Editorial

Media is an essential service, Premier François Legault declared

All businesses and services were put on notice to close for three weeks during the COVID-19 crisis, as this edition was in final production. Essential service businesses are exempt from the closure.

Newspapers are not required to close during this time. They are deemed essential services and the news outlets, as well as their supply chains, have the mandate to continue operating. 

Frankly, this is the most encouraging news the team at the Bulletin has heard for days. Unprecedented work to continue production went into bringing this paper to readers. Newspaper work in general usually feels like extraordinary work, each week. But publishing in the COVID-19 circumstances is truly a new level of complexity. And, the risk that no one reads the paper is always in the background! 

Dear readers, businesses who advertised in this week’s edition are devoted to Aylmer. Many prepared advertising that is about a cancelled service – see the ABC Special on pages 15 and 16. At the last minute, all the work that went into preparing this section went down the drain. Or did it? Readers, if you value this newspaper, let these businesses know that you saw their efforts, these ads and that you support them. 

In fact, with the Best of Aylmer Readers’ Choice campaign on now, the excitement around everything good about Aylmer is energizing. The results are being tabulated because the voting is more popular than ever, probably due to families being home together.

A live-feed announcement of the winners will be announced during the week of April 20. But the in-person Gala and Trade-Show will be delayed until COVID-19 is no longer a risk. 

The Bulletin team is full-steam ready to continue publishing; it is so very clear in the focus of every person who makes the paper possible.  We are uploading a pdf of the paper to our website, in addition to all the articles usually found there.

One reality to working in the news industry is seeing the background to all the service industries who are on the front lines during a crisis. Thinking of the social workers helping families in crisis with the added pressure of being in isolation, we at the Bulletin salute you. As we do the health care professionals, grocery store and pharmacy workers, the delivery people and the military. Aylmer’s political representatives are, like the other teams, working seven long days a week. 

On the cover are happy photos of Aylmer staying bright while hunkered down. They are there as a reminder for why we all push forward, ready for the bounce-back.