Benefits of membership

The BCYCNA exists to serve our member newspapers and to promote the community newspaper industry. Some of the benefits members enjoy are:

• Participation in the annual Ma Murray Community Newspaper Awards. This event recognizes the achievements of our members in all aspects of newspaper production.
• Revenue opportunities through our community classifieds and BCY’D Display ad programs.
• Automatic membership in the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA), a federation of 7 regional associations, and a network of over 600 newspapers across Canada.
• Automatic membership in the B.C. Press Council, giving members the advantage of having an arbitrator between the public and themselves in the event of a legal situation involving defamation and libel.
• Credibility to the public and advertisers through access to the CCNA’s Canadian Media Circulation Audit (CMCA) program.
• Industry advancement. We help our members to continue publishing quality newspapers by hosting seminars on topics such as ad sales and newspaper design.
• Government relations. The BCYCNA liaises with government representatives to improve the profile of our industry, and to address our interests with organizations like the Workers Compensation Board and Canada Post.
• Information. The BCYCNA is committed to keeping our members in-the-know on issues related to the community newspaper industry. For example, we recently compiled two practical handbooks for our members: the Employer’s Guide to Newspaper Carriers and other Contract Employees, and the Elections Advertising Booklet. Our blog keeps our membership on top of policies and events relating to the community newspaper industry in B.C. and the Yukon.

The BCYCNA constantly strives to come up with new initiatives and to change our focus according to member needs.

Membership criteria

To qualify for membership in the BCYCNA, applicant newspapers must meet the following requirements, as specified in the BCYCNA Constitution:

• Published in British Columbia or the Yukon.
• Published at least 50 weeks per year.
• Have been issued for at least two years – unless the applicant newspaper is owned or co-owned by the same owner as an existing member, in which case the period is one year.
• Apply for and receive an audited circulation, either ABC, CCAB, or CMCA, within one year of being accepted as a member.
• Give general newspaper service to a particular community, without being representative of a class or trade (except where it serves a distinct language group).
• Conform to accepted newspaper practice in general appearance and production.

The term “Newspaper” includes publications that:

• Have for their principal purpose the dissemination of local and/or telegraphic news and intelligence of a general character.
• Have a minimum of 30% editorial content.
• Are produced as folded sheets with consecutive page numbers.
• Have photographic illustrations that are reproduced with clarity.

How to apply for membership  

Simply click here to download a pdf of the BCYCNA membership application form, and complete it in full. Forward the form to the BCYCNA office with three copies of five recent editions of your newspaper.

Our mailing address is:

9 West Broadway

Vancouver, BC

V5Y 1P1

Your application will be reviewed by the General Manager and the membership committee of the Board of Directors. Please allow a turnaround time of one to two months. In the meantime, if you have any questions, contact us at either
(604) 669-9222, 1-866-669-9222 (toll-free), or via email info@bccommunitynews.com.