In an effort to boost its business, Torstar is launching a pay-per-article option for its casual news readers.

The media company is the first to partner with micropayment tech firm Axate on a digital wallet called “Pay as you go.” The service will allow readers to manage their own funds and pay for stories based on their personal interests.

Readers who are not Toronto Star subscribers will be able to access individual articles for $0.75 each. Meanwhile, if they spend a daily max of $1.50, they will be given access to the full site for the day. The Toronto Star‘s parent company, Torstar Corporation, said it also intends to test the wallet across its regional news titles.

The wallet, according to Torstar, is aimed at Canadians who value responsible, quality journalism and are willing to pay for access to articles on an ad hoc basis. “We are the first in the country to try this, and we’re doing it because readers have said they want and are willing to pay for our stories, but they need flexibility,” said Torstar CRO Brandon Grosvenor.

In addition to the new revenue opportunity, the Star will be able to collect new data on reading habits and preferences, which will allow for more personalized content and audience targeting for advertisers, according to the company.

“The digital wallet gives readers the flexibility to support journalism with an investment option that doesn’t require them to manage a subscription,” Torstar CEO, Neil Oliver, tells MiC. “Subscription and single-payment options are an important revenue stream for publishers and that’s the focus for the wallet. It’s also about being innovative in our approach to revenue, attracting more ways to support local journalism and ultimately attracting more audience to content and ads on our sites.”

The wallet’s launch comes at a critical time for publishers, which have been affected by the lack of advertisers as they shift dollars to other media. Several media companies, including Global, Bell and Postmedia have undergone staff cuts while others have had to cease operations, such as the Whitehorse Star, a daily focused on Yukon news that shuttered last spring after 124 years in circulation. Meanwhile, the Ontario provincial government made the decision to allocate a quarter of its ad spend to local publishers in an effort to support struggling news media.