Readers Choice Awards 2023
Last month, as I was sitting in the parking lot of La Mantia's in Lindsay, I received a call from a lady named Michelle France. Michelle worked for Star Metroland Media. If you're in the Kawarthas, you'll recognize them as the people who put out the print issue of Kawartha Lakes This Week, delivered every Thursday.
Michelle called to let me know that dad and I were voted the Diamond winners of the Readers Choice Award for Best Real Estate Broker for 2023. "Diamond is the best." She clarified. "Jay and John took Platinum. And Guy won gold. So that's pretty good!" I smiled, thinking what a huge understatement that was. No last names for any of these guys. She knew I knew. As far as local real estate goes, we were in exemplary company. "I like the Readers Choice awards because once you sign in and vote, from your laptop or phone, you can only vote once. It knows your IP address. So it means a lot of people really voted for you."
Having had a nice working relationship with Michelle for the last few years, we chatted a bit more. She let me know that our Brokerage, Affinity Group , was also voted the Best Real Estate Brokerage, but that she hadn't called them yet "so don't say anything." I asked when I could start promoting the win, and she said "Not until September 21. That's when we're announcing the winners in the paper."
If you're in the Kawarthas, you will notice that there was no paper. There won't be. The last print issue of Kawartha Lakes This Week was delivered on September 14. In an email I received from the CRO of Metroland's parent company, Torstar,:
"This morning, Metroland Media Group (MMG) announced it is restructuring its operations and seeking protection under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act... The impact of big tech’s dominance as a media choice, even for local marketers, has affected the entire industry... we can no longer support the community print/distribution channel and are moving forward with a digital-only model. This means we have closed Metroland’s community print publishing and advertising/flyer distribution operations."
It is not lost on me that I'm now promoting our win on Facebook, as the ad I was designing with Michelle will never see print. I wanted to tag Kawartha Lakes this Week in this post, but because of Bill C-18, the Online News Act, they have no posts visible despite their 11k local followers.
Lindsay and the surrounding communities are still very much print towns. Many residents rely on a weekly publication for local news, deals in grocery flyers, information on local businesses and services, community events, and more. An all-digital model means that many locals are going to miss out on information that is important and relevant to them. With tight restrictions on sharing news through social media, and now the termination of the local print paper, it is increasingly difficult for small, independent businesses and journalists to get their information in front of local audiences. For these small organizations this is, at its best, incredibly frustrating. At its worst, it's crushing.
In our digital age, the loss of a small print newspaper may appear trivial, but in this community it simply isn't. Our small towns and the businesses that work here will feel the absence of a print publication. Now, more than ever, where you spend your time and attention is just as important as where you spend your money. Wherever you can, I encourage everyone to seek out local news from reputable sources. The Lindsay Advocate is available in many places in town and consistently has great articles. If you come across a community event, share it with your neighbors. If you read something you really enjoyed, pass it along. It goes a long way.
Which brings me to this - thank you to everyone who voted for dad and I in this Readers Choice poll. The care we have for our clients is genuine and comes naturally, and we work hard to deliver the best and most relevant tools and information available so that we can deliver both an exceptional experience and exceptional results. We're grateful for every opportunity we have to work with our clients. Thank you sincerely. It is very meaningful to us both.
Thank you also to everyone at Affinity Group Pinnacle Realty Ltd. Brokerage and congratulations on the Diamond win for best brokerage! There was never any doubt.