Good Day from the Bay on CHCO-TV: The Courier Newspaper Returns to Life in Rural New Brunswick

On a recent episode of Good Day from the Bay, CHCO-TV’s community news and conversation program hosted by Vicki Hogarth and Jonathan Brittain, the spotlight turned to the relaunch of The Courier—a weekly newspaper that has served Charlotte County, New Brunswick since before Confederation. The episode positioned the paper’s return under CHCO’s stewardship as part of a broader conversation about the erosion—and possible recovery—of local journalism in Canada.

The Courier, first published in 1865, ceased its print edition in 2023, a casualty of the financial and structural pressures that have shuttered small-town newspapers across North America. Its revival in 2025 marks not just a return to the media landscape but an effort to reframe journalism as a public good in communities increasingly underserved by traditional news outlets.

“Local news shouldn’t be a luxury,” Brittain said during the episode. “It should be a given—especially here in a region often overlooked by national headlines, but never short on stories that matter.” Rather than offering a nostalgic look back, the show took a clear-eyed approach to the challenges ahead and the crucial civic role that The Courier can still play.

The episode featured an extended interview with The Courier’s new editor, Nathalie Sturgeon, a journalist known for her work in social justice reporting. Sturgeon shared her journey—growing up in the foster care system, where the evening news offered structure and purpose. “The news was something I could put my intelligence into and my passion into,” she said. Noting that fewer than 10 percent of youth in care pursue post-secondary education, Sturgeon’s appointment to an editorial leadership role is rare—and deeply tied to her mission of inclusive, community-centred reporting.

Hogarth and Brittain framed The Courier’s comeback not as a commercial venture, but as a community service. “We are very much woven into the fabric of the community,” Hogarth said, emphasizing the paper’s role in documenting both daily life and pressing regional issues. Offering the first issue free to the public was described as a deliberate move to prioritize accessibility and rebuild trust.

The episode also featured a light but meaningful segment on Evelyn Calder, a Campobello Island resident celebrating her 108th birthday. While the moment was celebratory, it carried symbolic weight: Calder’s enduring presence mirrored the kind of resilience and continuity that local journalism, at its best, aims to embody. “What’s your secret?” Brittain asked. “I think it’s the salty air on Campobello,” Hogarth replied with a smile.

Though Good Day from the Bay often leans into an informal tone, the message of this episode was clear: when communities lose local journalism, they lose more than information—they lose connection, record, and a shared sense of purpose. “With enough care, enough heart, and enough people who still believe, local news can be saved,” Brittain concluded.

In an age of media consolidation and shrinking rural coverage, the relaunch of The Courier—broadcast through a small, independent TV station—stands as a reminder of what’s at stake, and who’s still fighting for it.