Tuesday 16 January 2007

Countdown begins

The little paper that stopped growing will be thinner still on Jan. 25, with the latest round of layoff victims making their exit. (See updated list below.)

The SONG union members will be joining several high profile non-union Toronto Sun staffers, including Sports Editor Pat Grier, who resigned or were fired in recent months.

Gord Walsh, Managing Editor for almost eight years, has resigned and will make his exit on Feb. 2.

Jim Jennings, resigned as Editor-in-Chief on Sept. 20. He is now the Globe and Mail's acting art director.

Linda Williamson, Editorial Page Editor, asked for a buyout and left to work as the communications manager for the Ontario Ombudsman.

Andrew Wallace
, Photo Director, left the Sun to work at the Star. Len Fortune has taken over Andrew's previous management post.

Pat Grier, Sports Editor, left the Sun under "murky circumstances" and reportedly has retained legal counsel.

Alison Downie, Readership Editor, was quietly let go by the company on Jan. 5.

Notified on Nov. 30, these union members will lose their full-time and part-time jobs as of Jan. 25:

Bill Brioux, entertainment critic (f/t); Maryanna Lewyckyj, Assistant Money Editor (f/t); John Simpson, copy editor (p/t); Tania Pereira, copy editor (p/t); Laura Bobak, copy editor (p/t); Mark Keast, amateur sports editor (p/t); Natalie Pona, general assignment reporter (f/t); Brett Clarkson, general assignment reporter (p/t); Sherry Johnston, administrative assistant (f/t), a Day Oner with 35 years at the Sun; Scott Stevenson, mail messenger (f/t); April Novak, typist (p/t); Manuela Foliero, typist (p/t).

The following jobs were saved thanks to buyouts from other staffers:

Jon McCarthy, copy editor (f/t) - Dave Henderson took a buyout, saving Jon's job; Mike Koreen, sports reporter (f/t) - Kim Bradley took a buyout, saving a reporter job. Mike has been reassigned to GA reporter; Brodie Fenlon, GA reporter (f/t) - veteran writer Sandy Naiman took a buyout, saving Brodie's job; Dave Lucas, photographer (f/t) - veteran photographer Fred Thornhill took a buyout, saving Dave's job.

The following vacancies were eliminated:

Rob Granatstein's reporter job (f/t); Lisa Lisle's reporter job (f/t); Bill Pierce's copy editor job (f/t). All were promoted to management jobs shortly before the layoffs. Plus Vivian Song's reporter job (f/t). Vivian was hired as a "national" reporter before the layoffs; James Robinson's copy editor job (f/t). James was hired as "corporate" editorial co-ordinator before the layoffs; Bob Bishop's Showcase editor job (f/t); Derek Tse's assistant Showcase editor job (f/t). Bob and Derek left between rounds of layoffs to join the Toronto Star; Lara Schroeder's copy editor job (f/t). Lara left between rounds of layoffs to join CBC online; Gillian Symington's proofreader/copy runner job (p/t). Gillian got a job with MuchMusic.

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