Karen Valihora, graduate program director and associate professor in the Department of English, purchased The Picton Gazette, a Prince Edward County historic weekly with the intent of continuing its community-building legacy.
The Picton Gazette, first published as the Hallowell Free Press in 1830, had been owned by Jean Morrison, and her husband, since 1977. After her husband passed away in 1978, she became one of the only female newspaper publishers in Canada. Morrison remained in her role until she passed away at the age 97 in 2019. Since that time, the Gazette has been managed by the Morrison adult children, and a dedicated staff, until they decided to sell in 2022.
Valihora had moved to Picton in Prince Edward County during the pandemic with her partner, Christopher Fanning, who is co-owner of the paper and an English professor at Queen’s University. The Gazette had made a strong impression them when they arrived. “One of the things that drew us to the County was the Gazette,” Valihora says. “I read this paper cover to cover every week, every story, ad, birthday and obituary. We love the Gazette because it has a bit of everything in it, and, delivered to every home in the County, it plays a huge role in sustaining and building a sense of place.”