Town shares statement regarding the closure of the St. Marys Journal Argus

On Monday, November 27, 2017, the Town of St. Marys learned that the St. Marys Journal Argus newspaper was closing, effective immediately. The Town was extremely saddened at the loss of a trusted local news source, an upstanding community partner and an institution that has been part of the fabric of St. Marys for over 160 years.

Given the significance of this decision and the impact on the community, the Town would like to share the following statement on behalf of Stew Slater, former editor of the St. Marys Journal Argus.

On the morning of Monday, Nov. 27, the salaried employees of the St. Marys Journal Argus – along with employees from weekly newspapers in Stratford, Exeter, St. Thomas and London – were informed at a meeting at the London-based office of the Our London weekly newspaper that their publications had been sold by Metroland Media, a division of Torstar, to Postmedia. They were also informed that a decision was subsequently made to cease operations at all except the Exeter Times-Advocate. In the case of the newspapers in St. Thomas, Stratford and St. Marys, the closure was effective immediately; the four full-time employees of the Journal Argus were instructed to return to the newspaper’s office on Wellington Street, pack up their personal belongings, meet with a human resources specialist employed by Metroland Media regarding an offer of severance, hand in their keys, and vacate the office.

Employees were aware of the challenging business environment in which print-based news media across Canada have operated for years, and they were aware that the Journal Argus had not been immune to these pressures. They had no way of predicting, however, that the repercussions of those pressures would present themselves in such a sudden and abrupt manner. To the subscribers, other readers, and advertisers who had every expectation that the Journal Argus and Weekender would continue publishing as it had for over 160 years, we share your dismay with how this transaction and decision unfolded.

To say we were shocked is an understatement.

After being made aware of the news as the morning wore on, regular contributors of editorial content to the Journal Argus and Weekender, as well as the many contract distribution employees who brought the Weekender to your doorways and driveways each week, likewise expressed their shock and dismay. Much was said about the pride felt by these many members of the St. Marys and area community as a result of being part of something that they believed was of great value for various reasons.

We are very thankful for the expressions of support and goodwill offered in the days since the closure was announced. These sympathetic greetings and comments about the quality of what we created have surely softened the blow of financial uncertainty and being torn away from jobs we loved.

The experiences we had, the interactions we were part of, the lessons we learned as we worked together to put forward a trusted source of local news and advertising have served us well. We feel confident that, going forward, we will be able to draw on what we accomplished at the Journal Argus to help us work through the challenges of the coming weeks. We hope to fill the void that has been left in our lives by the events of Nov. 27.

For those in the community who valued the newspapers we brought to you, and also feel a void, we offer a similar hope: That you, too, may be provided with locally-produced news, commentary and advertising in which you can put your trust.

Thanks for reading.

Stew Slater