One aspect of the Christmas season that I particularly enjoy is that, for me at least, it is a time to pause and count our blessings.
Whatever challenges and disappointments we have faced in the past year, there are also things in each of our lives to be grateful for. This is a time to focus on those.
For me, first and foremost, I am grateful for my family and close friends, folks who are with you come hell or high water. Over the years, I have learned it is easy to be friends and to be supportive of people when they are right, but the real test for family and friends is who will stand with you when you are wrong. In that aspect of life, I have been incredibly fortunate.
I am also thankful for those who work so hard to keep us safe and in good health; front-line workers like doctors, nurses, paramedics, other healthcare workers, police and law enforcement people, and those who work in fire protection, to name just a few.
I am grateful too for all those who have made Doppler a household name in Muskoka and East Parry Sound, our loyal readers, our supportive advertisers, those who have made voluntary financial donations, and our incredible Doppler team.
Doppler is now in its ninth year. Every member of our Team, those at the beginning and those now, has worked hard to keep the communities we serve well informed with local news and information as well as providing a window on what is happening in the wider world that affects us here. From our very beginnings, we have had a tremendous Doppler team, and I am grateful for all of them.
Simply put, without our advertisers there would be no Doppler. They are our main source of revenue. Local businesses do a lot more to support our communities than Amazon or Costco. I urge you to shop or do business with local businesses as well as our advertisers and support our community.
And to our readers, we now average roughly 100,000 individual readers a month. You, indeed, are a special blessing!
Now we look forward to a new year with new challenges and new opportunities. I do not doubt that there will be interesting times ahead.
In many ways, 2023 has been a difficult year and we already know that 2024 will present several challenges. But for now, let’s just pause and count our blessings and reflect on the good things in life. We all have much to be grateful for.
This Christmas season let us also remember where we can to reach out to those in need or those who may be grieving or just feeling hopeless. Just as we have been blessed, it is important to be a blessing to others. That is what we are called to do.
On behalf of our entire Doppler team, we wish you all a joyful Christmas and Holiday Season and the very best in 2024!
Hugh Mackenzie
Publisher
Hugh Mackenzie has held elected office as a trustee on the Muskoka Board of Education, a Huntsville councillor, a District councillor, and mayor of Huntsville. He has also served as chairman of the District of Muskoka and as chief of staff to former premier of Ontario, Frank Miller.
Hugh has also served on a number of provincial, federal and local boards, including chair of the Ontario Health Disciplines Board, vice-chair of the Ontario Family Health Network, vice-chair of the Ontario Election Finance Commission, and board member of Roy Thomson Hall, the National Theatre School of Canada, and the Anglican Church of Canada. Locally, he has served as president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, chair of Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, chair of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, president of Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and board member of Community Living Huntsville.
In business, Hugh Mackenzie has a background in radio and newspaper publishing. He was also a founding partner and CEO of Enterprise Canada, a national public affairs and strategic communications firm established in 1986.
Currently, Hugh is president of C3 Digital Media Inc., the parent company of Doppler Online, and he enjoys writing commentary for Huntsville Doppler
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