Postmedia to shutter 3 southwestern Ontario newspapers to 'stabilize costs'

Postmedia announced it will endthe publication of threecommunity newspapers in southwestern Ontario, including The Ingersoll Times, Norwich Gazette and The Petrolia Topic, cutting thousands of people off from a fundamental source of information about their local communities, all in an effort to "stabilize costs."

We're seeing a threat to local news and it's one of the pillars of democracy.- Paul Morse

The threepapers were among a number of publications across Canada that the Toronto-based media giant said would be eithershuttered or scaled back as part of a continued effort to pare down expenses as print revenues fall faster than growth in digital revenue.

In total, Postmediasaid it will close six small townnewspapers and cut print publication of four more, as well cut about
a tenthof its workforce across the newspaper chain.

Paul Morse, the head of UNIFORlocal87-M, the union representing a number of Postmedianewspapers, including the Pembroke Observer and the London Free Press, said staff at the affected papers were told earlier today.

"It was a very difficult meeting, obviously a lot of tears and shock," he said."The newspaper industry in particular is really struggling right now. It's caught in this advertising revenue crisis."

"Those dollars are now beingsyphonedoff into large tech giants like Google or Facebook and it's disappearing without any benefit to Canada or Canadians. It goes out tax free, it doesn't benefit the community in any way, it's just gone and as a result we're seeing a threat to local news and it's one of the pillars of democracy."

In addition to the shutdowns in Southwestern Ontario, the company said Tuesday is will shut down the Camrose Canadianand Strathmore Standard in Alberta and the Kapuskasing NorthernTimes.

It will also stop printing the Graphic in Manitoba and theNorthern News and Pembroke Observer in Ontario.

Those publications will continue to have a digital presence.

Thepublisher will continue to print free weekly publications -- theHerald Leader in Portage La Prairie, Kirkland Lake Northern NewsThis Week and the weekly Pembroke News -- in those three communities.

It will also reduce the printing of the High River Times inAlberta from two days per week to weekly.

The company also announced a staff reduction targeting 10 percent of salaries across the newspaper chain by the end of the fiscalyear in August.