By Pepper Parr
September 15th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Metroland Media Group, the Toronto Star’s sister company, has sought bankruptcy protection and will cease the print publication of its weekly community newspapers across Ontario, moving to an online-only model.
The POST has ceased putting out a print edition – no word yet on when their last edition will go to press.
The move involves 605 layoffs, nearly two-thirds of the workforce, the company said in an announcement Friday morning.
“Metroland 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 to fund large, sustained operating losses indefinitely,” states an FAQ prepared by the company.
No termination or severance pay will be paid because “the Company does not have sufficient funds,” according to the FAQ.
“Affected Employees will have the opportunity to file a claim in the course of the restructuring process for the amounts that they are owed by Metroland.”
According to a breakdown of the jobs affected, 104 unionized employees, including 68 journalists have been laid off, with the rest coming from non-unionized job categories.
Of course it’s sad, but I thought the Burlington Post ceased paper production years ago……
They did they still received the same revenue from our city but if you lived in any form of an apt. Building you received about five copies for the building. The city will now have to remove them from the budget something we have addressed for years.
When the delivery of your product is dependent on drivers tossing it on your driveway next to your blue bin on recycling day, and when the value of your product comes down to promotional flyers and obituaries, you have to figure your days as a viable business are numbered. Sadly, most residents long ago gave up on the Burlington Post as a strong voice for local news or community engagement.
It’s happening all over the world. It’s what the new bill was trying to prevent. Free printed press is now no longer financially viable in our digital age.. I feel terrible for the journalists.
Where’s Neil to save the day? I wonder what his bonus is.
I was a Post carrier many years ago – helped fund my 1st car at 16 !
A terrible loss to those who still choose newspapers and other print publications over Toyland. Of course I have my own biases as a member of a five-generation newspaper family. Little mixed personal intetest: One of my loved offspring is a senior staff engineer for a small company you may have heard of in Mountain View, CA. Don’t know? Google it and find out.
This is more than the end of a printed newspaper. Along with that are, the people impacts, investigative reporting etc. Not sure what the last chapter will be as, F.B, Meta, Google,Tick Tock, X, etc. are all about ad revenue.
This is terrible. Even though it is a ‘free’ paper, how do they think people will get information from twenty or thirty vendors in the city? Browsing through multiple websites? And what about local news, mostly non-political – which up till now has usually been a supplement to the Gazette?
Sad times and end of an era! Thank you for the years of service providing a valuable piece of our community! Will miss the touch and feel if the paper, it’s local content and, of course, the flyers!
About time.Week old news
Agree.
What a crying shame…. I would have thought all of those flyers would pay the bills.. but I guess I was wrong … so sad !