Lately, I have been pleasantly surprised to receive more letters from the public to be printed in our “letters” section on page 5 of every issue. In fact, there have been instances where the letters had to be carried over to a second page, and sometimes to the next issue due to space constraints. This is the level of participation we like to see!
And this didn’t happen just once; over the last several issues, I’ve received an incredible number of responses either by phone, email, fax, or mail. It has reminded me of the overwhelming support we received from the public via letters last year when we were battling the OLF.
Letters are very important and we welcome and appreciate them all, including criticisms and congratulations. Whether they are expressing anger or disagreement about something published in the paper, congratulating us on a job well done, or speaking out about a particular issue, responses from the public let us know that people are paying attention to, reading, and reflecting on the material we publish and are sometimes even inspired to voice their concerns on other matters of interest. Letters can offer a different viewpoint, give more information to a story, justify certain actions, and more.
Letters to the editor are among the most widely read features in any newspaper, so these pages are a real opportunity for readers to have their voices heard and their opinions known. Letters offer readers the opportunity to speak to more than just
family and friends, and are a way to get the word out to a larger audience and to social leaders. With 9,400 copies of the Journal distributed bi-weekly, they are bound to get the public’s attention.
Most of all, letters are our readers’ means to improve the Journal; we welcome all suggestions, and will act upon those that we feel are important and possible.
Letters can be sent by mail (5-289, rue Principale, Mansfield, QC, J0X 1R0), fax (819-683-2977), email (editor@journalpontiac.com), or even over the telephone (819-683-3582) where I will be more than happy to type out your message.
Keep them coming, dear readers!

Allyson Beauregard