Sask. community newspaper celebrates 90 years

The Watrous Manitou (TWM) newspaper has been printing in Saskatchewan for 90 years.

The paper printed its first edition in February 1933.

Owner and editor, Daniel Bushman, said surviving the pandemic was difficult.

“We still really wanted to provide news to our residents in the area,” he told CTV News.

The Watrous Manitou newspaper turns 90 this year. (Daniel Bushman)

“With the restrictions in place, obviously, we were limited to some of the things we could do. But utilizing things like email and social media, we were able to still connect with, with people and provide updates to people as well.”

Bushman said they did have to close the office, but were able to print editions all the way through the pandemic.

“I had to work from home because of the regulations, and so it’s a very challenging time,” he said. “Our staff was awesome. They've always been tremendous for us. And so they were able to do the stuff from the office while I was able to work from home, and help them that way.”

The paper releases a hard copy and a digital copy, Bushman said. On the newspaper’s website, it details the long history of its print edition. The paper has been owned by four other couples, with Bushman and his wife Kim, being the fifth owners of the Watrous Manitou.

“We're super excited to be able to celebrate 90 years in the community,” he said. “The community has been really supportive of us over the years, over the decades.”

Bushman grew up in the area and got into the news business in Saskatoon. He said he was happy to move back and raise his family in the Watrous area.

“We just feel very much at home here and to be able to share stories of those in our community, positive stories of those in our community,” he said. “That's really been my focus since we've operated the newspaper is just to provide positive and upbeat stories and to share people's stories. I think it's really important that we're able to do that.”

He said they did not mark the occasion in a big way but rather used it as another way to give back to their community.

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“We've purchased a number of gift cards from local businesses as a thank you to them for their support. And throughout the rest of the year, we're just handing them out to subscribers, readers, or residents in the community as a thank you for supporting us.”

Around the world with TWM

One of the changes that Bushman made when he took over the paper was to encourage readers to take the newspaper with them on their travels around the globe.

“I've encouraged our readers to take a paper with them wherever they go, and then they take a picture with it, and I put it in the paper.”

He said they also have a map in the front office that tracks the travels of TWM.

The Watrous Manitou has travelled to a lot of countries. (Daniel Bushman)

“When people walk in, they can see everywhere that our paper has been. It's been to the Great Wall of China. It's been to France. It's been to a lot of destinations in the United States. It's been on a safari in Africa. It's been to the Leaning Tower of Pisa,” he said. “It's made its way even to Australia as well. So it's pretty cool to see our readers take that initiative on.”

Bushman said he believes TWM’s secret to success is hyper-local news.

“If they want to read about things that are in the province or in Canada, they'll go to other sources for that. But I think we have a niche in being able to include local, and I think that's very important.”

He said he felt that weekly papers were integral to a community.

“I've heard from communities that have lost their local newspaper. They miss it. And I think the paper is something that people may take for granted. And then once it's gone, they miss it, and they wish they had it back.”

He said that he still enjoys his job and hopes to continue to run the paper for years to come.

“Watrous is a great community to live in and to do business in and to raise a family. I'm so thankful that we've had the support that we received from the community in the surrounding area to be able to continue to publish a weekly newspaper.”