It’s time.

Nearly six years ago, I got involved with this wee enterprise we call The Lake Report because I felt it had the potential to be something special.

It was an upstart, launched by a young NOTL native named Richard Harley, who saw a need to bring genuine news and features to the town’s residents — not just cheerleading and regurgitated news releases from the powers that be, so common in small-town news publications.

With more than 40 years in the news trenches, mainly at the Toronto Star, I felt I had something to offer.

Now, after watching The Lake Report prosper and grow into the most-awarded community newspaper in the country, it’s time to step away and “re-retire.”

I informed the staff in July that as of 9/11, I would no longer oversee the day-to-day news operations, the assigning of stories and planning of coverage. That will fall to Harley and our small but extremely capable staff and army of community contributors.

While I won’t be doing all that anymore, I will remain as a co-owner, regular contributor and “suggester” of stories or topics deserving of coverage. I’ll simply be editor emeritus (retired).

The news business is unique and working at the community level is really special. After all, you’re doing stories about your neighbours and people you might cross paths with while walking the dog.

You’re writing about local politics, community events, sports – but most of all people, ordinary people, who often do extraordinary things.

When readers enjoy what you do, they are quick to let you know. And when they aren’t happy with what you publish, they are even quicker to tell you.

That’s one of the things that makes this job both rewarding — and tough.

At the small-town community journalism level, when you make a mistake or do something really special or anger people or forget something, you hear about it. At the post office, the grocery store, the library, on the walking trail — and by email or on social media.

People are extremely proud yet protective of their community — as are we — and will let you know in no uncertain terms. “Journalist” is a very public position wherein whether you’re right or wrong, readers judge your work daily.

A lot of that is reflected in the incredible volume of letters, phone calls and news tips we receive from readers. We appreciate and rely on that correspondence to help keep The Lake Report engaged, relevant and timely.

Another barometer of relevance in the community is the advertising that a newspaper carries. Those ads are essential to our success and it is so encouraging that dozens of small businesses choose our paper to reach their customers  — and many have been with us from the outset.

Sometimes I have to remind people that, no, we are not an arm of officialdom, here solely to publish happy, inoffensive stories that won’t upset the status quo.

We do dozens of “positive” stories weekly but we don’t shy away from contentious issues or compelling stories or letting you know our thoughts on issues in town.

Despite what some people think, we don’t try to create controversy. We simply aim to tell stories that deserve to be in the public realm. If it’s news in NOTL, it should be in The Lake Report.

Life would be far less complicated for professional journalists if we just avoided conflict and never questioned our leaders, criticized decisions or expressed strong opinions (on the opinion pages, not on the news pages).

But that’s not what most readers want or expect. Nor should they.

We appreciate that you trust us to tell your stories and want you to know that The Lake Report will do so for years to come.

This is a tough business in which to succeed. Change is constant but it’s a challenge we’re prepared to take on.

With your help as readers and supporters, and our dedication to telling your stories, you can continue to expect big things from NOTL’s little paper.

Kevin MacLean has been managing editor of The Lake Report since 2019.