Hello Readers,
It’s nice to have this one-on-one chat with you as my time with The Northern View draws to a close. Sadly, it’s time for a goodbye.
You may have seen me around town, you may have only spoken to me over the phone or you may just know me anonymously through the photos, videos and words I have written with this paper.
The reason for my departure is straightforward, my contract as a Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) Reporter is ending.
For those who do not know, the LJI is a program funded in part by the federal government to provide underserved communities with journalists across Canada for up to a year. In practice, the government covers a portion of a journalist’s wage while the company they work for provides the remainder. Funding is available to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelancers, to produce civic journalism. The articles written by LJI reporters are made available to media organizations across Canada through a Creative Commons licence, meaning it enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. This is why you may have seen my byline in publications such as the Toronto Star, CTV and more than 80 other publications across the country.
My time in Canada’s rainiest city has been interesting. Though I am quite used to the rain being born and raised in Vancouver, the characteristics of it in Prince Rupert were a bit of a surprise. As I have come to learn, winter here is called “storm season.” So, I was initially caught off guard by the intensity and the horizontal nature of the rain.
My post here at The Northern View has been my first full-time position in the field of journalism. I’ve regularly been someone who has kept on top of current events. Journalism was something I had always thought of pursuing but never had to chance or follow up on. That is — until the pandemic. With the uncertainty it sparked in the world, I used the uncertain times to shift my focus from a decade in the culinary industry to jump into something new.
I had never been to Prince Rupert previously nor did I know a single person in town before I packed up my little blue Honda Civic and set off toward this small North Coast city.
It has been great getting to know you all. I’ve learned a lot on the job and a lot more about the Northwest. Those living in the Lower Mainland tend to be in a closed-off bubble from the rest of the province. So, I am happy to have had the opportunity to be immersed in something new and far-reaching.
My favourite moments through this job have been getting to know the people at the heart of this city through writing the weekly Heart of Our City. That and becoming a fan of Rupert Rampage. Go Rampage!
Through this interesting career path I am now walking, I have made many connections to the people and communities in this region whose stories are still unfolding. I hope to get a chance to return and tell those stories in the future.
Thanks for your hospitality, Prince Rupert.
Norman Galimski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.