The South Shore Chapter of the Council of Canadians wants to express our sadness about the end of the Barnacle and our gratitude for all you’ve done.
We remember your first edition on Feb 9, 2023 and we have watched each month and have been so impressed with what you have accomplished in three years. You and the contributors became an important part of our community, providing coverage of every aspect of local life, including political matters. A free press keeps our democracy strong.
An example of your diligent coverage that we especially appreciate is the story in the first edition of the Barnacle about renaming Cornwallis St. because of the bounty he put on Mi’kmaw residents. As of the last regular edition, three years later, the street is still Cornwallis. Sal Falk wrote that the town council is ignoring the harm done to Indigenous people by keeping that street name. We agree that renaming the street is the least we can do in a gesture of reconciliation.
Other highlights that particularly resonate with us include the coverage of the excellent work of South Shore Ceasefire Now, the review of donations to the campaigns of the most recent provincial election, the probing questions to the candidates in the last federal election, and, of course, the vigilant attention to municipal politics. It would be an interesting exercise to calculate how many local stories were broken by the Barnacle and not touched by other media.
We will miss the Barnacle, not just because it was fun and funny, but because you did actual journalism, holding those in power accountable and seeking out diverse voices.
We look forward to seeing how the Barnacle team will contribute to the community in the future. New, young voices with different perspectives and openness are a welcome addition to the community. We would happily collaborate with you in any capacity in the future.
