None of Metroland's community newspapers will go onto the press next week, including the Collingwood Connection, leaving 4.2 million people without a print edition of the local newspapers or flyers.
Metroland, which publishes the Collingwood Connection, Barrie Advance and also operates Simcoe.com, announced Friday morning that it's in the process of seeking protection from its creditors by filing a notice of intention "to make a proposal under the provisions of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act," according to an internal email that went out to staff and was obtained by BarrieToday.
In the company memo, Neil Oliver, the CEO of Torstar, which operates Metroland, says the notice of intention "is not a bankruptcy." He said it is intended to give "financially distressed businesses like Metroland protection from creditors so that they have time to restructure their affairs and maintain at least some operations."
The move includes ceasing publication of its more than 70 weekly newspapers immediately. The announcement also includes layoff notices to 605 workers, nearly two-thirds of the company's workforce, according to its sister publication, the Toronto Star.
The company says most of the notices are effective immediately, while others may have a "longer transition period."
Some of the community papers have been printed for well over a century, according to the Metroland Media Group's website. The Barrie Advance was founded in 1987, and the Collingwood Connection was started in 1990 as an independent and later purchased by Metroland.
Locally, BarrieToday has learned that two of Metroland's unionized editors will be laid off as of Dec 31, while five unionized reporters have been given their layoff/termination notice today. Their positions will also be eliminated as of Dec 31. The two editors are primarily responsible for putting together the print product for seven local newspapers in Simcoe County.
"The union would not budge during the last collective agreement," said an employee of the company in Simcoe County, who requested anonymity. "No guaranteed layoffs until the new year, so they couldn’t get rid of these people under that memorandum of understanding.
"We’ve been hearing for a long time that the company as a whole was having economic problems," they added, "but even up to a couple of months ago we were told that the print product was invaluable to what we were going to do and was vital to our turnaround. If it was so important that we had that element, what do we do next?"
The company says it is maintaining print editions of six daily newspapers, including the Peterborough Examiner, St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Falls Review, Welland Tribune, Waterloo Region Record, and Hamilton Spectator.
Janis Ramsay, who writes for the Simcoe County publications, including the Barrie Advance, posted her reaction to Facebook on Friday.
"Dark day for my company today," wrote the veteran reporter. "They just laid off more than half our newsroom. And they are cancelling our print editions, so that means no more flyers and we are completely digital. I am still employed, but my heart is breaking."
For Andrew Mendler, the lone reporter for the Midland Mirror, his future remains unclear.
"Dark day for journalism in Ontario," Mendler wrote on Facebook. "Metroland Media has sought bankruptcy protection and will cease the print publication of its weekly community newspapers across Ontario, effective immediately. I will be working for Simcoe.com until Dec. 31, 2023. Then, who knows..."
Ian Adams, a reporter in the Wasaga Beach area, posted on X: "Yowza... That is all," with the hash tag HugAJournalist.
Collingwood reporter John Edwards posted on X he is one of the reporters "still with the company."
"I feel for all of my colleagues," he wrote. "It's a sad day."
According to the internal memo from Oliver, the announcement was precipitated by "unsustainable financial losses stemming from the changing preferences of consumers and advertisers and the continued financial impact of the pandemic."
Going forward, Oliver says the communities where Metroland had a presence will be digital only.
"We are starting this transformation immediately. Some Metroland community news sites will also be closed," he added, although it remains unclear which websites that includes.
"While the direct impact is on the community news and flyer businesses, some employees in other divisions were also dismissed as part of overall restructuring to prioritize operational needs," Oliver says in the memo. "We are all aware of the pressures our industry faces these days. There’s no mistake it’s challenging. We fought to avoid this situation and hoped that, post-pandemic, revenues would return."
Oliver called today's announcement "truly difficult."
"On every level – professional and human – this move hurts," he wrote. "It is particularly hard for those whose jobs are being eliminated. It is these people who are uppermost in our thoughts. They have done excellent work and what is happening today is no reflection at all on their skills, loyalty or performance."
For Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, "it's a challenging day for many families." He called the newspaper "a staple in Barrie for over 35 years ... bringing local news to citizens' doorsteps."
"Not having access to a print newspaper will have a very significant impact on getting essential information to residents who can't use or may not have access to digital channels ... For many, this is their only means to stay connected."
Eli Ridder is one of the journalists being laid off at the end of the year. He was the newest member of the Simcoe County Metroland news team, starting in September 2022.
“I went from celebrating one year to leaving,” he said.
Most recently, Ridder was writing for Orillia Today, following the retirement of longtime Orillia reporter Frank Matys.
“The first story I covered was Gordon Lightfoot’s death and his funeral and the aftermath,” said Ridder.
Ridder actually missed the announcement of the bankruptcy and layoffs at the online meeting at 9 a.m. because he was on assignment.
“I found out after someone posted a video of the announcement.”
Two things are eating away at Ridder. The first is that the bankruptcy was "preventable."
“If they had taken a proactive approach to digital,” rather than being “sluggish” about it, they could have succeeded, he said.
Secondly, his heart goes to people who don’t like online news and depend on a physical paper.
“We don’t even have a goodbye paper. The people that just read the physical paper they are not even going to know," Ridder said.
Ridder also said the team of reporters at Simcoe.com welcomed him with open arms and taught him a lot about the business.
“They are outstanding ... A lot of them are award-winning reporters and I learned so much from them.”
