The Halifax Daily News was shut down February 11, 2008, by owner Transcontinental Media in a move that took the city — and its own employees — by complete surprise.

Transcontinental will launch a Halifax edition of the free computer newspaper, Metro, on Thursday.

The Daily News has been the plucky underdog of Nova Scotia journalism since it was founded as a suburban weekly almost 30 years ago. It has gone through several owners and styles since then.

Editor Jack Romanelli brought a new dedication to public policy journalism when he took over as head almost two years ago. The paper probed difficult issues such as racism, patronage and city planning that were sometimes ignored by its larger rival, the Chronicle Herald.

Employees found out Monday morning that they had already produced the last edition of the tabloid. Ninety-five people will lose their jobs.

Transcontinental will continue to print its suburban weeklies, and a local real estate magazine. It has partnered with the Torstar Corporation and Metro International S.A. to create the Halifax edition of Metro.

Metro is a free daily commuter paper that is published in more than 100 editions around the world. In Canada, Metro publishes in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

Read the CP story.
Read the Transcontinental news release.
Visit the King’s Journalism Review tribute site.