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Transcontinental sells four printing plants and 27 newspapers in Atlantic Canada

April 16, 2017  By PrintAction Staff


Mark Lever, President and CEO of SaltWire.

Transcontinental Inc. of Montreal has sold its publication portfolio in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and New Brunswick to SaltWire Network Inc.

Approximately 650 Transcontinental employees in Atlantic Canada are part of the sale to SaltWire, according to the Financial Post, which also reports the companies said these employees will receive an offer from new ownership.

As a result of the purchase, SaltWire Network Inc. is a newly created media group that previously owned The Chronicle Herald’s seven publications in Nova Scotia. The Canadian Press reports Saltwater’s acquisition of Transcontinental’s Atlantic region publishing assets comes amidst a more than yearlong strike involving editorial staff at The Chronicle Herald.

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“We are bringing together 950 talented employees to create a media network that will give national and regional brands access to 71 percent of the region’s newspaper readers,” Mark Lever, President and CEO of SaltWire. “We will also reach hundreds of thousands of digital content consumers across several media channels and offer printing services ranging from custom print jobs at Bounty Print [part of SaltWire’s preexisting assets] to mass printing services at our commercial printing plants.”

In total, the transaction includes the sale of 28 brands and Web-related properties, four printing plants operated within Transcontinental’s Media Sector, commercial printing activities in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as distribution activities in Atlantic Canada. Transcontinental remains the owner of the two plants operated within its printing division in this region, which are Transcontinental Halifax, located in Halifax, and Transcontinental Prince Edward Island, located in Borden-Carleton.

The printing assets now owned by SaltWire include facilities in the following locations: Austin Dr. in St. John’s, N.L.; Columbus Dr. in St. John’s, N.L.; West St. in Corner Brook, N.L.; and George St. in Cape Breton, N.S.

The TC Media newspapers included in this transaction are:

    Advertiser (The), Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L.
    Amherst News, N.S.
    Annapolis Valley Register (The), N.S.
    Aurora (The), Labrador, N.L.
    Beacon (The), Gander, N.L.
    Cape Breton Post, N.S.
    Citizen Record (The), Amherst, N.S.
    Colchester Weekly News, N.S.
    Compass (The), Carbonear, N.L.
    Guardian (The), Charlottetown, P.E.I.
    Gulf News (The), Port aux Basques, N.L.
    Journal-Pioneer (The), Summerside, P.E.I.
    Labradorian (The), Labrador, N.L.
    News (The), New Glasgow, N.S.
    Northern Pen (The), St. Anthony, N.L.
    Nor’wester (The), Springdale, N.L.
    Packet (The), Clarenville, N.L.
    Pilot (The), Lewisporte, N.L.
    Queens County Advance (The), N.S.
    Sackville Tribune Post, N.B.
    Southern Gazette (The), Marystown, N.L.
    Telegram (The), St. John’s, N.L.
    Tri-County Extra (The), N.S.
    Tri-County Vanguard (The), N.S.
    Truro Daily News, N.S.
    Valley Journal Advertiser, N.S.
    Western Star (The), Corner Brook, N.L

The www.novanewsnow.com website (digital-only) is also included in the transaction.


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