Six French-language newspapers going digital-only, cutting nearly 100 jobs
The Coops de l'information (CN2i) said Wednesday it will stop printing weekly editions of six newspapers at the end of the year and cut about 100 positions, or about a third of its workforce.
The newspapers Le Droit, Le Soleil, La Tribune, Le Nouvelliste, La Voix de l'Est and Le Quotidien, which had kept a paper edition on Saturdays, will cease to be printed at the end of December, the company confirmed in a text published on the website of its different publications.
In the process, about 100 positions could be eliminated out of about 350 employees. The cooperative hopes that voluntary departures will avoid layoffs, however, the paper-related employees will be affected.
The union side says management has not yet given a specific plan, but there is an openness to find the best way to ensure CN2i's survival with the least negative impact on employees, says Annick Charette, president of the CSN's National Federation of Communications and Culture, in an interview. The atmosphere is not confrontational.
The abolition of positions has indirectly already begun, since the co-op recently decreed a hiring freeze, Charette added.
It was not possible to get an immediate reaction from management. Geneviève Rossier, executive director of the Coops de l'information, told the Journal de Montréal that a voluntary departure program would be put in place starting in June. Rossier, who took up her post in March, was previously head of the French-language service of The Canadian Press.
The six dailies will be entirely distributed on digital platforms. The cooperative is planning a new web interface for its sites as well as new applications.
The publications had already begun a partial abandonment of paper when they stopped publishing their paper editions from Monday to Friday in March 2020.
It's a tough environment for print newspapers. Printing costs are under inflationary pressure at the same time that a portion of their advertising revenues have migrated to web giants like Facebook and Google.
Last December, the Journal de Québec and the Journal de Montréal announced that they would stop printing their Sunday editions at the beginning of 2023.
In October, Postmedia stopped printing the Monday editions of nine of its publications, including the Montreal Gazette.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 29, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for "all parties" to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Taylor Swift drops 15 new songs on double album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology'
On Friday, the pop star released her 11th album and at 2 a.m. Eastern, she released "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," featuring 15 additional songs.
Israel gave U.S. last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7
The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received 'last minute' information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, but didn't participate in the apparent attack, officials said.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.