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The Watrous Manitou Advisor

The Watrous Manitou

Kim Made Co.

Lions Pride

The Lanigan Advisor

Your reliable news source since 1933

The current staff at The Watrous Manitou and our sister paper the Lanigan Advisor consists of publishers Daniel and Kim Bushman, ad manager Karlee Bedard, customer service and typesetter Tammy Le Blanc. The Watrous Manitou and the Lanigan Advisor are weekly newspapers published 48 times per year. The papers are distributed every Monday except for two weeks in the summer and two weeks during winter. They can be found online through an online subscription at www.twmadvisornews.com.

TWM and the Advisor is open Tuesday through Friday:
Tues to Thur: 9 am to noon and 1pm to 5 pm
Fri: 9 am to 1 pm

You can reach us at 306-946-3343; twmadvisornews@gmail.com or fax 306-946-2026

Advertising

TWM and the Lanigan Advisor offers a variety of advertising options either in print or online:

  • Display/Classified/Blanket Advertising
  • Business Directory Advertising
  • Online Banner Advertising with direct link to your webpage
  • Announcements/Congratulatory/Births/Birthday/Grad/Engagement
  • Shower/Wedding/Anniversary/New employee/Retirement
  • Card of thanks 
  • Memoriams/Obituaries 

To request a quote or receive additional information regarding advertising, email twmadvisorsales@gmail.com or phone our office at 306-946-3343.

Services

Commercial Printwork

We provide quotes on a wide variety of printwork and commercial documents: 
business cards, invoices, letterhead, envelopes and more.
Typesetting is $40/hr, billed in 15 min. increments

Other Services

  • Laminating/Faxing/Scanning/Emailing
  • Stamps: rubber and self inking
  • FAC photos
  • Photocopying: black and white and colour copies
  • Select retail supplies: office supplies, stationery, coloured paper, card stock, notebooks, envelopes, photo paper, framed pictures, canvas prints

*TWM and the Advisor publishes 48 issues per year with our online version available Friday afternoons and our print edition out Mondays*

How we got here

Early beginnings

1905

The Watrous Manitou has resided for all but a trio of its years at 309 Main Street, Watrous. In 1933, the Manitou Printing office was established by J.A. McGowan, founder and publisher. McGowan was only 18 when, in July 1905, he relocated from Grand Valley, Ont. to Strasbourg, Sask. He…Read More

The start of The Watrous Manitou

1931

In 1931, the McGowan family relocated to Watrous when James became the editor of the Watrous Signal, published by Edmund Garrett. In late 1932, James began making plans to start another newspaper, the Watrous Manitou. The first issue of the Manitou was published Feb. 9, 1933. Through McGowan’s 41 years…Read More

Second generation takes over

1976

Gordon McGowan enjoyed employment in various fields until he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and spent four years in stations out east. In 1944 he and Roberta Brown were married. The couple resided in Ottawa until the summer of 1945. ​ Following his stint in the Air Force, Gordon and…Read More

New building – same location

1978

In 1978, construction of a new office commenced and the first issue from that building was distributed in January 1979. The end of an era came to a close when Gordon and Roberta McGowan retired Aug. 31, 1985. After 52 years in Watrous, the McGowan family name was no longer…Read More

New owners – same location – new methods

1985

Frank and Florence Wilson assumed ownership of the local newspaper Sept. 1, 1985. The couple moved to Watrous in 1980 when Frank, a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was transferred from Yorkton. After 23 years of service, he retired from the national police force Aug. 5 and donned…Read More

Change in ownership

2003

In 2002, the Wilsons determined it was time to leave the publishing business behind and Feb. 1, 2003, Robin and Nicole Lay became only the fourth owners in the Watrous Manitou’s 70-year history. Nicole, born and raised in Watrous and previously a teacher in both Milden Central School and LCBI…Read More

Changing with the times

2004

In 2004, the Lays added a full-time reporter/photographer to the staff. Changes to the production process began to take place. The sending of pasted-up pages to the press in Melville became a thing of the past, as pages were sent electronically via SWNA’s hot-line. A new digital camera was purchased…Read More

