Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao Daily News, with offices in Richmond, B.C., and Toronto, Ont., is shutting down its operations in Canada. The decision to close the business permanently is due to financial reasons, as stated in a letter from Ming Pao Newspapers (Canada) to the B.C. Labour Ministry. The letter, acquired by The Canadian Press, confirms that 60 employees have been terminated, with no specific breakdown provided for the staff in B.C. or Toronto. The termination date for the employees is set for Jan. 31, as mentioned in the letter dated Monday.
The final editions of Ming Pao in Vancouver and Toronto will be released on Jan. 16, and the newsrooms and offices will be closing on Jan. 31, affecting at least 60 employees who have received termination notices. The decision to close the Canadian operations was made by the head office in Hong Kong, where Ming Pao was established in 1959 and has received numerous awards. Its Vancouver edition was honored with a B.C. Jack Webster Award for best reporting in Chinese in 2018.
Former journalists expressed sadness over the closure. B.C. Conservative MLA Teresa Wat, who was an assignment editor at Ming Pao’s Richmond, B.C., newsroom in 1996, shared her emotions upon learning about the closure, calling Ming Pao a crucial resource for Chinese-speaking immigrants from various regions. Another former Ming Pao reporter, Austin Feng, expressed hope that English-language media would step in to cater to the needs of the newspaper’s readers.
Wat highlighted the newspaper’s role in providing guidance to new immigrants on housing, employment, and cultural integration, covering topics often overlooked by English media. Ming Pao had initiated a petition in 2024 seeking government subsidies from the Canada Periodical Fund, which did not materialize. Feng, who worked at Ming Pao as a daily news reporter from 2005 to 2017, recalled a time when several Chinese-language newspapers and TV stations flourished in B.C., fostering intense competition among reporters on showbiz and celebrity stories.
While many of Ming Pao’s Canadian stories were shared locally and in its parent publication in Hong Kong, the newspaper’s primary competitor in Canada, Sing Tao, discontinued its print editions in Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary in 2022, although it continues to provide daily updates on its website.