The Prince George Citizen has a new voice as Sylvie Paillard begins her role as the newspaper's managing editor.
Paillard spent the last six years as a reporter and editor of a weekly newspaper in Squamish and said she found the thought of working at a daily intriguing.
"I've seen the work of The Citizen for years, and the paper has done some great work," said Paillard. "I figured it'd be a chance for me to step up my game."
Paillard said the biggest change from a weekly to a daily will be the deadlines.
"In a weekly you have more time to delve into a story and do more research, which is not
always what you get first glance at a daily," Paillard said.
"Not to say it isn't possible. Gordon Hoekstra shows that a daily can achieve a great degree of in-depth reporting as well."
Paillard isn't completely new to the region - she cut her teeth in journalism working at the Valley Sentinal in Valemount, which covers news throughout the Robson Valley. She said her past experience, both in Valemount and Squamish, is what she'll be bringing to the table at The Citizen.
Paillard was in Squamish in the years leading up to the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and got to see the challenges with organizing such a large event. This experience should come in handy in the years leading up to Prince George hosting the 2015 Canadian Winter Games.
"There are similarities between Squamish and Prince George," she said. "Squamish was founded as a forestry town, and recently the industry has really scaled back, so I'm sensitive to those type of issues."
The paper is pleased to have Paillard on the team at The Citizen, said publisher Hugh Nicholoson, who added she might be the first female managing editor in the 94-year history of The Citizen.
"Women make up half our readers, but less than 20 per cent of our newsroom," said Nicholson.
"So it was important to me that we redressed that imbalance by having a larger voice from a female perspective in the newsroom.
"Prince George is a great city and, from a news standpoint, is a journalist's dream, so this is a big step up for Sylvie in her career."
Paillard said she didn't know she might be the first woman in her position, and it's not something she'd given much thought.
"I don't see things on gender lines, but women do bring other concepts and ideas to the table than men, and vice versa."
There are many opportunities in coming to Prince George, she said, one of the biggest is being able to work with "an incredibly strong group of people, and I'm excited to work and learn and grow as a journalist with them."
Paillard went through her education at Langara College, studying liberal arts and got a "blue collar" approach to journalism there - a very hands-on and technical approach, she explained.
She also took courses in writing and journalism-related courses at Simon Fraser University.
She said catching up on the news and issues of the region will likely be her biggest challenge.
Paillard pointed out that there is a lot of provincial focus on the north and said, from her first impression, there is a lot happening around the city.
"There is so much news happening in Prince George, from the university to industry to the Enbridge pipeline, crime, as well as everything there is to celebrate, too," she said.
"I'll be doing catch up for a while."
Paillard invites the public to contact her about anything they think should be celebrated or
investigated.
