic Kateri fort wall in Kahnawake.

"I worked hard on that story, bringing to light some interesting yet controversial Kahnawake history, speaking to elders and the ones who hold that knowledge, which is one of our main jobs as the newspaper of record for 25 years," he said.

It's the last statement The Eastern Door will make through the CCNA, which has now ceased to exist and is renamed News Media Canada.

Due to various reasons, The Eastern Door has opted to discontinue membership with the new association, but over the years, the newspaper and Bonspiel won many awards with the CCNA.

"It is bittersweet but we have made the decision to break ties, so to speak, but that doesn't mean we won't be amicable from here on out," said Bonspiel. "We are just going in a different direction and we wish the new association good luck. After all, we're all in this together in one way or another."

The Eastern Door is also up for best overall newspaper in the Quebec Community Newspapers Association along with the Bulletin d'Aylmer and The Suburban (City Edition).

"We hit above our weight because we care so much about the community," said Bonspiel. "All of the stories we write mean so much to us as well as the community, so we dig deeper, get more sources and information than most others, and put it all together in a package readers enjoy."

The Quebec Community Newspapers Association's 37th Annual Conference and Awards Gala will take place June 2, 2017 at the beautiful Hotel Mont-Gabriel in Sainte-Adèle, Quebec.

About: The Eastern Door is a community-based newspaper serving the community of Kahnawake since 1992 regardless of birth, sex, age, language, politics or religion. The paper strives to be a factual, balanced, authoritative source of information with access to all segments of the community. www.easterndoor.com

About: The Quebec Community Newspapers Association is dedicated to the professional and economic development of English community newspapers and their enterprises serving minority communities in Quebec. www.qcna.org

SOURCE Quebec Community Newspapers Association (QCNA)

For further information: Richard Tardif, Executive Director, Quebec Community Newspapers Association, 514-697-6330, [e-mail]