If you’ve ever stopped by the Sooke News Mirror to place an ad or pick up a paper sometime after Nov. 1, 1998, it’s more than likely you met Rod Sluggett.
It’s been 27 years since Sluggett took the News Mirror's reins, turning it into a community staple. Now that time is coming to an end, as Sluggett will retire from the paper on May 30 of this year.
As he looks back on his time, it won’t be deadlines, ads or articles that he will miss.
“I’ll miss the people. I’ll miss the businesses – just being active with them and seeing a business come into fruition and be successful. It’s just a great feeling,” said Sluggett.
“I’ve always appreciated the way people would express all their opinions to me personally here at the paper. They’ve been clear on what they want. Whether I agreed with them or didn’t, it didn’t matter – they were willing to let me know. You want that feeling in a local newspaper.”
Sluggett’s news journey began in 1974, when he left his job at a Woolco department store to join the Green Sheet, a small paper in Courtenay known for its then-iconic green front page. On his first day, he was immediately sent home due to an ongoing union dispute. When he returned, he was handed a paper and told to go sell ads.
“That was my training,” Sluggett laughed.
He worked for several papers in towns like Surrey, Powell River and Parksville, and found himself in Port Hardy, where he took on his first publisher gig in 1988.
There, he worked with Kevin Laird, who today serves as a regional pagination editor for Efteen. For more than 40 years, the pair have been friends and coworkers at papers around the region.
“Wherever Rod has been a publisher, he’s thrown himself into the life of the town,” said Laird. “He understands that a newspaper’s role is inseparable from the place it serves."
His "unwavering belief" in newspapers and their readers stood out. "He knew instinctively that being a publisher wasn’t just about putting out a paper. It was about building trust, connecting people and reflecting the community's heartbeat.”
Although Laird made it clear that nobody’s perfect.
“Rod’s one glaring flaw? A lifelong, stubborn passion for the Vancouver Canucks – for reasons most of us still can’t quite understand."
Sluggett has seen owners, attitudes and technologies change, but his commitment to Sooke’s people never has.
“That’s what’s always made our little niche: the people of Sooke,” Sluggett said. “An editor told me once, if you put a local person on every page of your paper, you’re a success. People will pick you up and read you.”
When Sluggett moved to Sooke, he found the people welcomed his family with "open arms," something he never took for granted.
In the 27 years since, he developed a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the community. Sluggett emceed events like the Sooke Fine Arts Show, volunteered at the rotary club, moderated candidate debates, and even served as president of the Chamber of Commerce.
Sluggett was there when Sooke became a municipality. He was there when Sooke passed a referendum to build a pool. When COVID hit, he was in the office alone – business as usual.
“We still put the paper out. The businesses still supported us,” he said.
He's seen staff come and go and was the one to give some long-time employees their start.
"If it wasn't for Rod, I wouldn't be in the position I'm in," said Randi Page, publisher of Victoria News, who was hired by Sluggett in 1917. "He was the one who took a chance on somebody with no sales experience, and he saw something in me that I didn't see. I'll be forever grateful for that."
Page said Rod taught her to embrace who she is, often reminding her, "Just be yourself, and you’ll be fine."
One constant has been his friendship with now–Sooke councillor Al Beddows, whom he met at the Sooke Lions Club. The two became friends and often met for coffee, speaking both on and off the record.
“He’s been a friend and a colleague, and he’s been a confidant for me in my time in office and before. So I’m going to miss him dearly," said Beddows. "He had such an understanding of the people in Sooke and how it all worked together.”
It’s not just the hearts and minds of councillors, businesses and residents that Sluggett has won – it’s his peers as well.
“Rod has been a staple in the community for over 25 years,” said Michelle Cabana, group publisher for Greater Victoria. “The Sooke News Mirror, with Rod at the helm, has supported the business community, sports organizations and non-profits for years. We will continue his legacy for many more years to come. We wish Rod all the best in the next chapter of his life. He'll be greatly missed.”
As for what comes next, Sluggett said the motivations that kept him at the News Mirror will continue to guide him.
“You want to be part of the community; you want to lead the community. But you want the community to be a part of you,” he said.
“In the 27 years I’ve been here, I think the biggest factor is that the community accepted me and the newspaper into their lives as much as we wanted it to be. It was a great feeling.”
As he prepares to depart, Sluggett thanks the people of Sooke for all their support. For those who wish to say goodbye – or even hello – Rod Sluggett can be found, as faithful as ever, at the Sooke News Mirror office from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Friday, May 30.
