Cam Christianson was excited when he decided to start a brand new newspaper in Airdrie 10 years ago.
He worked sales for four-and-a-half years at the Sundre Roundup newspaper when he decided in spring 2001 it was a viable idea to strike out on his own.
Within a year, the Airdrie City View was born. A free newspaper with a distribution of more than 11,000 weekly copies, it quickly made an impact.
“We were welcomed by the community, by the Chamber of Commerce and City council,” he said.
“People were happy to see a local paper back in town with local ownership.”
There was a lot to learn for the rookie publisher, who was now in the top spot at the newspaper.
“It was a huge learning experience to find a press, to try and find a delivery system, hire my editorial staff from scratch and buy computers,” he said. “I have to thank Al and Lois Jones of Advanced Distribution for their commitment to me, which helped us both out a lot.”
A part of that learning curve included many sleepless nights as Christianson would have to pick up the paper from the printers in Calgary at 2 a.m. and have it to Canada Post by 7 a.m.
Through it all, Christianson retains his love of the city he’s called home for more than a decade and said it reminds him of where he grew up.
“I think we’re lucky that Airdrie has a small-town feel because we grew so fast,” he said. “We haven’t been 40,000 people for 15 years and we don’t have the big city feel of Red Deer or Medicine Hat.”
Christianson, originally from Watrous, Saskatchewan, said he loved reading his local paper and seeing stories about the people he interacted with on a day-to-day basis. He tried to instil that in his City View.
“You have to be local,” he said. “Local people care about local news. I love reading about friends and family that are honoured and recognized for different achievements.”
In 2008, Greatwest Newspapers LP approached Christianson about an opportunity to be absorbed by the chain. He accepted and became part of a provincial group with more resources and a strong focus.
“After that time, I feel the paper had some better vision,” he said.
“We redesigned the paper, it became more professional. Stories still stayed local even though we were owned by a bigger company. Their No. 1 principle was that advertising follows readership. Strong local readership will draw in the advertising.”
The paper covers all stories within the community from school plays to breaking news. With more than 5,000 stories published since March 5, 2002, the City View is committed to telling Airdrie’s stories.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned since being in the newspaper business it’s that we are in the people business,” said Christianson.
“If we put people first, which we have, the rest falls into place. It’s a simple philosophy, but it’s one that’s brought us to where we are today.”
A lot has happened in the last decade. Airdrie has experienced growth beyond its wildest dreams, been under the rule of three different mayors and has become a major transportation hub for southern Alberta.
Since the City View’s inception, our newspaper has picked up the biggest storylines coming out of Airdrie and brought them to your door.
Here’s our list of the top news story of each year over the last decade:
• 2002: Despite strong opposition from many, Airdrie’s AirPark received the green light to build a new $5.5 million runway. The move was met with criticism from adjacent landowners who said the expansion would detract from area aesthetics and land values.
• 2003: Edwards Elementary became the focal point of outraged community members after it was discovered to have mouldy walls and unacceptable lead content in the drinking water. After a community-wide effort, $4 million Provincial dollars were earmarked for a new school. The new school opened May 2007.
• 2004: Linda Bruce became the City’s newest mayor, defeating Don Savage by 434 votes, 2,632 to 2,198. The six aldermen included Fred Burley, Kelly Hegg, Glenda Alexander, Marlene Weaver, Shawn Howard and Richard Siemens. Bruce had previously served as alderman since 1995 and this was her first crack at the top political job in the city. She would be acclaimed in the 2007 municipal election and served two terms as mayor.
• 2005: Alberta began its economic boom period with unheralded growth and Airdrie was certainly in the mix. Kent Rupert, leader of the city’s economic development, helped spur the growth. His department brought in big box stores including Wal-Mart, Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart. The City also issued 1,269 housing permits, a record number at the time. The permits all tallied counted for $130 million in general housing. The city also had $33 million in commercial and industrial projects.
• 2006: The city lost one of the good guys. Martin McKee, whose homebuilding business has become synonymous in the community, died at the age of 71. The family immigrated to Canada from Kilkeel, County Down, Ireland, in 1981. McKee owned a construction business in Ireland and it didn’t take long, only six years, before he struck out on his own again, this time in Airdrie with McKee Homes. “My dad was amazing,” said Grace McKee. “He was always the first one at work in the morning and probably the last one to leave. He just genuinely cared. He just worked so hard for our family.”
• 2007: Tim Harriman, a local teen struck with leukaemia, biked across Canada to raise money for cancer awareness. The ride spanned more than 7,000 kilometres. Harriman later succumbed to his cancer in fall 2010 at the age of 22. In 2011, the City of Airdrie created the Tim Harriman Legacy Loop in East Lake Park in his honour. His wife was on hand for the ceremony and released a dove in memory of her late husband.
• 2008: It was the year of political firsts. Rob Anderson became Airdrie-Chestermere’s MLA and Blake Richards took over from Myron Thompson as Wild Rose’s MP. The victory was the first for both politicians. Richards held his seat in a landslide victory last fall with nearly 75 per cent of the vote. Anderson, who left the Progressive Conservatives in early 2010 to join the Wildrose Party, will defend his seat in this year’s spring election.
• 2009: Airdrie Emergency Services chief Sheldon Leavitt made the biggest wave that year. He was a chief activist when it came to defending the City’s integrated ambulance and fire protection service. A petition of more than 8,000 signatures from Airdronians was presented to Alberta Health Services, who later came to Airdrie and signed a deal saying it would keep the integrated service. AHS later reneged on its agreement and separated the two services, a move that angered thousands. Between July 2010 and March 2011, ambulance response times increased 34 per cent, despite a 12 per cent decrease in call volume.
• 2010: Without a doubt, the unseating of incumbent mayor Bruce at the hands of community fundraising stalwart Peter Brown was the year’s biggest story. Brown defeated Bruce by more than 1,000 votes to become a first-time mayor. He did not serve as an alderman and many thought his run for mayor was too much too soon, but he proved any naysayers wrong claiming 48 per cent of the vote.
• 2011: It was the year of activism for classroom space in Airdrie. Donna Pearce, head of the Airdrie Council of School Councils, Grade 8 Muriel Clayton student Leah Moore and countless others, showed what elbow grease and provincial lobbying can really do. Premier Ed Stelmach came to George McDougall High School, in May 2011, and told students and parents of three new schools that will be built in Airdrie and opened by fall 2015.
