The Pembroke Daily Observer, along with several other papers under the Postmedia banner, is set to close its doors after a 163-year run.
The closure comes not long after several other local newspapers in the capital were shut down earlier this year after a swap between Postmedia and Torstar that saw almost a dozen newspapers end their runs.
“Our hearts are broken to hear Pembroke will lose a large part of its identity,” said Tina Peplinskie, a longtime reporter and union leader at the newspaper. “Local news is critical to the health of communities and to democracy itself.”
Several papers under the Postmedia banner will end production by the end of August as the company says it’s looking to cut salary expenses by 10 per cent by the end of their fiscal year.
According to Postmedia, these publications include The Graphic in Portage La Prairie, Man., The Northern News in Kirkland Lake and the Pembroke Observer.
Also included are the Camrose Canadian and the Strathmore Standard in Alberta as well as the Kapuskasing Northern Times, the Ingersoll Times, the Norwich Gazette and the Petrolia Topic in Ontario.
“Everyone will feel the impact of these changes as we continue to undergo a significant transformation that affects all area of our business,” wrote Postmedia in an internal memo. “We thank everyone for their dedication to our company and this industry through very challenging times.”
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