# Village Media

> Village Media is a Sault Ste. Marie-based digital publisher and technology company that runs free local newsrooms, licenses its Villager publishing platform, sells locally targeted advertising, and layers newsletters, commerce, community programs, polling, events, and its SPACES social network around the reporting. Its bet is that local journalism becomes more durable when it is treated as civic infrastructure and the front door to a broader community platform.

- **Founded:** 2013
- **Headquarters:** Sault Ste. Marie, Canada
- **Founders:** Jeff Elgie (Founder and CEO), Dick Peplow (Founder of SooToday precursor)
- **Team size:** Approximately 190 employees; LinkedIn listed 192 employees in August 2026.
- **Products:** Owned local publications, Villager, SPACES, The Trillium, Advertising and content studio
- **Notable:** Built one of Canada’s largest digital-only local news networks, reporting 33 owned publications and more than 5 million monthly readers in 2026., Expanded the Villager platform to 80 publisher sites and more than 500,000 active users., Launched GuelphToday within 10 days of the Guelph Mercury ending daily publication in 2016.

## Products & services

- **Owned local publications** — Free, digital-first local news sites with locally staffed reporting, newsletters, obituaries, service information and community features.
- **Villager** — The in-house publishing and community platform licensed to independent and partner publishers, with technology, consulting and fulfillment support.
- **SPACES** — A real-name, locally organized social network linked to Village publications and structured around community interests and hosted groups.
- **The Trillium** — An Ontario politics publication and newsletter serving public-affairs professionals and readers interested in Queen’s Park.
- **Advertising and content studio** — Display, video, native and sponsored content, newsletter sponsorships, business profiles, targeted campaigns, events and local activations.
- **Community impact programs** — Village Media Cares, GoodWorks, Random Acts of Kindness, Community Builders Awards, polls and community conversations.
- **Membership and local commerce** — Rewards, giveaways, auctions, promotions, local business directories and other tools connecting readers with merchants.

## Achievements

- Built one of Canada’s largest digital-only local news networks, reporting 33 owned publications and more than 5 million monthly readers in 2026.
- Expanded the Villager platform to 80 publisher sites and more than 500,000 active users.
- Launched GuelphToday within 10 days of the Guelph Mercury ending daily publication in 2016.
- Won first place in the Local Media Association’s 2026 Digital Innovation Awards for its Random Acts of Kindness community-engagement program.
- The Trillium became a 2026 Michener Award finalist for public-service investigative reporting.
- Secured a US$5 million Knight Foundation investment to launch 15 US community newsrooms.
- Expanded SPACES from a Sault Ste. Marie pilot to 19 community social networks by 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Announced a US$5 million Knight Foundation-backed plan to launch 15 local newsrooms in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
- **2026-06** — Reported a first-place Local Media Association Digital Innovation Award for the Random Acts of Kindness program.
- **2026-05** — The Trillium was named a finalist for the Michener Award for an investigation into Ontario’s Skills Development Fund.
- **2026-04** — Presented its community operating system strategy internationally, including AI-assisted agenda analysis and service journalism workflows.
- **2025-07** — Launched DundasToday after local leaders asked Village Media to enter the market.
- **2025-02** — Expanded SPACES beyond its Sault Ste. Marie pilot to Burlington, North Bay, Oakville and Sudbury, with a broader rollout underway.

## Links

- Website: https://www.villagemedia.ca/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/village-media-inc-
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/villagemedia
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@villagemediaofficial
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/villagemediainc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/village-media
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-23