About Us

Welcome to the source for information about the Cowichan Valley, www.cowichannewsleader.com. Located on Vancouver Island on Canada's rugged West Coast, 40 minutes north of the capital city of Victoria, the Cowichan Valley is a diverse mixture of arts, agriculture, natural beauty and heritage and the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial has been its newspaper of record since 1905. Look to us for comprehensive, award-winning coverage of the issues, breaking news stories and the events that matter to this community of about 75,000, centering around Duncan, the City of Totems. Check out our entertainment listings and sports updates, scan through our comprehensive list of links to other Valley hot spots and express your opinion in our web poll. Log on and be where the Cowichan Valley is.

Your Community News Team

	Publisher/sales manager Bill Macadam 250-746-4471	Since 1990 Bill has served in circulation, sales and as publisher in communities as varied as Port Hardy, Vernon and Victoria. Heading up the award winning team (honored as best in Canada 2007) in the vibrant and changing Cowichan Valley, Bill his wife and three teenaged children have finally settled into a place to call home.
	Managing editor John McKinley 250-746-4471	John runs the News Leader Pictorial's news department. Under his leadership, the papers have been named best in their circulation class in B.C. five times in the past seven years, and best in Canada in 2007.
	Office manager Kim Vaughan 250-746-4451 ext 223	Kim Vaughan has been the Office Manager of the Cowichan News Leader Pictorial since March of 2005, after gaining her business success and experience in Riverside County, California, where she resided for five years. During her tenure in California she had the opportunity to spearhead a unique medical supply company and assisted in grossing over $20 million in sales in three years.
	reporter Krista Siefken 250-746-4451 ext 238	A journalism graduate of Vancouver's Langara College, Krista left B.C. for a reporting posting in Lac La Biche, Alberta following a brief internship at a daily newspaper. After just four months, she was promoted to editor and soon after that her newspaper was named the best in the country by the Canadian Community Newspaper Association — it was the first time the paper received the honour in its 40-year history. Now residing in Duncan, Krista is happy to be back in beautiful British Columbia.
	Reporter Peter Rusland 250-746-4451 ext 240	Best known as the News Leader Pictorial's long-time arts and entertainment reporter, Peter also covers the city, health and environment. His newswriting his earned him multiple community newspaper honours on both the provincial and national stage.
	reporter Mike Damour 250-746-4451 ext 241	One of Canada's most seasoned crime writers, Mike worked the criminal beat for some of the country's biggest dailies for nearly 20 years. In addition to covering emergency services, he also keeps his eyes on local politics, business and industry. He wrote the best news story to appear in a community newspaper in Canada last, winning top spot in the annual Canadian Community Newspaper Awards.
	circulation manager Lara Stuart 250-746-4451 ext 224	Born and raised in the Cowichan, Lara started with the News Leader Pictorial in September 1996 as a front office/classified clerk. In early 2000 she took over as circulation manager and has been working with our carriers and drivers since. If you are looking for a newspaper route or are concerned with your delivery, please contact her.
	Photographer Andrew Leong	A regular at just about every event in Cowichan for about the past 15 years, Andrew and his long lens are one of the Valley's most recognizable sights. He is a certified Professional Photographers of Canada craftsman and his work has been honoured multiple times by both the British Columbia/Yukon and Canadian Community Newspaper Associations.
	Sports Editor Don Bodger 250-746-4451 ext 239	The dean of Cowichan journalists, Don has been writing about the local sports scene for the News Leader Pictorial since 1983. His knowledge of local people and places is hard to beat and his expertise on Cowichan athletes and athletics second to none.