Catholic New Times

Catholic New Times was incorporated by letters patent in the Province of Ontario on December 13, 1976, with the object of promoting the advancement of religion in Canada particularly through the publication and distribution of a Roman Catholic newspaper. (More detailed descriptions of the vision, mission, and objectives of the corporation can be found among the records; see especially Series 1 File 1). A non-profit corporation, it was registered as a charitable organization in 1977. Catholic New Times neither had nor desired an official mandate from, or financial or contractual relationship with, any diocese, bishop, or conference of bishops or any other Catholic institution. Rather, through the publication of the Catholic New Times, it sought to be an alternative and independent Catholic voice in Canada, speaking about local, national, and international news and issues of concern to Catholics. The newspaper was published bi-weekly (20 issues per year) in Toronto from December 2, 1976 to November 26, 2006, at which time the paper closed due to declining financial support. Catholic New Times Inc. initially operated using a “collective model ” that consisted of three main groupings: office staff who ran the paper, a working group (“the Collective”) that met bi-weekly to plan issues and set editorial and general policy, and the editorial group (which included staff) that met weekly to generate stories and determine the details of each issue. By September 1982, committees composed of collective members, staff, and volunteers had emerged to handle particular needs: promotion, finance, personnel, and editorial. In 1989 to 1990, the corporation underwent a structural reorganization to form a Membership Group of 25-30 people who then elected a Publishing Group of about 10 people from among themselves. The Membership Group met twice a year, with the business conducted at the fall meeting; the Publishing Group, which also acted as the Board of Directors, met with the editor 10 times per year. Members also sat on one of four committees (Editorial, Finance, Human resources, and Marketing) that met according to its specific needs. When the Catholic New Times ceased publication in November 2006, the Publishing Group decided to retain the incorporated status and the basic governance structures of New Catholic Times in order to remain open to possibilities for future publications. It also decided to maintain the website (www.catholicnewtimes.org) for as long as it is able, as of July 2014 the website is no longer available.