The Eastern Graphic received a Community Impact Award from the Eastern PEI Chamber of Commerce earlier this week.
The award citation pointed out various contributions the newspaper has made to the community, including the beginnings of the Rotary Club of Montague and Eastern PEI Gold Mine draw, which was an idea pitched by former Graphic advertising sales consultant Sharon Riley. The draw has since raised more than $10 million for winners, local charities and Rotary.
The paper’s groundbreaking Through the Cracks investigation into mental health and addictions on PEI last year was also mentioned. The year-long investigation has been nominated for several major awards, including the Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service Journalism. The series spurred new methadone funding from the province, the first-ever apology from a minister of the Crown to an Indigenous Islander, and a renewed push for expanded shelter capacity across the province.
Graphic publisher Paul MacNeill’s founding of the Georgetown Conference, which focused on rural renewal in Atlantic Canada, was also highlighted as a contribution to the community.