The owner of the Ottawa Citizen is unloading two community newspapers in the capital as it scrambles to reduce massive debt.

Canwest Media says the local papers in Ottawa East and Orleans will now be taken over by the EMC group.

The Citizen also announced a new editor-in-chief on Wednesday.

Veteran journalist Gerry Nott will take over the position on March 2. He replaces Scott Anderson who left the paper in November 2007.