The Equity newspaper to change ownership

The Equity newspaper to change ownership

Earlier this week, it was announced that the parent company of The Equity newspaper in Shawville would be merging with digital services company Calumet Media, owned by Jon Stewart of Otter Lake. The move will be finalized in the coming weeks.

The English-language weekly paper was established in the Pontiac in 1883. In 1953 it was purchased by Rosaleen and David Dickson and has remained in the family since. Their son and the paper’s current publisher, Charles Dickson, along with his daughter and managing editor, Sophie Kuijper Dickson, will remain in charge of editorial content at the paper. The paper’s parent company, the Pontiac Printshop, will merge with Calumet Media, owned and operated by Stewart.

Kuijper Dickson, who has contributed periodically to the paper since 2016, took over managing the newsroom a year ago. She said she was proud of the legacy her family has built serving the community over the last 70-some years.

She added that the business has evolved significantly from her grandparents’ time, and was excited to be a part of this latest change.

Originally from Shawville, Stewart has an extensive background in digital media and advertising, and upon returning to the area, founded Calumet Media in 2023. The company was hired to build The Equity’s new website and mobile apps this past year. He said that while purchasing a newspaper in 2025 might strike some as an odd choice, the services offered by the printshop would mesh well with his existing business.

Stewart said that like many other community papers, the end of the print edition was in discussion, though the exact timing was difficult to predict. He added that he would like to invest more resources into newsgathering.