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information cooperatives |  Almost a hundred jobs were canceled and the end of the paper

information cooperatives | Almost a hundred jobs were canceled and the end of the paper

The six regional dailies of the Coops de l’information (CN2i) will no longer be printed in paper form from the end of December 2023. Elimination, in particular by way of the voluntary departure programme.


“We’re dealing with the same readership trends as elsewhere: a decline in our paper subscriptions and an increase in our digital subscriptions. Last year, the two curves intersected, which means we now have more digital subscribers than paper,” he explains. In the press General Director of the Information Society, Genevieve Rosier.

And she reached her position last March and was appointed last January, and the director concluded a tour of the newsrooms on Wednesday, during which the topic was discussed with the staff. She asserts that the option to end paper has been in the air since the creation of the co-operatives, more than three years ago, in 2019. “The choice we are making has been announced for a long time. Employees and the union.”

The truth is, we can’t continue to see the decline in paper, with all of the advertising revenue leaking into GAFAM. The decision had to be made. We can no longer keep two teams doing two things at once. We are convinced that now is the right time for CN2i.

Genevieve Rosier, Executive Director, The Information Foundation

Since June 2020, newspapers RightAnd the sunAnd exhibitionAnd Le NovelistAnd Voice of the East And daily I kept one paperback edition, on Saturday. The last printing date of these six newspapers shall be about December 31st.

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Three functional classes

In all, one hundred of the 350 jobs in the cooperatives will be affected by the cuts, some of which are first and foremost “unoccupied already due to attrition,” says M.I Rosier. “Then there is a second category directly related to paper production that will be affected, since these are jobs that the company will no longer need with the transition,” she explains.

The third category, which is the one that should affect most employees according to the general manager, includes jobs that will be “subject to voluntary departure.” The cooperative actually hopes that this voluntary departure will make it possible to avoid layoffs. “Obviously, we don’t know yet who will raise their hand, the unknown remains, but for our part, we are trying to do everything we can to protect the newsrooms. This is why our companies exist, ”Genevieve Rosset insists.

Negotiations will also begin next week with the six newspaper unions, with the aim of building a “clear and accurate plan” for the continuation of the voluntary departure by next June.

“After that, people will have a period to provide their answers and think,” says the general manager. However, this sign is categorical: “We are not in the process of eliminating any of the six brands of our group.” [a bon espoir] We will be able to maintain our production levels and ensure the mission of each newspaper.”

The opening says union

On the union side, it is said that management has not yet presented a specific plan, but there is an opportunity to find the best way to ensure the sustainability of CN2i with the least negative impact on employees, the national union president replies. Communication and Culture at CSN, Annick Sharett. “The weather is not like that [à la confrontation]. »

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Job cuts have already started indirectly, since the co-op recently decided to freeze hiring, says Annick shopping cart.

Since its six daily newspapers will be distributed entirely on digital platforms, CN2i also plans to make available a new web interface for its websites as well as new applications. These should be revealed soon. Digital subscription to the group’s platforms has been available since November 2020.

The six cooperatives were created in December 2019, at the initiative of employees and managers, who managed to raise public and private financing of about $21 million, in particular from Mouvement Desjardins and Fonds de Solidarité FTQ.

With the Canadian Press