No newspapers, no flyers as Burlington, Oakville, Milton media company faces bankruptcy

The Burlington Post, Oakville Beaver, Milton Canadian Champion and the Independent Free Press in Georgetown and Acton will no longer publish newspapers.

Metroland, the parent company of these publications, today (Sept. 15) announced it will file for bankruptcy and begin a complete overhaul of operations.

As a result, during the course of restructuring print editions will no longer be produced. The company says it will be able to continue operations online.

In a column posted on a company website, Metroland Media Vice-President Lee Ann Waterman confirmed the news stating the printed product is finished.

“As part of this plan, most of Metroland’s 71 community newspapers will move to a digital-only model. The final delivery of your local paper was this week,” she writes.

With the elimination of newspaper delivery, the company said it will no longer be in the business of distributing flyers, an essential part of its operation for several years.

The move also means the loss of 605 jobs across the chain, a reduction of 60 per cent of its workforce.

Locally, it is not yet known how many jobs will be lost at the office that produces the Post, Beaver, Champion and Independent Free Press.

Metroland said the decision is a result of unsustainable financial losses stemming from the changing preferences of consumers and advertisers.

The company has also stated that it cannot afford severance pay to those who have lost their jobs.

Metroland is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns the Toronto Star newspaper. The Star is not part of the restructuring. Other print editions that will continue to be published by the company are daily newspapers such as Hamilton Spectator, Peterborough Examiner, St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune and the Waterloo Region Record.