Transcontinental laying off up to 5 people at Halifax printing plant

TC Transcontinental is laying off at least 15 people in Atlantic Canada, and the Coast, Halifax's alternative weekly newspaper, has to find a new place to print.

Transcontinental announced Thursday it is shutting down its printing plant in Borden-Carleton, P.E.I., by the end of January 2020. Eleven people will lose their jobs.

Earlier this week, the Toronto Star announced it is shutting down its StarMetro newspapers Dec. 20. The Halifax edition of the free daily was printed at Transcontinental's plant in the city.

"It's not new that the newspaper printing business, unfortunately, has been going down, both in Eastern Canada and elsewhere in Canada as well. We were already assessing our Atlantic Canada platform prior to that announcement," said Katherine Chartrand, senior director of corporate communications at TC Transcontinental.

"As volumes are going down, we need to adjust accordingly."

Chartrand said Torstar gave them a heads-up about the move, allowing Transcontinental to tell employees Tuesday that four or five positions at the Halifax printing plant would be cut as a result. Specific employees have not yet received layoff notices, she said. 

"We're reorganzing our activities at the plant, so looking at what are our needs," Chartrand said.

In total, 110 people now work at the Halifax operation, which prints flyers for national retailers that are distributed across Eastern Canada.

Both the StarMetro and the Coast's editions are printed on a cold press in Halifax. The flyers are printed on a different press.

Christine Oreskovich, publisher of the Coast, said Transcontinental informed them Thursday that the press they use would be ceasing to operate. She said the paper is now looking at other printing options in Nova Scotia and doesn't anticipate any interruptions in its printing schedule.

The Coast has worked with Transcontinental for 26 years.

"We're not giving up on print, we're not giving up on Halifax. We'll figure this one out," said Oreskovich.

"It's just a bad day and a bad week in Canadian media. Losing newspapers is not great for our cities and our communities. We feel that free media is important. Not everyone can afford to pay for a subscription or get behind a paywall."

Chartrand wouldn't confirm the Halifax cold press is being shut down, but said the company is assessing its operation and working with its customers. The nearest Transcontinental cold press is in Quebec City.

"If we cannot find a solution [for clients] with us, we will support them in finding another provider," she said.

In 2017, Montreal-based Transcontinental Inc. sold its East Coast media assets, including 27 newspapers, to SaltWire Network, which publishes the Chronicle Herald and has its own printing press.

Transcontinental has 16 printing plants across the country. Its website describes itself as "the largest printer in Canada and one of the largest in North America." Its revenues were $2.6 billion in the past year.

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