What happened: On Jan 19, CBC reported a Pakistani refugee, Mohsin Abbas’ story who drove to a little village in southwestern Ontario when he discovered The Tilbury Times and a few other town newspapers in Ontario and Manitoba are ceasing publication in 2020 due to declining ad income. Abbas ended up buying the rights to it and a month later became the publisher. Details: While listening to a CBC Radio broadcast on what happens when the local news ceases, the journalist learned of the closure. “I understand the value of local media,” he explained. “It’s our social responsibility.” Abbas has previously worked in huge and small newsrooms in Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, as well as started his own independent newspapers. Currently, he works as a freelance contributor for BBC Journalistic, reporting in Urdu and Punjabi, and also operates the Milton Reporter, a small news organisation. What else: In his interview with CBC, Abbas stated, “Imagine being a man in a prison in a Third World country, ready to be killed in a police encounter. Then he leaves that place, enters Canada, and 20 years later, he’s still alive and well with a lovely family. It’s priceless,” adding that he is grateful to Canada for saving him.