Change in ownership

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 High School in Outlook, also had experience in the roles of reporter, photographer, assistant editor and editor at the Outlook newspaper. Robin was new to the business but brought much in the way of business experience due to his years of managing parts and service for both agricultural and automotive dealerships. He was also returning ‘home’, in the sense that he had lived in Young until high school graduation, and then in Watrous for several more years until moving to Saskatoon when he and Nicole were married in 1991.
In that initial year, while learning the newspaper business from the inside out, small changes were made along the way. Designated sections such as sports, entertainment and editorial pages were established, and a new masthead was adopted.