OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY PAGE
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PAGE BELL COMPETES AT SUMMER GAMES St. Marys Independent Thursday, August 13, 2026
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St. Marys Independent 36 Water St. S., St. Marys ON | 519.284.0041 | info@stmarysindependent.com | www.granthaven.com
Issue #1326
Thursday, August 13, 2026
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Time to pass the torch: Lariviere family ends newspaper-delivery tradition WENDY LAMOND Independent Reporter
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A CHANGE IN DELIVERERS
(PHOTO COURTESY OF LARIVIERE FAMILY)
All grown up, Jonah, Justin, Joshua and Isabelle Lariviere show the final issue of the Independent newspaper they delivered. The family has been delivering the St. Marys Independent newspaper for 14 years.
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Since 2012, the Lariviere family has been diligently delivering the St. Marys Independent newspaper. Now, after 14 years, the family is calling it quits. Justin Lariviere, who was nine at the time, asked for a paper route for his birthday. The job became a family affair as younger siblings Isabelle, Jonah and Joshua got to tag along as they were too young to stay at home on their own. As the kids got older, the family took on a second route and, if someone wasn’t available to deliver, the other siblings stepped up to help get the job done. Over the years, the Larivieres delivered in three different areas of town. Their first route was in the James Street South, Timms Lane and King Street area. After that, it was the Jones and Elgin section. This was in their neighbourhood at the time, and the kids were getting older and were able to walk the route. They also relied on friends to step in when they were away. When the family moved to Edison Street, which was a new subdivision, they were able to take on that new route. “Some winters, the snow was so bad we would have a snow day for school, but we would still get all bundled up in our coat and snow pants to hike through waist deep snow to deliver our papers. Those days were always best to finish with a big mug of hot chocolate made by our mom,” Isabelle Lariviere said. Though they had to deal with the bad weather, the family shared they also learned some life lessons by delivering papers for the Independent – the first being work first, then play, and just getting it done so that they didn’t have to think about it. In the wintertime, this meant getting it done before it got dark. There was also a money lesson learned. Each
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