The OCNA invites Independent Publishers to join us for our annual Independent Publisher’s Retreat on Friday November 3^rd and Saturday November 4^th at the beautiful Hockley Valley Resort near Orangeville, Ontario.

This is a great opportunity to network with your peers, share experiences and learn about issues and resources that might impact your business.

Sessions will take place both Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Friday evening will include an awards dinner, recognizing the 2023 Hall of Fame inductees and Quill Award Recipients. The Retreat will finish up after lunch on Saturday.

We have a full, fun agenda (subject to change based on speaker confirmation) that includes:

• News Media Canada Updates - Paul Deegan, CEO & President, News Media Canada will provide updates on national association activities, including federal funding programs, recycling, C-18 & Google/Meta, events and other issues. This will be an extended session, with lots of time for discussion on how your newspaper is fairing and adjusting to industry challenges.
• Heritage Canada – (Tentative) Heritage Canada will provide both an outline of the programs available and take feedback from the members about how those offerings could be improved to better suit your needs.
• How Advertising Agencies Can Help Community Newspapers to Thrive - Carieanne Nickerson, SVP, Group Account Director of Carat Canada will share the Canadian Media Directors Council’s (CMDC) perspective on the decision-making process that goes into booking campaigns for the province as well as highlight steps the CMDC and Canadian Media Manifesto are taking to protect local media. 
• Planning for the Future - Heather Wright, Publisher, The Independent Serving Petrolia & Central Lambton will host a discussion with members on how they are preparing for the future of their newspaper after they decide to retire.
• Circulation Round Table Discussion - Attendees will be divided into two groups based on their circulation type - Paid or Controlled - for round table discussions on issues and challenges they face with their specific distribution model.
• Success Stories - An opportunity for OCNA Members to share ideas and successes with other publishers and to learn what's working for their colleagues.
• ​OCNA and Ad*Reach Updates.
• And as always – lots of time for round table discussions.

Friday, November 3^rd

1:00PM - Sessions

6:30PM – Dinner

Saturday, November 4^th

8:00AM - Breakfast

9:00AM - Sessions

12:30PM - Lunch 

Registration fee includes Friday overnight accommodations, sessions and dinner, along with Saturday breakfast, sessions and lunch.

Register by Thursday October 12^th, 2023.  

Single Occupancy       $550.00  (non-member fee)

Double Occupancy     $885.00  (non-member fee)

Additional room Thursday or Saturday night

   (includes breakfast in restaurant)

Single Occupancy      $325.00   (non-member fee)

Double Occupancy    $370.00   (non-member fee)

Guest Friday dinner   $110.00  (non-member fee)

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.

Are you bringing someone else along who will not be attending the retreat? Please contact me (k.shardlow@ocna.or or 416-923-7724 Ext 4432) to discuss meal options.

Cancellation policy:

No refund will be given if cancelled after Wednesday October 18^th.

To register, complete the form on the right. Use the toggles or type in each text box the quantity desired. Once finished filling out the form, select 'Add to Cart' and then 'Checkout' for payment options.