Metro Canada has laid off four employees due to a drop in national advertising, Greg Lutes, the publisher of Metro's Halifax edition, told The Chronicle Herald. Lutes said the layoffs are part of an overall Metro reorganisation in Canada.

“Local (advertising) is not the issue,” Lutes said. “It's national (advertising).”

Metro's Halifax edition is published as a product of Transcontinental, in partnership with Metro International S.A. and Torstar Corp.

According to Lutes, two reporters, one sales staffer, and one marketing person were let go. The newsroom now has five staffers. However, the Halifax edition saw circulation rise by 20 percent in the autumn, Lutes told The Chronicle Herald Wednesday.