Grant Haven Media announces starting team for the West Northumberland Independent

Grant Haven Media is proud to announce the starting team that will power the return of a weekly newspaper known as the West Northumberland Independent starting Friday, July 31, 2026.

Publisher Stewart Grant

Stewart graduated from Ivey Business School at Western University in 1997 and then started a 25-year career in accounting. The purchase of his hometown newspaper – the St. Marys Independent in 2014 – launched his adventure into community newspapers and later the establishment of Grant Haven Media, which has now grown to 13 publications with the addition of the West Northumberland Independent. His mission remains “Restoring local journalism, one community at a time.”

Over the last six years, Grant Haven Media has found a niche in successfully launching brandnew print publications in several communities that have been underserved or abandoned by media conglomerates. The Independent represents Grant’s first newspaper east of Toronto. Grant also contributes to community journalism through his current role as president of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association.

General Manager and Sales Representative Peter Dounoukos

Peter Dounoukos is an experienced media sales professional with more than two decades of leadership in the newspaper and radio industries across Northumberland and Durham.

He previously served with the former Cobourg Star and Northumberland Publishers group of community newspapers before joining Northumberland News with Metroland Media where he served as sales manager from 2005 to 2019 and later served as assistant manager for Metroland’s Durham newspaper group until 2021.

In 2021, Dounoukos took on the role of CFWN executive director at Northumberland 89.7 FM and spearheaded growth, local programing and community outreach efforts, and later secured grant funding to expand local programming and news coverage. Since 2023, he’s served as an account executive with My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) based in Cobourg. 

He also has deep ties as a community volunteer and leader and currently serves through the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant review team, has been an active Rotarian for more than 20 years and was a recipient of the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Over the years, he’s also served in roles to help local chambers of commerce and several nonprofits and stepped up to help with fundraising, civic and additional community efforts to support maintaining services close to home, economic development and quality of life for residents.

He’s widely recognized for his ability to connect businesses, organizations and community leaders, while also promoting and strengthening the region he calls home. Dounoukos officially starts his position on July 13.

Editor and Reporter Sarah Hyatt

Sarah Hyatt is an award-winning journalist who was raised in Northumberland and has devoted most of her journalism career to serving the communities closest to home. Over just the last decade, she’s covered every hamlet across the county.

She’s often juggled combined editor-reporter roles with corporations such as Metroland and Postmedia, along with working with MBC and independent publishers. Hyatt’s no stranger to print, having served as a news editor and reporter for the final print editions of Northumberland News and the Brighton Independent in 2023. The Cobourg newspaper office was also where she started her career out of college with a student placement and secured her first contract gig, offering Hyatt her first window into the power of the pen and a glimpse at just how impactful

community journalism can be.

Hyatt went on to gain her storytelling chops at several weeklies and dailies and has tallied bylines in more than 40 publications. She has contributed to multiple teams’ OCNA Better Newspaper Competition General Excellence Awards, as well as earned individual awards for her investigative and feature journalism in Cobourg and rural reporting in Port Hope. 

She’s covered every newsroom beat – and will stay up all hours crafting a heartfelt feature or dissecting a major issue – and remains deeply committed to quality, balanced journalism rooted in integrity. Hyatt started with Grant Haven Media on June 8.

Reporter Natalie Hamilton

Natalie Hamilton is an award-winning reporter and photojournalist who has worked in the media industry for 25-plus years.

Hamilton was bitten by the news bug as a teen, convincing the local paper’s managing editor to give her a shot at writing a story about her school’s class trip to Quebec during the 1995 referendum on Quebec sovereignty. Travelling back-and-forth from Ajax in one day, she chased down the MP at a rest stop, interviewed residents and called her story into the newsroom from a payphone booth in downtown Montreal. Not much has changed since, except for the near extinction of phone booths.

A graduate of Centennial College’s print journalism program, Hamilton has worked and lived in Northumberland since 2012. She has covered various beats over the years and previously served as a reporter for Northumberland News and the Brighton Independent. She particularly enjoys writing feature stories that bring to life the people, activities and events that weave the tapestry of community and demonstrate why local news matters most. 

When not behind a screen, she might be spotted wearing a pair of funky leggings and a camera around her neck, a mug of coffee in hand, and her goldendoodle Harper in tow. Hamilton starts with the team on July 13.

Graphic Designer Melanie McGill

Melanie McGill is a graphic designer and marketing specialist with extensive experience in print design and marketing communications. After building a career in Toronto’s print and advertising industry, she moved to Cobourg with her family and has proudly called the community home for more than 10 years.

Throughout her career, McGill has worked in communications and graphic design roles for local businesses and initiatives such as Project Lola, as well as in more recent years, focused her efforts on helping non-profit organizations like Northumberland United Way and the Northumberland Humane Society, to name just a few.

She is passionate about helping businesses connect with their audiences through effective visual communication, strategic marketing and thoughtful design. 

McGill, her husband, their kids and dogs, love being part of the community. McGill also starts with the team on July 13.