2018 Q4 MDA (Annual)
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TORSTAR – Amended Management's Discussion and Analysis Revised October 30, 2019 For the year ended December 31, 2018 The following management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) of Torstar Corporation’s (“Torstar”, "we", "our" or the “Company") operations and financial position is supplementary to, and should be read in conjunction with, the audited Consolidated Financial Statements of Torstar Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “2018 Consolidated Financial Statements”). We report our financial results under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as set out in the CPA Canada Standards and Guidance Collection. All financial information contained in this MD&A and in the 2018 Consolidated Financial Statements has been prepared in accordance with IFRS, except for certain “Non-IFRS Measures” as described in Section 14 of this MD&A. Per share amounts are calculated using the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the applicable period. The Company has three reportable operating segments: Community Brands (or "Communities"), Daily Brands (or "Dailies") and Digital Ventures. All amounts in this MD&A are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Additional information relating to Torstar, including our Annual Information Form, is available on our website at www.torstar.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this MD&A and in the Company’s oral and written public communications may constitute forward-looking statements that reflect management’s expectations regarding the Company’s future growth, financial performance and business prospects and opportunities as of the date of this MD&A. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “forecast”, “expect”, “estimate”, “assume”, “predict”, “intend”, “would”, “could”, “if”, “may” and similar expressions. This MD&A includes, among others, forward-looking statements regarding estimates and expectations relating to the expected net proceeds from the Workopolis transaction in Sections 1 and 2 of this MD&A, expectations regarding our transformation efforts, including our efforts to obtain digital subscription revenue, add value to our audiences and collect and use data, and maintain a strong financial foundation to enable sustainable growth over the long term in Sections 1, 2 and 5 of this MD&A, expectations related to the merger of our defined benefit pension plans with the Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology ("CAAT") jointly sponsored defined benefit pension plan (including the expected benefits of the transaction, the anticipated obtaining and timing of regulatory consent, expected funding and expenses for registered defined benefit obligations and contributions to the CAAT Plan) in Sections 2, 5, and 8 of this MD&A, estimates and expectations relating to contingent liabilities and impairment of assets in Sections 3, 4 and 13 of this MD&A, expected savings including savings from restructuring initiatives and other cost reductions in Sections 3, 4 and 5 of this MD&A, Torstar's outlook for 2019 including anticipated revenue trends, anticipated growth and results at VerticalScope, anticipated effects of adopting the new IFRS 16 standard on lease accounting and its impact on adjusted EBITDA and cash flow, anticipated capital expenditures, the anticipated timing and amount of digital media tax credits, and the proposed new refundable tax credit to support labour costs for qualifying news organizations in Section 5 of this MD&A, expectations regarding cash flows and forecasted cash requirements and potential measures to increase liquidity, and timing and amount of digital media tax credits in Section 6 of this MD&A, expectations regarding the costs, obligations, contributions, return on plan assets, discount rates, required funding (and potential reimbursement), solvency liabilities and other expectations related to employee future benefit obligations and the impact of interim solvency relief measures in Section 8 of this MD&A, expectations described in connection with critical accounting policies and estimates and judgements in Section 9 of this MD&A, expectations regarding recent accounting pronouncements (including the anticipated effects of adopting the new IFRS 16 standard) in Section 10 of this MD&A and expectations regarding risks and uncertainties in Section 16 of this MD&A. All such statements are made pursuant to the “safe harbour” provisions of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These statements reflect current expectations of management regarding future events and operating performance, and speak only as of the date of this MD&A. In addition, forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. By their very nature, forward-looking statements require management to make assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. There is a significant risk that predictions, forecasts, conclusions or projections will not prove to be accurate, that management’s assumptions may not be accurate and that actual results, performance or achievements may differ significantly from such predictions, forecasts, conclusions or projections expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements in this MD&A as a number of factors could cause actual future results, conditions, actions or events to differ materially from the targets, outlooks, expectations, goals, estimates or intentions expressed in the forward- looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: -the Company’s ability to operate in highly competitive changing industries; -the Company’s ability to compete with digital media, other newspapers and other forms of media; -the Company’s ability to respond to the shift to digital media and the shift by advertisers to other digital platforms; -the Company’s ability to attract, grow and retain its digital audience and profitably develop its digital platforms; -the Company's ability to charge for news content used by search, social media and other technology companies; -the Company’s ability to attract and retain advertisers and customers; TORSTAR CORPORATION 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 9 TORSTAR – Amended Management's Discussion and Analysis -the Company’s ability to build and maintain adequate circulation/subscription levels; -the Company’s ability to attract and retain readers and traffic; -the Company’s ability to integrate the technology associated with new digital platforms; -general economic conditions and customer prospects in the principal markets in which the Company operates; -the Company’s ability to reduce costs; -loss of reputation; -dependence on third party suppliers and service providers; -reliance on technology and information systems; -cybersecurity, data protection and risks of security breaches; -the Company’s ability to execute appropriate strategic growth initiatives including acquisitions; -changes in employee future benefit obligations; -unexpected costs or liabilities related to acquisitions and dispositions; -investments in other businesses; -reliance on printing operations; -labour disruptions; -newsprint costs; -distribution costs; -privacy, anti-spam, communications, competition, e-commerce, data use and environmental laws, health and safety regulations and other laws and regulations applicable generally to the Company’s businesses, and any related regulatory proceedings; -litigation; -foreign exchange fluctuations and foreign operations; -dependence on and competition for key personnel; -availability of insurance; -intellectual property rights and other content risks; -income tax and other taxes; -credit risk; -availability of capital and restrictions imposed by credit facilities; -dividend policy; -controls over financial reporting, results of impairment tests and uncertainties associated with critical accounting estimates -holding company structure; and -control of the Company by the Voting Trust. Torstar cautions that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all possible factors, as other factors could adversely affect Torstar’s results. In addition, a number of assumptions, including those assumptions specifically identified throughout this MD&A, were applied in making the forward-looking statements set forth in this MD&A which the Company believes are reasonable as of the date of this MD&A. Some of the key assumptions include, without limitation, assumptions regarding the performance of the North American economies; tax laws; continued availability of printing operations; availability of financing on appropriate terms; exchange rates; market conditions and competition; rates of return and discount rates relating to pension expense and pension plan obligations; discount rates and trends in healthcare costs relating to post employment benefits; expected future revenues; expected future liabilities; expected future cash flows and discount rates relating to valuation of intangible assets; successful development and launch of strategic initiatives and new products; and expected benefits from the transaction with CAAT. There is a risk that some or all of these assumptions may prove to be incorrect. There is no assurance regarding the amount and timing of future dividends. When