New magazine ‘Maritime [CREDIT]’ celebrates lives of East Coast’s lower classes

Saint John — Many Maritimers don’t feel that their lifestyle is being realistically reflected in the local media. Rather than complaining about it on Facebook and Twitter, a duo of struggling writers decided to launch a new publication called Maritime [CREDIT].

The fledgling magazine is currently online-only, as the contributors are working pro-bono and printing a mag is actually really expensive.

Editor Peter Finley, a born and bred Saint Johner, grew up in Canada’s “welfare province.”

“Maritime [CREDIT] targets residents of Atlantic Canada who are weighed down by student loans and credit card debt,” explained Finley. “We’re hoping to speak to people living on E.I., struggling artists who can’t qualify for government assistance or grants, temp workers whose companies don’t cover health insurance, paycheque-to-paycheque retail workers, 65-year-old McDonald’s cashiers who can’t afford to retire for another 15 years — these are the true Maritimers we want to showcase… our ideal readers, if you will.”

The first of his family to go to university, Finley currently works at the Waterloo Street Tim Hortons. During his off hours, he can be found having a dart outside his apartment on the shady side of Germain Street and writing in a coffee-stained Hilroy scribbler.

With the help of his assistant editor, Janie LeBlanc of Tracadie, Finley is working to truly capture the gritty lives of the Maritimes’ working poor.

LeBlanc resides on Finley’s futon, which works great for the team. “We’re able to brainstorm ideas right from the comfort of Peter’s living room,” she said, “until we have to go to a coffee shop for the free Wi-Fi. But besides, the napkins make for great scrap paper.”

“We’re in no way opposed to luxury-lifestyle magazines, but they’re everywhere; it’s what I call the little luxuries we want to represent, you know?” Finley said of the mag’s content. “Luxuries like occasionally being able to buy groceries that aren’t marked 50 percent off at Sobeys because they’re expiring, or having the streets cleared in winter so the 30-minute walk to work isn’t so bad. We want our writing to reflect how most people truly live around here — not just the handful of rich ones.”

The magazine will feature stunning photographs of everything from the motivational slogans on FERO dumpsters, to bus-shelter graffiti, to artfully boarded-up storefronts. Keep an eye out for a colourful photo-essay on the jellybean houses post-demolition, as well as a DIY guide on how to fix the leaky ceiling in your crumby apartment on a non-existent budget.

All articles and content will be posted on www.maritimecreditmag.ca until their free trial of the website software is up.