Bought by Torstar 8 years ago and rebranded StarMetro

Torstar is ceasing publication of the print editions of the Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax StarMetro papers effective December 20.

“We are going digital-only outside of Ontario as more and more of our commuter readers are using their smartphones, laptops and tablets to access their news on their way to and from work. This trend, coupled with a corresponding decline in print advertising volumes,

has decreased the need for a free daily commuter newspaper in these cities,” a Torstar spokesman said in an email to Business in Vancouver. The shuttering would affect 73 editorial, advertising , distribution employees and production staff in Hamilton.Torstar Corporation, which eight years ago purchased a majority of the popular Metro free daily newspaper in Canada and rebranded it as StarMetro in 2018,