On February 26th the publisher of The Eganville Leader, Gerald Tracey, announced that with effect from February 28th 2026 The Leader will close down. He stated that the decision, which was the most difficult he has ever had to make, resulted from two factors: health and age. He disclosed that after a history of heart problems in the past, he recently had to undergo surgery at the Ottawa Heart Institute when a pacemaker was inserted. Above: Gerald Tracey holds commemorative book about The Leader in 2022
Tracey emphasized that, “It will be business as usual until this time next year.”
He also mentioned what he described as “the changing business landscape” — a reference to the reduction in advertising revenue from the federal and provincial governments, as well as local county institutions “which have either abandoned newspaper advertising or made significant cuts in their budgets.”
Regular readers of The Current will recall that recently we have questioned its investigative reporting policy; nonetheless, we salute The Leader for its impressive longevity over 123 years and wish Mr. Tracey continued good health over the coming year and in his future retirement.