This journalist says Canada saved him. Now, he's saving a 136-year-old Ontario newspaper

MohsinAbbas was lazing about over theholidays last month, watching TV, when he learned about tiny Tilbury, Ont., losing its local newspaper and the huge hole it'sleft inthe community.

The journalistheard about the closurewhile listening toa CBC Radio specialon what happens when the local news stops.Postmedia shut down the Tilbury Times and a handful of other community newspapers in Ontario and Manitobain 2020, citingfalling ad revenues.

But the demise of the Times gave Abbas anidea.

Abbas drove to the southwestern Ontario town of 4,800 that'sbetween London and Windsor. He knew he needed to revivethe Times,which halted circulation after 136 years. Now, less than a month later, he's thepublisher.

"I know the importance of local journalism," he said. "It's our social responsibility."

It's nothing new for Abbas. He's started up his own independent publications before, and worked in newsrooms big and small in Ontario, Saskatchewan andBritish Columbia. Currently, he'sa freelance contributor for BBC Newsreporting inUrdu and Punjabi, and runs another small news outlet called the Milton Reporter.

Abbas originally worked inPakistan. Hecame to Canada as a refugee claimant in the early 2000s, when it wasdangerous to bea journalist in his home country.

• Read what sparked the revival:This Ontario town lost its local newspaper. But the stories haven't stopped

"Just imagine a guy in a prison, sitting in this Third World country and waiting to be killed in a police encounter. And then he leaves that place, enters Canada and he's still alive and happy with a beautiful family 20 years later. It's priceless," he said.

"What I'm doing is nothing ...I thank Canada for saving me."

Rooting for reboot

The Timesreboot comes as a shock to locals, who havetriedto find creative ways to stay connected since the paper closed, including local Facebook groups. Some even thought the paper's revivalwas a joke.

Gerry Harvieux, the newspaper'sformer editor, doubted itwould ever return.

• Has your town lost its local news? Still got stories to tell? Email uscirculation@cbc.ca

But Harvieux spoke to Abbas and he's rooting for him.

"He's very sincere.I think he definitely has a passion for the industry," he said."If he can get through the initial startup phase, I think it will be really good for our community."

Harvieuxhopes to write for the new outlet occasionallyand will share contacts with Abbas.

He knows there will be some local skepticism andAbbas will have to prove himself. He points tohowAbbas lives outside Tilbury, 2hours away in Guelph. Abbas saidhe plans to be in townat least once a week.

"As long as he's sincere, and people can see that he's making a good effort and not just trying for a quick cash grab, I think it will be well received."

Listen to the radiospecial about Tilbury:

CBC Radio Specials51:26Circulation

News outlets are dying across Canada. More than 330 local outlets in hundreds of communities have shut since 2008, a death rapidly escalated by COVID-19. Each time a radio or TV station, newspaper, or online site closes, important untold stories are lost, erasing the history, current events, and local lore in small-town Canada. Join host Haydn Watters in Tilbury, Ont., where the weekly paper shut down after 136 years.

The news wowedHumphrey Rogers, 87, whohas lived in Tilbury since 1946. Although he's hyper-involved in town life, he's got no email or social media. Sohe's been struggling to stay in touch since the Times closed.

"It really surprises me," said Rogers, of the revival. "Older guys like me ... would think it's a great thing."

He's taken it upon himself to gather some feedback for Abbas, talking to friends over the phone and around town at the post office and church.

"I don't want a job out of this, but I'm trying to see [from] people that I know ... if the paper comes back to Tilbury once a month, would you be interested?"

Newspaper revivals 'rare'

The new iteration will lookslightly different.

The paper used to be a weekly, but Abbas will mostly publish online. The website is alreadyup and stories are trickling in.Theplan isto put outa print version once a month, starting in March, to cater to peoplelike Rogers.

He's looking forfreelance writers andwants to rent a small home in Tilburythat reporters can use when filing stories.

There's even anew motto on the masthead"for the times we live in."

Revivals like this are "rare,"saidApril Lindgren, a journalism professor at Ryerson University who tracks Canadian media openings and closures through herLocal News Research Project.

"I'm a big fan of this. I hope that the community recognizes the commitment and is willing to step up," she said. "I'm under no illusions that it's challenging."

She's watchednews outlets start up and fail due to lack of advertising.Right now, Abbas isusing his own money to finance the paper. He'slooking for advertisers from town and wants to keep the website free for readers.

It all makes Gabby Glasierfeel excited yet nervous for her hometown.She helps run the student newspaper at Western University in London, Ont., where she'sin her fourth year.

"I'm incredibly grateful, incredibly happy, thrilled, but it's going to take a lot of work," she said.

• Did your communityloseits newspaper? But has lots of stories still? Email uscirculation@cbc.ca

She wrote an obituary tothe Tilbury paperfor the Toronto Star last summer. Now, she plans to contribute as a freelancer part time. Glasier hopesher community will rally behind its return.

"No one saw it coming. No one expected it. But it's here anyways and it's going to be something good.