This will be a year of transition for the communications outlets of the Anglican Church of Canada, as The Anglican Journal and regional and diocesan newspapers will be united under a new digital publishing platform, the Anglican News Canada network. The primary goal of this network is to support local publications to host and share content online, especially as the financial circumstances around print publications continue to change.
In fall 2021, an Anglican publications consultation committee of regional and diocesan communications coordinators, newspaper editors, and General Synod Communications team members was formed to explore and discern the governance and strategy of the implementation of this network, development and design options. The project has been steered by Ryan Sim, technology strategy consultant, Joe Vecsi, director of communications for the Anglican Church of Canada, and Brian Bukowski, project lead and web manager for the Anglican Church of Canada. The hub itself, the new Anglican Journal website, and the individual regional and diocesan news sites are being built by Vibrant Content.
As Bukowski reflects, though much work has been done in the past several months, the seeds for this shift were sown leading up to General Synod 2019 as part of discernment process about a future-oriented publication strategy. “I am really excited about how we as a dioceses and the national office have worked together collaboratively to build something new and useful for Anglicans across the country,” he reflected. “I am looking forward to how each paper uses these tools to better share the news of the church.”
Tali Folkins, editor of The Anglican Journal, has served as a member of the core working group. He shares Bukowski’s sentiments in hoping that “Anglicans across Canada will find the new site a really handy way to keep in touch with what’s happening in the church locally and nationally.”
The Niagara Anglican, which already maintains a web presence thanks to the pioneering work of Canon Rob Park, former rector of St. George’s Georgetown, will transition to this new platform in spring 2022 as a founding partner of Anglican News Canada. While the content will be consistent with our current online publication, the design will parallel other diocesan papers to create a more consistent experience across the Anglican Church of Canada. Further, readers will more easily have access to news across the country thanks to technological improvements.At the time of publication of this article, only a select few websites will have gone live: The Anglican Journal, Faith Tides (news from the Diocese of Islands and Inlets), and Rupert’s Land News, with more to follow. Throughout 2022, The Highway (Diocese of Kootenay), Crosstalk (Diocese of Ottawa), The Diocesan Times (Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island), and Anglican Life (Newfoundland and Labrador) will also launch. The final goal is to have online presences for all 19 regional or diocesan newspapers across Canada, complementing the print versions of the papers.
Provincial Synod through Youthful Eyes