'The Citizen' tops national list

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

The Citizen has been named the best newspaper in the country in its circulation class this year by Newspapers Canada.

For the second year in a row, The Citizen has been recognized by the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards. This year The Citizen swept the circulation class's major categories, placing first in the General Excellence, Front Page and Editorial Page categories, while in 2015, The Citizen placed second in all three categories, trailing only The Osoyoos Times.

The two issues submitted to judges included stories on the Ontario Minor Hockey Association-winning Midget AE Crusaders in March, 2015 and the unveiling of the 2016 Blyth Festival season in October, 2015.

The Citizen will find out where it stands provincially next week when the Ontario Community Newspaper Association hands out its annual awards. The Citizen is ranked in the top three for the General Excellence and Best Community Website categories. The final placings will be announced at the association's gala event on April 22.