Computerization off the office

2006

In January 2006, the rest of the front was computerized. Invoices, receipts, subscription renewals and store front sales of stationery were now entered into the computer, relegating the old cash register to the obsolete pile. Renovations to the office began in March. Two new offices were added and a defined…Read More

A new service…

2008

Fifteen years after former owner Frank Wilson commented there was talk of “electronic newspapers that readers can call up on their home computer screen,” the vision came to fruition. The new Watrous Manitou website allowed readers access to the paper bright and early Monday morning. Readers enjoyed their first cup…Read More

And a new look

2010

In the fall of 2010, after several changes of ownership at the press in Melville/Yorkton, a decision was made to move TWM’s printing to Wainwright, Alta. A large part of that reasoning was due to the high-quality colour printing taking place at StarPress, due to their use of ultraviolet inks…Read More

TWM, a family business

2014

After owning TWM for 11 years, Robin and Nicole Lay approached reporter Daniel Bushman and his wife Kim to see if they would be interested in purchasing the business. Continuing a long-standing tradition of a husband and wife partnership, the Bushmans bought the newspaper Feb. 1, 2014 to become the…Read More

Making changes

2016

Since purchasing TWM in 2014 and building upon the successes of previous publishers, the weekly newspaper has continued to serve the area with an emphasis on local. Daniel has remained in the role of reporter/photographer while adding editor and publisher hats. With prior experience at a few different jobs, Kim…Read More

Digital footprints

2018

Launching a website (www.twmadvisornews.com), the newspaper continues to have a presence in the digital world, offering an online paper. With 48 issues per year, the hard copy of the paper is out each Monday while it appears a bit earlier online, arriving Fridays. It also contains unique features like TWM…Read More

Keeping up with the times

2020

With an award-winning paper and a website offering an online edition, the Bushmans have also added Facebook, Instagram and twitter accounts to have an even further reach. With help from the couple’s staff, operations have also grown to offer a variety of services like business cards, menus, brochures, calendars, tickets,…Read More

Commemorating 90 years

2023

Despite navigating through some tough times during the pandemic and wanting to see the paper remain viable, as Daniel and Kim marked nine years as publishers in 2023, the Watrous Manitou celebrated its 90th year. With a rich history of reporting the news and keeping people informed, the Watrous Manitou…Read More

TWM launches new logo

2023

As part of reaching the milestone of 90 years, a new logo has been created. The second such change since the Bushmans took over, the new logo pays homage to the past as the same font used by the McGowan family has reappeared. The year of when the Watrous Manitou…Read More

Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association Better Newspapers Competition Annual Awards

  • First Place – Best Tourism Story or Series of Stories, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • First Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • First Place – Best Health/Healthcare Coverage Series of Stories, Daniel Bushman (TWM) 
  • First Place – Best Sports Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM) 
  • First Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Saskatchewan Arts or Cultural Series of Stories, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Colour Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Feature Photo, Daniel Bushman (Advisor)
  • General Excellence Awards:
    • Second Place – Best Front Page Class B – Circulation 800 to 1,199 (TWM)
    • Second Place – Best Editorial Page Class A – Circulation Under 800 (Advisor)
    • Third Place – Best Overall Paper Class B – Circulation 800 to 1,199 (TWM)

  • Julie Schau Memorial Award presented to Daniel Bushman
  • First Place – Best Saskatchewan Arts or Cultural Series, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Series of Advertisements, Karlee J. Bedard (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Saskatchewan Arts or Cultural Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Health/Healthcare Coverage Series, Daniel Bushman (Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Colour Photo, Daniel Bushman (Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Sports Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Saskatchewan Recreational Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)

  • First Place – Best Agriculture Coverage, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • First Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • First Place – Best Health/Healthcare Coverage, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • First Place – Best Saskatchewan Recreational Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Recreational Story, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Third Place – Best Saskatchewan Arts or Cultural Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Sports Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Salute to Veterans, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Series of Advertisements, Alexandra Dengler (TWM)

  • First Place – Best Sports Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Sports Story, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Colour Photo, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Series of Advertisements, Alexandra Dengler (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best News Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best News Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Health/Healthcare Coverage, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Third Place – Best Black and White Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Sports Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)

