In an interview with Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke this fall, I asked him why Orillia had been able to, for the most part, keep the coronavirus at bay.
After all, Orillia’s incidence rate was among the lowest of any urban area in this part of the province.
He credited citizens for “taking the virus seriously” and applauded the city’s emergency control group and city staff for stepping up and working “almost around the clock” to deal with the unfolding crisis.
He also specifically referenced OrilliaMatters for its “vital role” in helping to keep the community informed as things rapidly changed from the early days of the pandemic through to today.
“I’m not just fluffing pillows,” he said. “You guys have done a phenomenal job not only on the nitty-gritty details like closures and cancellations … but telling the story of how this pandemic has impacted Orillia and its citizens.”
That, in a nutshell, is our mandate. We take that mission very seriously.
Since we began this digital journalism enterprise in Orillia almost three years ago, we have been committed to informing the community and telling the stories about living and dying in this community.
We have been blown away by the support you have shown us. Countless people believe so strongly in what we are doing, they have made a commitment to financially support us through our voluntary pay program. We are thankful for that support.
Our new membership program offers another way for loyal readers to lend their support.
As a member, you will get a peek behind the curtain, so to speak. We’ll try to offer a glimpse into how we decide on what we cover - and what we don’t.
We’ll take you behind the headlines to give you a sense of what goes into the work you read on our site.
We’ll provide some insight into how stories impact the community and how many echo even further.
And while membership, as they say, has its privileges, it’s not a way to influence our coverage but rather an opportunity to better understand what it is we do.
It goes back to that mission of keeping people informed. It is what drives everything we do.
Thank you for your support.
