Christine is the Secretary of the BMC News Board of Directors. She takes the minutes at the board meetings, and participates in discussions concerning the operations and policy of the paper.

She moved to McCauley almost five years ago. Christine had numerous reasons for moving here. “Some of my dearest friends live in the area, so that was one of the main reasons, as well as affordability,” she says. “I was facing a rent hike of 50% while living south of the river before I started looking for homes in the area. After I moved here, I found even more people I knew who lived in the area.”

Although she admits that living in the inner city has its challenges, she says that “the good definitely outweighs the bad.”

“I love the walkability of it,” she explains. “I can walk to work, walk to get groceries, and I’m close to the river valley. If I need transit, it’s there. I also love the sense of community, the mix of people, and the history of the area. I think its great how passionate our neighbours are about this hood, and how they’re willing to fight for it. I love the urban animals – from the inner city hares, to the blue jays and other birds, and even the feral cats!”

Speaking of cats, Christine is known for caring for feral felines, and getting them adopted. She wrote an article for the paper last year about her adventures with the creatures. Other interests of Christine’s include catching live music, reading, and gardening. Along with several of her friends, Christine has been taking part in organizing a bi-monthly pub crawl through the area called McCauley Nights, which recently celebrated one year. “It’s a different way to see the community: hitting places we may not necessarily go to on our own and meeting new people in the neighbourhood,” she says.

Christine started volunteering with BMC News about three years ago. “I decided to get involved because even though being on the board of directors is administrative and behind the scenes, it’s a way to get involved with an important voice of the community,” she explains.

“My neighbour told me the Board of Directors needed some community members at large – a few months later, I was voted in as secretary. And, a friend of mine who used to be on the board suggested I try it out. Then I suggested she join the board again.”

She is definitely enthusiastic about being a part of the paper. “I like the people on the board, and I also like being part of the team that has helped this little newspaper continue to grow – like moving to colour pictures, going online, and being the oldest community paper in the city!