Buzzfeed Canada shutters Ottawa office

The site is ending Canadian political coverage as part of a North American reorganization.

BuzzFeed Canada is ending its political coverage in Canada as part of a North American reorganization.

According to an internal memo from Scott Lamb, VP of international editorial at BuzzFeed, the company is reorganizing its operations, integrating the Canadian team more closely with its U.S. team. As part of that reorganization, Paul McLeod, politics editor for BuzzFeed Canada will be moving to Washington, D.C., to cover Capitol Hill. BuzzFeed Canada politics reporter Emma Loop is considering a similar offer, but hasn’t confirmed if she is taking the position.

Lab said in the memo that BuzzFeed Canada staff will have new reporting lines into the company’s New York editorial leads. The team will begin to report to Tommy Wesley, editorial director at BuzzFeed.

Craig Silverman, BuzzFeed Canada’s founding editor, will continue to lead to the team in Toronto, and will also be launching a new global beat for the company, debuking hoaxes, like this recent post, and acting as a resource for all BuzzFeed editions.

The editorial changes mean that BuzzFeed Canada staff will have an expanded remit, with the potential of having their content posted more often on other BuzzFeed editions, according to the memo.

Buzzfeed Canada’s revenue is up this year, according to a company source, who confirmed the Canadian offshoot is profitable. The site just celebrated its second anniversary in the country two weeks ago with a party in Toronto.

No additional Canadian staff are being let go or offered new positions at BuzzFeed Canada as part of the changes.