Canada's largest newspaper company, Sun Media Corp, has closed 11 newspapers and axed 360 jobs in order to cut costs amid falling ad revenue.
The publisher, part of the media and telecommunications conglomerate Quebecor, announced the closure of eight weeklies and three free dailies - its 24 Hours titles in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton.
Sun Media expects the move to save about C$55m (£35m) annually. It follows the cutting of 500 jobs in November last year.
Of the eight shuttered community newspapers, three are in Quebec - Le Magazine Saint-Lambert, Le Progrès de Bellechasse and l'Action Régionale in Montérégie; two in Ontario - the Lindsay Daily Post and the Midland Free Press; two in Manitoba - the Lac du Bonnet Leader and the Beausejour Review; and one in Saskatchewan - the Meadow Lake Progress.
Sun Media's chief operating officer Julie Tremblay said: "In recent years, the print media industry has been going through an unprecedented transformation."
She described the job cuts as "highly regrettable" but said they were necessary "to secure our corporation's future success in an industry that is being revolutionised by the advent of digital."
Sun Media remains Canada's largest newspaper publisher, with 36 paid titles and three remaining free dailies in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.
