The Team

Who are we?

The Quebec Community Newspapers Association (QCNA) is dedicated to the professional and economic development of English community newspapers and their enterprises serving minority communities in Quebec. Recognized as the official representative of Quebec’s official language community newspapers by the federal and provincial governments, the public, and by the vast majority of Quebec’s community press whether independent, corporate, or not for profit, the QCNA is as unique as the members it serves.

The association’s English and bilingual publications distribute weekly, biweekly, monthly and daily to some 324,914 readers (in print circulation, excluding online readership).  These publications serve an exclusive English and bilingual readership in their communities through their focus on relevant local news and high editorial-to-advertising ratio. In fact, three out of five English-speaking residents read their local community newspaper.

The Quebec Community Newspapers Association provides advocacy, government representation, marketing and promotion for Quebec’s community newspapers and, among other things, highlights newspaper challenges in official language markets and provides possible solutions and establishes partnerships that will benefit members and the association.

Our Mission

The Quebec Community Newspapers Association (QCNA) is dedicated to the
professional and economic development of English-language community
newspapers and their enterprises serving linguistic minority communities in
Quebec, and is the standard of excellence in journalism serving these
communities.

Facts to know about QCNA

  • QCNA is celebrating 43 years in serving the minority community in Quebec.
  • Our member newspapers reach 384,000 readers across the province.
  • QCNA has 25 full members and 6 affiliate members.
  • 52% of newspaper readers use both print and online service to access their news.
  • Quebec’s English-speaking community represents 13.7% of the total population.
  • More than 65 community newspapers* are supported by the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications and only 3 serve the English-speaking Quebec community.
  • QCNA has been recognizing journalism excellence with our Better Newspaper Competition for 43 years.
  • QCNA is one of the 7 mandated not-for-profit organizations, administering the Local Journalism Initiative program funded by Canadian Heritage.

Every successful organization needs a strong team!

QCNA’s team is consistently working at serving our members. Together they represent the industry and help the newspapers achieve sustainability. As a team their only objective is to help you achieve your goals!

QCNA consists of positions that are delivering the job as it should be done:

Ilka de Laat

Ilka de Laat

General Manager

General Manager

The General Manager is tasked with creating business plans, program management, overseeing day-to-day activities, improving performance, developing organizational culture, supervising the departments, reporting on revenue, and directing organizational strategy. The General Manager oversees QCNA’s programs and reports to government funders and works closely with sector partners to meet the needs of the QCNA membership. The General Manager also takes on a leadership role in advocating for the sector and sits on the board of the Consortium of Official Language Community Media.

Amanda Hansen Program Coordinator

Amanda Hansen

Program & Office Coordinator

Program & Office Coordinator

The Program and Office Coordinator’s primary role is as administrator liaison for The QCNA Local Journalism Initiative, funded by Canadian Heritage.  The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) supports the creation of original local civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada while preserving the independence of the press. The Program and Office Coordinator also coordinates activities and manages operations in the office to ensure efficiency and compliance to company policies. Furthermore, the coordinator also manages agendas and supporting documentation for board meetings, supports bookkeeping procedures, assists the General Manager, colleagues, and members whenever necessary and manages the Better Newspaper Competition, a provincially run and recognized awards competition recognizing journalistic excellence in official language media in Quebec. 

 
Danel Velazquez

Danel Velazquez

Marketing and Outreach Coordinator​

Marketing and Outreach Coordinator​​

The marketing and outreach coordinator establishes account plans, develops unique solutions, and showcases the member newspaper’s offerings to partners and clients. They are responsible for managing billing and invoicing, establishing enduring connections, designing effective advertising campaigns, assisting the organization at events, and maintaining the QCNA website, working with web developers to improve its usefulness and worth.

Sales and Advertisement Coordinator

Grants and Revenue Generating Officer - Vacant

Board of Directors

Brenda O’Farrell

President

Lily Ryan

Treasurer

Nikki Mantell

Vice President

Michael Sochaczevski

Director

Sharon McCully

Sharon McCully

Director

Cynthia Dow

Director

Charles Dickson​

Director

Contact Us

(819) 893-6330

info@qcna.qc.ca
400 Blvd. Maloney E. Suite 205
Gatineau, QC, CA
J8P 1E6

Scroll to Top