Yellow Pages Group in Canada made another small step toward complete coverage of the Canadian directory market by acquiring the directory business from TBayTel, a leading telecommunications company in Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario. This means YPG will now be the incumbent publisher in Thunder Bay. TBayTel published one directory title with distribution of more than 120,000 copies. YPG has long served as the sales agent for the TBayTel directory operation.

While this isn’t a large deal, it helps consolidate YPG’s hold on Ontario, Canada’s most populous province.

That TBayTel sold the directory operation is in keeping with the wider trend of telecoms divesting directories, taking a onetime infusion of cash now to spend on investments deemed more strategic. It also fits YPG’s preference to own what it produces, rather than act as an agent for another operator. Last year YPG similarly acquired Aliant ActiMedia, a publisher in which it had owned a small stake and served as sales agent.