A major Canadian media chain is waving goodbye to printing community newspapers, which will in turn affect at least 605 jobs.
Metroland Media Group filed for bankruptcy protection and had to do away with over 70 weekly community newspapers, the company said on Friday, according to The Canadian Press.
The company is moving towards a digital model and staff at Metroland’s six daily newspapers, including the Hamilton Spectator, Peterborough Examiner, St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune, and the Waterloo Region Record, will not be affected.
Additionally, it’s sister company, the Toronto Star, will also continue its operations uninterrupted since it is owned by a separate head and is not part of the bankruptcy filing.
According to the Toronto Star, Metroland said it has “faced substantial declines in both print advertising and the flyer business over the past several years to the point where the community newspaper business is no longer viable in printed form. We simply don’t have the financial resources required.”
Unifor, Canada’s largest private sector union which represents 104 of the workers whose employment will be cut short, said it is not OK with the news and how it was handled.
“We are disgusted and deeply offended by this news and the way in which it has been shared with the union and its members,” Carleen Finch, president of Local 87-M, said in a press release issued by the union on Friday.
“We have been in weekly meetings with Metroland and weren’t even given the benefit of a conversation before these voice memos and emails started landing in workers’ inboxes,” she added.
The statement also sheds light on how this move will impact families, stating that the announcement will “throw some families into a desperate situation.”
“We are determined as a union to help workers navigate their next steps, especially in light of the cruel and careless way the employer has dumped this on their laps,” Finch continued.
Now Toronto has reached out to Metroland but did not hear back in time for publication.
