Greetings from the woods! 

For the past few months, we have been on a wild wilderness sabbatical to combat writer’s block and have some much needed ‘me time.’ Yet despite our copious amounts of bug spray, there is one pesky flea that doesn’t seem to go away: corporate greed! 

Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, was recently adopted into law by the Canadian Government. In short, the Act would require companies like Meta and Google to compensate media outlets for the news links present on their platforms. This did not bode well for Meta—a company worth a measly $800 billion (yes, “billion” with a “B”)—who announced that in retaliation to Bill C-18 they will be removing news access from their Canadian users wholesale in the next several weeks.

In the age of social media, a large portion of web traffic and news is facilitated through these online platforms, with our website being no exception. While other larger media companies may be able to strike a deal with Meta independent outlets like Arthur will undoubtedly be impacted the most by this decision. We have very little bargaining power as we are not owned by a larger company, and therefore do not have the means to combat this frightening decision from the platforms which control access to a large part of our readership on our own. 

To say this is deeply troubling would be a grave understatement.

For now, it seems that Arthur’s beloved Instagram will take an indefinite sabbatical of its own. But fear not! Even though our newly revamped Instagram won’t get the glory she so deserves, the good work is far from over. Arthurians can continue to keep up with all of our mischief on our website—still alive and kicking with new articles published weekly.

If you, like us, believe in the value of the work we do, we’d very much appreciate your help in spreading the Arthur gospel. If you value our output, perhaps consider bookmarking our website, or else telling your friends the good word? Maybe even convince them to sign up for this newsletter?

In the meantime we have been working hard, hunched over our last can of ready made ravioli, preparing for the launch of Issue 0 to kick off our 58th volume. In the midst of all this chaos, we’d like to extend our deepest thanks to this wonderful community who have continued to support their local student paper during times of deep uncertainty. Arthur prevails for another year, and we cannot wait to share the immense talent of our writers with you. 

Yours in solidarity,

Sebastian Johnston-Lindsay, Abbigale Kernya, & Evan Robins

Editors, Volume 58