There are times in journalism when the story gets a little too close to home, and this is one of those times.
For years, I have covered Rideau Lakes Township: council meetings, budgets, controversies, development, community events and the issues that matter to the people who live there.
I have asked difficult questions. I have written stories that made people happy and stories that most certainly did not. That comes with the territory.
But something has changed.
My brother, Steve Weir, is running for mayor of Rideau Lakes in the 2026 municipal election.
That means I can no longer cover Rideau Lakes as a journalist. It really is that simple.
Journalism depends on trust. Readers need to know that when I report a story, I am approaching it independently, following the facts and giving the people involved a fair opportunity to be heard.
With my brother seeking the mayor’s chair, I cannot reasonably ask readers to separate that relationship from my reporting.
Even if I believed I could report a Rideau Lakes story fairly, perception matters.
If I wrote something critical of one of Steve’s opponents, people could reasonably question my motivation. If I wrote something favourable about the current council, others could wonder whether I was trying too hard to demonstrate impartiality. If I covered an issue that became part of the election campaign, every word could be scrutinized through the lens of my brother’s candidacy.
Nobody wins in that situation. Not the reader. Not the people I’m writing about. Not my brother. And certainly not the journalism.
So I’m stepping away.
That does not mean I have suddenly stopped caring about Rideau Lakes. Far from it.
I have spent a lot of time watching livestreamed meetings and talking with people throughout the township. I have covered good news, bad news and enough municipal reports to last several lifetimes.
I have heard residents raise concerns because something mattered enough to them to speak up. I have watched councils wrestle with decisions where no answer would make everyone happy. I have watched volunteers, businesses, community organizations and municipal employees contribute to the communities they call home.
I have also watched some pretty lively council meetings. That’s the softer version.
But covering a community carries a responsibility, and part of that responsibility is knowing when you should no longer be the person covering it.
I won’t pretend there isn’t a personal side to this. He’s my brother.
Of course I care about him. Of course I want him to do well. As I have listened to him explain why he is running and what he believes about the future of Rideau Lakes, I have learned things about him that have made me proud.
That alone should tell you why I cannot be a Rideau Lakes reporter during this election.
There is no disclosure statement I could attach to the bottom of a story that would make the conflict disappear. I would rather be open about it.
My role has changed.
I am helping him with campaign strategy, communications and materials. That puts me firmly on one side of this election, and readers deserve to know it.
It also means the line needs to be clear. When I’m wearing my journalist’s hat, I have an obligation to be independent. When I’m working on Steve’s campaign, I am his sister and a member of his campaign team. I cannot honestly be both in Rideau Lakes.
Effective immediately, my colleague Heddy Sorour will take over the Rideau Lakes municipal beat for Hometown News. I will have no role in reporting, editing or directing that coverage.
There will be plenty of stories to tell in Rideau Lakes, and I know Heddy will bring her own independent style to the township and the issues facing its residents.
Stepping away is still going to feel strange.
Journalists become attached to their beats. We learn the history, the personalities, the acronyms, the old arguments that suddenly reappear three years later, and which agenda item will turn a 10-minute discussion into an hour.
You do not just switch that knowledge off. But sometimes protecting the integrity of your work means walking away from work you know well.
So that is what I’m doing.
I’m putting aside my Rideau Lakes file, not because I have stopped caring about the township or the people who live there. Quite the opposite.
I’m stepping away because readers deserve to know exactly where I stand.
And right now, in Rideau Lakes, I’m standing beside my brother.
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