Common Ground Magazine

What Common Ground Magazine does

Common Ground Magazine, legally operating as Common Ground Publishing, is a Vancouver-based independent Canadian magazine publication covering topics including ecology, creativity, health, justice, politics, and spirit. The publication operates a WordPress-based website (commonground.ca) serving as both its editorial platform and primary distribution channel, with content organized into six topical categories. The company is privately held, headquartered at 3152 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, and is operated by a small team of approximately five people as inferred from the disclosed headcount scale of 5.

Its core product is a monthly print and online magazine featuring independent journalism, opinion pieces, and investigative reporting on Canadian and global societal issues. The product portfolio comprises the main online magazine (also distributed via the Issuu platform), a digital archive spanning 2011 to present, historical print edition archives from 2002 to 2010 hosted on a separate legacy site, and a Resource Directory of practitioners, services, and health-related resources. The technology stack is a standard website-based content publishing platform with a digital archive system; there is no mobile app, no API, no AI/ML capability, no patent portfolio, and no disclosed enterprise integrations.

The business model is oriented around magazine publishing and content distribution, but specific revenue mechanics — subscription pricing, advertising rates, sponsorship structures, and overall revenue scale — are not publicly disclosed. The customer base is a horizontal mass-market of general readers consuming independent Canadian journalism, with no named enterprise, B2B, or institutional customer relationships identified in the source material. The publication has operated continuously since at least 2002, indicating a long-lived niche independent publication rather than a venture-scale media business; the last verified operating signal is the March 2023 Wayback Machine capture showing active article publication.

Name

Common Ground Magazine

Legal name

Common Ground Publishing

Website

https://commonground.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Common Ground Magazine is a Vancouver-based independent Canadian magazine and digital publisher covering ecology, creativity, health, justice, politics, and spirit, serving general readers through a monthly print edition, website, and online archive dating to 2002.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO), Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN)

Keywords

• Independent publishing
• Print magazine
• Digital archive
• Editorial content
• Alternative media

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Common Ground Magazine is an independent Canadian publication that produces editorial content covering ecology, creativity, health, justice, politics, and spirit. The magazine operates both an online edition and historical print archives spanning 2002 to 2010, with a digital archive running from 2011 onward, and maintains an online Resource Directory.

Product overview

Common Ground Magazine is a single unified digital publishing platform offering an online magazine covering six editorial categories: Ecology, Creativity, Health, Justice, Politics, and Spirit. The product portfolio includes the primary online magazine (available via website and Issuu digital platform), a digital archive from 2011–present, historical print archives (2002–2010), and a Resource Directory of featured practitioners and services. The magazine is published by Common Ground Publishing based in Vancouver, BC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Common Ground Magazine (Online Edition) The flagship online publication delivering editorial articles on ecology, creativity, health, justice, politics, and spirit, distributed via the magazine's website to general readers.
• Digital Archive (2011 onward) A searchable online archive of Common Ground Magazine content published from 2011 onward, intended for readers who want to revisit past issues and articles.
• Print Archive (2002-2010) Historical collection of the magazine's printed editions issued between 2002 and 2010, preserved for archival and reader reference purposes.
• Common Ground Resource Directory An online directory of community resources linked to the magazine's editorial themes, intended to help readers locate services across ecology, health, justice, and related fields.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• rabble.ca: Canada's independent progressive online news magazine covering politics, social movements, environment, and culture. Directly comparable in alternative/independent editorial positioning and digital distribution model.
• NOW Magazine: Long-running Toronto-based alternative news and culture magazine covering politics, arts, and community issues. Closely comparable to Common Ground as a Canadian alternative magazine serving a progressive/independent readership across multiple verticals.
• Ricochet: Canadian independent reader-funded media outlet covering politics, environment, and social justice. Comparable as an independent Canadian journalism brand competing for similar reader-supported funding.
• The Tyee: Vancouver-based independent online news outlet producing long-form journalism on politics, environment, and social justice. Highly comparable to Common Ground in geography, independent editorial stance, and digital-first distribution, though with a larger reporting staff.
• Megaphone Magazine: Vancouver-based social-enterprise street magazine covering local politics, social issues, and community stories. Comparable as a Vancouver-anchored independent magazine with a social-justice editorial lens.
• The Georgia Straight: Vancouver-based alternative newsweekly turned online outlet covering arts, culture, politics, and city affairs. Direct geographic and editorial peer to Common Ground in the Vancouver independent media market.
• Canadian Dimension: Independent Canadian magazine focused on radical political economy, ecology, and social justice. Comparable editorial posture and magazine distribution model, though with a more academic/political-economy lens.
• Briarpatch Magazine: Independent Canadian magazine of politics, culture, and ideas published since 1973. Highly comparable to Common Ground in alternative editorial stance, magazine format, and Canadian subscriber base.

Emerging players

• The Narwhal: Canadian independent online newsroom focused on environmental and ecological journalism. Overlaps significantly with Common Ground's 'Ecology' editorial category and shares the reader-funded Canadian media model.

Regional players

• Watershed Sentinel: BC-based independent magazine focused on environmental and community issues. Shares the ecology/social-justice editorial frame and small-magazine operating model, though regionally narrower than Common Ground.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Common-Ground-Magazine-172236746125648
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/common-ground-magazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Common Ground Magazine