2026 Independent Publishers' Retreat Registration

2026 OCNA Independent Publishers' Retreat

The OCNA invites you to join us for our annual Independent Publisher’s Retreat on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 at the beautiful Georgian Bay Hotel & Conference Centre in Collingwood, Ontario.

This will be a great opportunity to network with your peers, share experiences and learn about topics and resources that might impact your newspaper.

The event will begin with sessions on Friday afternoon, followed by an awards dinner recognizing the 2025 BNC Awards winners and the 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees. Things will pickup again on Saturday morning with more sessions and a farewell lunch. We will hold our Annual General Meeting on Friday at 12:30 p.m., prior to the start of sessions.

We are working on a full, fun agenda and will update this page as sessions are confirmed. The agenda, as always, will include:

Updates from News Media Canada – What’s going on with the federal government, Google and Canada Post.
Round Table Discussions – Come with your questions for the group and leave with fresh ideas on how to improve every aspect of your newspaper.
Updates from OCNA and Ad*Reach – What have we been up to and how can we serve you better.
And – lots of time for networking.

Friday, April 24

12:30 p.m. - OCNA & OCNF Annual General Meeting

1:00 p.m. - Sessions

5:00 p.m. - Awards Reception

6:00 p.m. - Awards Dinner

Saturday, April 25

8:00 a.m. - Breakfast

9:00 a.m. - Sessions

12:45 p.m. - Lunch

Please note all times are approximate and subject to change based on final sessions/topics being offered.

Single occupancy registration fee includes all educational sessions, dinner and overnight accommodations on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Double occupancy includes all meals and sessions for second attendees staying in the same room. Should your additional attendee not wish to join for meals and sessions, you need partial retreat registration or you have questions or concerns about the agenda or registration process, please contact Karen Shardlow at k.shardlow@ocna.org.

The early bird member price is only $525 for single occupancy and $825 for double occupancy. If you miss the Friday, March 20 early bird deadline the registration fees will go up.

Single Occupancy $525 (non-member $575) (includes meals & sessions for one, plus one overnight room)

Double Occupancy $825 (non-member $905) (includes meals & sessions for two, plus one overnight room)

Additional room Thursday night (no meals included)

Single & Double Occupancy $195 (non-member $215)

Additional room Saturday night (no meals included)

Single & Double Occupancy $245 (non-member $270)

Additional Guest Friday Dinner $130 (non-member $143)

Additional room Friday night (no meals or sessions included)

Single & Double Occupancy $245 (non-member $270)

All prices subject to HST.

Note: Additional room nights are based on availability at the resort and cannot be guaranteed. If unavailable upon booking, credit will be issued.

Cancellation policy:

Retreat Registration fees: Cancellations between Tuesday, March 31 and Tuesday April 7 are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. No refund will be given if cancelled after Wednesday, April 8.
Additional Overnight Rooms. No refund will be given if cancelled after Tuesday, March 31.

To register, click on the appropriate button below (OCNA member or non-member) to be taken to the registration page. When you’re finished, select "Add to Cart" and then "Checkout" for payment options.