Transcontinental Shuttering 20 Quebec Weeklies, Laying Off 80 Employees

Transcontinental Inc. is ceasing publication of 20 local Quebec weeklies in a reorganization of its weekly newspaper business. The move will result in the layoff of about 80 employees.

Montreal-based Transcontinental said on Wednesday that most of the titles will be integrated with other community papers it owns in the same regions.

Also on Wednesday, the federal Competition Bureau said it has approved the sale of 14 Transcontinental weeklies, of which three will continue to be operated as traditional newspapers and 11 will be online only.