Great West Newspapers, the parent company of the St. Albert Gazette, has landed a major contract that will see it print the Edmonton Journal at its new printing plant in St. Albert starting next summer.
Great West Newspapers, the parent company of the St. Albert Gazette, has landed a major contract that will see it print the Edmonton Journal at its new printing plant in St. Albert starting next summer.
The announcement was made Sunday by Great West and the Journal.
The new Great West plant, now under construction in the Campbell Business Park, will be a state-of-the-art facility. It will operate at high speed, provide excellent resolution for photos and allow the Journal and the more than 20 community newspapers owned by Great West to have full colour on every page. The presses will also be able to print on glossy paper.
The transfer of the Journal's printing operation to St. Albert will coincide with the closing of the Journal's print operations at its Eastgate plant in Edmonton's east end. About 70 full-time jobs will be lost. There will be no additional hiring at the Great West plant in St. Albert.
Journal publisher John Connolly cited cost as the reason for transferring the printing of the paper to St. Albert. It would be prohibitively expensive for the Journal to invest in new presses, he said.
Postmedia, the Journal's parent company, has stated that its long-term objective is to move to digital or electronic journalism in order to reduce expenses. Ancillary costs, such as printing, will be done through contracting out to other companies, in this case to Great West.
The Journal has a press run of about 100,000 copies from Monday through Thursday, and more on Fridays and Saturdays. It recently stopped printing a Sunday edition, again citing the need to cut costs.
Planning for Great West's new plant has been under way for several years, said company president Duff Jamison.
"We didn't have all the answers, but we hooked up early on with one of the top experts in the field to lead the project. Staff travelled to facilities throughout North America and Europe to gather ideas and best practices.
"It has taken us three years so far, but the result will be a facility as modern as any in the world."
The new plant was initially intended for Great West's own newspapers and commercial clients, but the timing for the Journal was excellent, Jamison said.
"Casual conversations about the opportunity to access better reproduction, more colour and great size flexibility – without the considerable capital commitment – quickly grew more serious and a deal was struck," he explained.
Great West Newspapers has "enlarged its original building plan and is installing a larger press to handle these significant requirements for Edmonton's major daily."
A massive concrete pad is now being laid at the Great West plant in St. Albert's east end. It will take about three months for the concrete to cure, after which – and over a period of several more months – the new presses will be installed, tested and brought into production.
Connolly said the closing of the Journal's print operations evoked mixed feelings. "We are excited about the new possibilities for more colour and better reproduction. However, we are sorry to be losing many of our dedicated Journal staffers."
Connolly said departing employees will be given severance packages and have access to career counselling and other support services.
