Petrolia’s historic newspaper is closing its doors.
Post Media announced to its employees Tuesday it would be closing “unprofitable titles” in Ontario and Alberta. The Petrolia Topic is one of six newspapers which will be shuttered. It’s not clear from the internal staff memo when that will happen.
The memo added the company will cut 10 per cent of its payroll by Aug. 31.
Denise Thibeault, who still makes her home in Petrolia, came to town to be the editor of The Petrolia Topic in 1987. She helped the company return the production of the paper back to Petrolia. And, when Chris Cooke (now owner of Huron Web in Wyoming) started up a rival paper, threatening to put The Topic out of business, Thibeault started a new Monday edition.
Thibeault heard the news of The Topic’s closure from The Independent. She expressed some surprise, but noted it was clear from the time the paper moved its office out of Petrolia that the writing was on the wall.

See more on this story in this week’s edition of The Independent on newstands Wednesday!