High Road Communications

A few weeks ago I drove through Niagara’s wine country. After stopping for a taste at a popular winery, I asked the proprietor if I’d missed the holiday rush: there were a total of four customers in the shop. She told me that traffic by the winery had increased, but fewer were stopping in this season than ever before. As the Canadian dollar continues its high-flying stint, retailers, politicians and economists alike struggle against consumer demands for parity and shopping trips across the U.S. border. It’s a plight that Canadian retailers haven’t had to deal with for a few decades, but something that Canadian newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets are more than used to.

In our on-demand world where news is accessible anytime, from any place, Canadians are more likely than ever to look past our own borders for news and information. It’s a trend that many Canadians might not notice, but one that causes tremors in the PR world. Every time a Canadian magazine folds, a masthead shrinks or a column is replaced by a wire story, the effect is palpable. The stories in Canada are as compelling as those in the U.S. and beyond, the angles are as interesting, the writing is as rich and the journalists as talented. So why are we, as a country, continually drawn to news beyond our borders?

Perhaps, as the dollar experiences a correction—and surely it will—it will be time for the Canadian media to also experience a correction. As Canadians focus on value, fairness, and opportunities around the dollar, here’s hoping that they also consider the value, fairness and opportunities afforded by Canadian media and support our own. That would be reason enough to crack open a bottle of good Niagara wine and propose a toast.

kpryma@highroad.com