Energeticcity.ca Weekly Review: Tre’s 2023 Recap

Welcome to the next installment of Weekly Review, the series where we mention what’s going on behind the scenes and showcase the previous week’s top stories.

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Behind the Scenes

The first half of 2023 started off very strong for Energeticcity. We had a full newsroom of six, which was a huge benefit once we got to the crazy wildfire season — something we were able to cover through different mediums, such as video. There was about a three-month span when the associate editor/sports and video reporter, Jordan Prentice, was on the scene of all the big fires, trying to get photos/video. We also had the reporters split into certain duties during this time, with some of us staying up late into the night awaiting updates on the wildfires in the Peace. This was on top of our regular coverage. If anything, that made the newsroom closer, which was helpful for the latter half of the year.

For about five months, it has just been a three-person newsroom, making it hard to keep up with the coverage we had been conducting. However, not much has changed in terms of output on the website because Shailynn Foster, our general reporter, and Jordan have been stars and working hard to ensure northeast B.C. residents are informed about what’s going on in their communities. The reporters and I have had to take on more duties without eliminating much to make sure communities are informed.

Another success this year was the Investigative Reporter position held by Spencer Hall. This is a position we had looked to add for about a year and a half before being able to do so in November 2022. The process was a learning curve for Spencer and me, but I am pretty proud of Spencer’s stories and work. He went above and beyond, even taking additional online courses to improve as an Investigative journalist.  

This hard work resulted in Spencer becoming a 2023 Canadian Online Publishing Awards finalist in the best investigative article category for his piece, Getting a Glimpse of Black Experiences in FSJ.

Before leaving for another job in August, Spencer’s investigative work had him delve into multiple issues, including the rise in crime and the health care issues in the region. The position has sat vacant since his departure, but it is something we are looking at filling in the future.

With our two vacant positions finally filled and the new reporters expected to be here in the new year, I am hoping for a great 2024.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us this past year, especially after Meta​ forced us off their social media platforms!

Top Stories of the Week

It’s always interesting to see what the readers of Energeticcity.ca are most interested in the region. Sometimes it’s a big decision that will impact property taxes, and sometimes it’s a new restaurant coming to town. Here are the top stories for the week of December 10 to 16, 2023:

1. Coastal GasLink Beginning Next Phase: in 2024. Planning for the project began over ten years ago, and TC Energy announced its completion this past October. ​
2. Stolen Firefighting Trailer Located:​ and returned to the firefighting crews in Whitehorse, Yukon. 
3. CF18 Hornet Returning to FSJ:​  since its last appearance back in 2017. It will be in place of the Snowbirds at the 2024 Air Show next summer.

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