Canwest’s flagship newspaper, the National Post, announced today that it will cease printing a Monday edition of its newspaper for nine weeks this summer. The cost-cutting sked takes effect June 29 and runs through to Labour Day. But a digital edition will still be available to subscribers on Mondays, complete with stories, columns, photos and advertising, says publisher Gordon Fisher in a letter to readers in this morning’s edition.

‘It should be noted that some of the Post‘s regular Monday features such as FP Small Business will move to the Tuesday paper for the summer,’ writes Fisher.

Any Monday advertising agreements will be accommodated through other outlets, explains Phyllise Gelfand, Canwest director of communications. ‘For example, the advertising-supported editorial feature FP Small Business, which runs Mondays, will now appear on Tuesdays alongside FP Executive – resulting in an even more robust Financial Post section,’ she tells MiC, adding that no layoffs or salary cuts will occur as a result of this measure.

The economic downturn of the past few months has been difficult for the Post and its publisher, Canwest Global Communications, which is dealing with a $3.9 billion debt and trying to avoid seeking bankruptcy protection. Canwest has already cut 560 jobs across the company and pulled the National Post‘s print presence in some Western Canadian markets.

Mondays are typically slow news days for many papers, especially business sections. ‘Many of our long-standing readers will know that this change is in some respects simply a return to what used to be the norm,’ says Fisher. ‘Financial Post, the 102-year-old heart of our newspaper, prospered for years as a Tuesday-to-Saturday publication.’