MORRISBURG – Online traffic to The Leader’s website increased by 15 per cent in 2022, thanks to our online readers and supporters. In addition to providing real-time updates on our website of breaking news stories, The Leader publishes select news, entertainment, sports, and opinion articles online each Thursday.
Statistics are based on article views to The Leader’s website at www.morrisburgleader.ca as viewed on December 30, 2022. Only articles published in 2022 were considered. Obituary content and vehicle collision reports were removed from the statistics for consideration.
The news story with the fifth highest online traffic in 2022 was our October 24 municipal election night coverage announcing Jason Broad would lead a new South Dundas council for the 2022-26 term.
Fourth highest in online traffic on The Leader’s website was our February 1 story on the announcement that Beaver’s Dental will close its manufacturing plant in Morrisburg in early 2023.
The sale of the Universal Terminals property and port facilities to Ottawa-based firm Tomlinson Group in August 2022 was our third-highest trafficked story online.
An arson investigation involving two restaurants and two police services is our second most read story online in 2022.
The August 15 fire at Karra’s Burgers and Fries in Morrisburg, and a similar fire at the Pizza Hut location in Cornwall an hour prior, caused smoke and fire damage to four businesses. Karra’s and adjoining Milano Pizza restaurants in Morrisburg, and the Pizza Hut and a future Karra’s location under construction remain closed while repairs continue.
SD&G OPP and the Cornwall Police Service, along with the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal are still investigating the blazes.
The most read news story online in 2022 was our November 30 reporting of a South Dundas family being dismissed from the Winchester Springs Habitat for Humanity build.
Zach Rumohr and Taylor Boisvert (pictured above), along with their four children, were selected in March 2022 as the build family for the Habitat for Humanity Cornwall and Counties build on land donated by the Municipality of South Dundas.
With only 27 of 500 hours remaining in the family’s volunteer “sweat equity” commitment, the family were notified that they were dismissed from the program.
The Leader’s top sports story online in 2022 featured 15-year old Iroquois hockey player Roarke “Rory” Gilmour, who was drafted by the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League.
The most read entertainment story focused on the Upper Canada Playhouse’s 2022 season announcement.
Focusing on pedestrian safety in South Dundas, our May 18 editorial addressing the need for eight new signaled crosswalks, including a connection between the Iroquois Village Plaza and the Tim Hortons on County Road 2, was The Leader’s most read editorial online.
Sometimes old news is well-read news. An honourable mention in 2022 is The Leader’s April 2017 story on Williamsburg-native Brian McCourt starring in a new HGTV home improvement show, Backyard Builds. The show debuted that month, and it was sixth overall in The Leader’s website traffic for 2022.
Thank you for reading The Leader online in 2022 and following along on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).