The cardinals are chirping outside my window and the calm serenity of an early morning many times brings me clarity. Today that clarity comes with a moment to give you an insight into who I am and what I hope I will bring to Lloydminster news scene.
I come to you from the valleys of the Grand River in Southern Ontario, where all the heat comes with humidity. Arriving last week, I apparently brought that weather with me (I’m sorry) but do eventually look forward to the drier heat and cold, winds and flatness of a place I’ve been told you refer to commonly as Lloyd.
My name is Dan Gray, I started my journalism journey later in life earning two degrees from St. Clair College in my early 30’s one in Journalism and a second in Media Convergence. Before that, I was a jack of all trades, from driving a transport truck to roofing and pretty much anything in between.
My hometown of Belwood, Ontario is a little bigger than a map dot in the vastness of farmlands that surround it but is part of a larger municipality which rivals the size of Lloyd.
My journey in this industry to your community has included being a managing editor of my college paper and running my own hometown news site. I also spent two years as a hard-nosed city hall reporter, breaking news specialist and feature writer in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Most recently I’ve worked in North Bay doing nightly news production at a hyper-local cable news station.
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” – Alexander Graham Bell.
For me, the doors in Ontario have closed and I have, with the support of my beautiful wife Amy and puppy Wrex chosen to open this one, 3060 km from where I write this to you.
So, what can you expect from me?
I was born to tell stories, ask hard questions and generally not take no for an answer. I’ve taken those very raw talents and converted them into being a journalist who works with integrity, needs answers and pursues an issue through to its conclusion. When I get to Lloyd you can expect someone who works to make connections in the community while also working to highlight the many positives and some of the harder stories too.
I’m someone who if I give you my word I’m working on it, I mean it. It may not be right away, it may not end up in the story you thought it might, but it will always be done with integrity, honesty and balance. I strongly believe if you can’t stand behind your word, you don’t have anything, that is most definitely the case in this industry.
I want to thank the team at the Source for this opportunity, their time and understanding as we pack up our life here in Ontario and make the move. I look forward to serving the countries only truly amalgamated, bi-province town starting in the middle of July.
If you have any story ideas for me, or things you want to see covered send them to the source news team. You can find my information at meridiansource.ca or email me at Dan.Gray@meridiansource.ca
Read more: Small cities have made me impatient
Locally owned and community driven, the Lloydminster Meridian Source is the online news source in the Border City. Whether it’s breaking news, features or sports, if you have questions about what’s going on around town, Source it with us!
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