St. Paul Journal

What St. Paul Journal does

St. Paul Journal is a community newspaper founded in 1947 serving the Lakeland region of northeastern Alberta, Canada, specifically the communities of St. Paul, Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Elk Point, and Lac La Biche. It is one of four community titles (alongside Bonnyville Nouvelle, Elk Point Review, and Lac La Biche Post) operated under the unified LakelandToday.ca digital platform, which is part of the Great West Media network of eight community publications across Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The company delivers local news, sports, opinion, obituaries, public notices, community events, and classifieds through two primary surfaces: a multi-community website (LakelandToday.ca) and PageSuite-powered digital editions of the printed newspaper. It also operates advertising channels including display ads, an online classifieds marketplace with paid premium visibility tiers, a Shop Local business directory, an event calendar, and the annual Lakeland's BEST Readers' Choice Awards program. The broader Great West Media network has extended the brand into adjacent products such as the Great West Digital Agency, the 39th Annual Breeders Directory, and a Hot Summer Guide content vertical.

The business model is a traditional local-media advertising and classifieds operation. The reported headcount is 6 employees at the St. Paul Journal unit, and the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no public ticker, and no reported M&A activity. Revenue is generated from local display advertising, paid premium classifieds, public notice postings, and readers' choice awards sponsorship, with free options available for most classified categories. Public notices (legal, municipal, provincial) provide a stable regulated revenue stream. The company operates only in Canada and has no mobile app or public API.

Name

St. Paul Journal

Legal name

LakelandToday.ca (Great West Media Network)

Website

https://spjournal.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St. Paul Journal is a 1947-founded community newspaper serving the Lakeland region of northeastern Alberta, operated as part of the Great West Media network under the LakelandToday.ca digital platform alongside three sister community titles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The St. Paul Journal is a local community newspaper publishing local news, sports, opinion, community events, obituaries, classifieds, public notices, and digital e-edition content for the town of St. Paul and the broader Lakeland region of northeastern Alberta. It operates primarily through the LakelandToday.ca digital platform under the Great West Media network, alongside sister publications Bonnyville Nouvelle, Elk Point Review, and Lac La Biche Post.

Product overview

LakelandToday.ca is a local news website operated as part of the Great West Media network, providing digital news coverage for northeastern Alberta communities. The platform offers multiple digital editions including St. Paul Journal, Bonnyville Nouvelle, Elk Point Review, and Lac La Biche Post, along with classified advertising services and e-edition archives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LakelandToday.ca News Website Main digital news website publishing local news, sports, community events, breaking news, opinion, agriculture, obituaries, public notices, and classifieds for Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Elk Point, Lac La Biche, and St. Paul communities in northeastern Alberta. Free to access for readers.
• St. Paul Journal Digital Edition (E-Edition) Digital e-edition of the St. Paul Journal community newspaper, providing online replica access to local news and community coverage for readers in St. Paul and surrounding area. Powered by PageSuite.
• Online Classifieds Marketplace Online classified advertising platform allowing users to post and browse listings for jobs, garage/yard sales, and buy/sell items and services across the Lakeland region. Free options available with paid premium upgrades for higher visibility and longer listing duration.
• E-Edition Digital Archives Digital archives of community newspaper editions including St. Paul Journal, Bonnyville Nouvelle, Elk Point Review, and Lac La Biche Post, accessible online via PageSuite.
• Community Events Calendar Online events calendar for community events, local activities, and public gatherings across the Lakeland region, accepting free event submissions and paid advertising.
• Lakeland's BEST Readers' Choice Awards Annual community-voted awards program recognizing the best local businesses, services, and attractions in the Lakeland region, with public voting and promotion.
• Display & Digital Advertising Services Display advertising placements and digital marketing services (via Great West Digital Agency) sold to local businesses and organizations to reach the Lakeland region audience.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Great West MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreat West Media is the parent network that operates LakelandToday.ca. The St. Paul Journal is part of the Great West Media network of community news publications in western Canada, which also includes Airdrie City View/Rocky View Weekly, Cochrane Eagle, Mountain View Today, Rocky Mountain Outlook, St. Albert Gazette, Town and Country Today, and Western Wheel.
• PageSuitecoreTechnology or IntegrationPageSuite provides the digital edition platform for the St. Paul Journal and other community newspapers under LakelandToday.ca. Readers can access digital editions through PageSuite's web-based reader at https://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Postmedia Network: Canada's largest newspaper chain, publishing daily and community papers across multiple provinces. Comparable as a multi-property community/news publisher operating in similar Canadian advertising markets with a parallel print-to-digital transition.
• Torstar: Owns the Toronto Star and a portfolio of community papers through its former Metroland holdings. Comparable as a Canadian newspaper conglomerate balancing legacy print with digital community news investments.
• Glacier Media: Diversified Canadian community newspaper and business information publisher. Comparable as a multi-title western Canadian community news operator with overlapping local advertising and digital edition products.
• CBC: Canada's public broadcaster with extensive local news coverage including rural Alberta. Comparable as a major producer of free local news competing for the same reader attention and (indirectly) for local advertising budgets in the Lakeland region.

Regional players

• Metroland Media: Operates community newspapers primarily in Ontario, including local news, classifieds, and digital editions. Comparable as a community newspaper network with parallel print/digital mix, though focused on a different Canadian region.
• SaltWire Network: Atlantic Canada newspaper chain with daily and community publications. Comparable as a multi-title Canadian community newspaper operator navigating similar print-to-digital transition, though concentrated in a different region.

Direct peers

• Black Press Media: Western Canadian operator of community newspapers and digital news sites. Direct peer because it runs a network of small-market Alberta/BC community papers with similar digital editions, classifieds, and local-advertising revenue mix.

Emerging players

• Village Media: Digital-first operator of community news sites in small Ontario and Alberta markets. Comparable because it competes for the same digital local-news audience and SMB advertisers in rural Canadian communities, but with a more digitally native cost structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-paul-journal

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 St. Paul Journal