The Tri-City News and reporter Diane Strandberg were honoured Saturday for the paper's efforts to cover and promote the Mossom Creek Hatchery rebuilding project.
The Tri-City News team, which included Strandberg the lead reporter on the project as well as editor Richard Dal Monte, reporter Gary McKenna and publisher Nigel Lark, was presented with the Ma Murray Community Service Award at the 2015 Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards banquet at the River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond. The banquet and awards presentations are hosted annually by the BC and Yukon Community Newspapers Association (BCYCNA) and honour the best of journalism and advertising in this province's community papers.
Mossom Creek Hatchery in Port Moody nearing completion
The Tri-City News' awards entry had both: a year-long series of feature articles and photographs as well as promotional advertising to help Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society's (BIMES) efforts to raise about $1.2 million to build a large, modern educational centre and hatchery to replace one destroyed by fire in December 2013.
Accepting the award on behalf of The Tri-City News, Strandberg used the opportunity to highlight the efforts of a team of volunteers to build a new hatchery, noting The News' coverage and promotion were instrumental in BIMES's campaign.
The award judge wrote: "Wow! The Tri-City News took terrific initiative on this project. They deployed talent, resources and mainly demonstrated genuine concern to mobilize the community. Not only was the effort an amazing way to alert residents about what Mossom Creek Hatchery was going through today but also celebrated their many years [of] accomplishments."
SUPPORT APPRECIATED
BIMES's Tracy Green and Ruth Foster (the latter is one of the hatchery's founders) wrote in support of The News' awards submission, saying: "After the fire, we were lost. The prospect of rebuilding a hatchery with funds from an inadequate insurance settlement and with a small handful of volunteers was daunting. When The Tri-City News stepped forward in February [2014] offering media coverage that would help secure donations and spread the word about the project, we never dreamed your support would turn into more than a year-long series of excellent features, generous advertising support and a major public awareness campaign in print and digital media.
"Your commitment to seeing us through this process with your superb front-page coverage and numerous social media blasts not only sustained our fundraising efforts but elicited the strong community backing we have enjoyed this past year We are replacing the old building with a state-of-the-art community facility worth over $1 million. That is in large part thanks to The Tri-City News. You have helped us get the grants, the community donations and the local business support that have made this possible."
SILVER QUILL FOR DAL MONTE
Also at Saturday's BCYCNA banquet, Tri-City News editor Dal Monte was presented a Silver Quill award from the Canadian Community Newspaper Association in recognition of more than 25 years' work in community newspapers. Dal Monte has worked as a community newspaper reporter and editor for more than 28 years and has won more than 20 provincial, national and international awards both individually, for writing and page design, and as a member of The Tri-City News editorial team.
The full list of BCYCNA winners is available here.