  • Second Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Health/Healthcare single story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Saskatchewan Arts or Cultural Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Tourism Story or Series of Stories, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Habitat Conservation Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • ​Third Place – Best People Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)

  • First Place – Best Educational Coverage K-12, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • First Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Photographer of the Year, Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place – Best Editorial Page Class B (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Black and White Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Hard News Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best News Story of the Year, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Third Place – Best Educational Coverage Post Secondary Education, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Third Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)

  • First Place – Best Health/Healthcare Coverage, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Tourism Story, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Black and White Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Front Page Class A (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best News Story of the Year, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Saskatchewan Recreational Story or Series of Stories, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Health/Healthcare Coverage, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Third Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Colour Photo, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)

  • First Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best News Story of the Year, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Tourism Story or Series of Stories, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Series of Advertisements, Alexandra Goodrich (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Healthcare Coverage, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Business Writing, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)

  • First Place – Best News Story of the Year, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • First Place – Best Overall Agriculture story/series, Daniel Bushman (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Second Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Second Place – Best Feature Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Overall Agriculture story/series, Daniel Bushman (TWM)

  • Second Place – Best Tourism Story/Series, Daniel Bushman (TWM)
  • Third Place – Best Wildlife Photo, Daniel Bushman, (Lanigan Advisor)
  • Third Place – Best Black and White Photo, Daniel Bushman (TWM)

  • First Place – Best Sask Arts or Cultural Story, Daniel Bushman

  • Third Place – Best Ag coverage, Daniel Bushman
  • ​Third Place – Photographer of the Year, Daniel Bushman

Based on 2012 newspapers:

  • First Place – Best Post-Secondary Education Story, Daniel Bushman
  • First Place – Best Black and White Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place – Columnist of the Year, Nicole Lay
  • Second Place – Best Tourism Story/Series, Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place – Best Wildlife Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place – Best Editorial, Nicole Lay
  • Third Place – Best Advertisement, Robin Lay
  • Third Place – Best Colour Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman

Based on 2011 newspapers:

  • First Place – Best Overall Newspaper, Class B
  • First Place – Best Colour Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place – Best Feature Story, Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place – Best Wildlife Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman
  • Third Place – Best Editorial Page, Class B
  • Third Place – Best Photo Essay, taken by Daniel Bushman and Nicole Lay
  • Third Place – Columnist of the Year, Nicole Lay

Based on 2010 newspapers:

  • Second Place: Best Health/Healthcare Coverage, Daniel Bushman
  • Second Place: Best Black and White Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman

Based on 2009 newspapers:

  • Second Place: Photographer of the Year, Daniel Bushman
  • Third Place: Best Hard News Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman
  • Third Place: Best Black and White Photo, taken by Daniel Bushman
  • Third Place: Best Overall Coverage of K-12 Education, Daniel Bushman

Based on 2007 newspapers:

  • Second Place: Service to the Community Award
  • Third Place: Best Overall Newspaper, circulation under 2,000
  • Third Place: Best Front Page, circulation under 2,000
  • Third Place: Best Feature Story, written by Rhonda Cooper
  • Third Place: Best Sports Story, written by Rhonda Cooper
  • Third Place: Best Hard News Photo, taken by Rhonda Cooper

Based on 2006 newspapers:

  • Third Place: Best Overall Newspaper, circulation under 2,000
  • Third Place: Best Front Page, circulation under 2,000
  • Third Place: Best Sports Story, written by Rhonda Cooper

Based on 2005 newspapers:

  • First Place: Best Recreation Story, written by Rhonda Cooper
  • Second Place: Best Agricultural Story, written by Nicole Lay
  • Third Place: Editorial Excellence, written by Nicole Lay

Based on 2004 newspapers:

  • Second Place: Best Feature Story, written by Nicole Lay
  • Third Place: Best Post-Secondary Education Story, written by Rhonda Cooper

Based on 2003 newspapers:

  • Second Place: Best Sports Story, written by Nicole Lay
  • Second Place: Best Saskatchewan Cultural Story, written by Nicole Lay