Masthead Online is reporting on a rumoured postal hike that could be a knock-out blow to an already dizzy magazine industry in Canada.

Worst-case scenario:

• a combined 24 percent hike for controlled-circulation publications (generally, industry specific magazines)
• a net hike of 41 percent for the popular paid-circulation titles (this includes most magazines on the newstand)

When a similar move occured in 1991, 99 controlled-circulation publications folded.

The magazine industry has always struggled to survive in this country, but in recent years — despite some federal aid — has been fighting a losing battle against the U.S. names that dominate the newstands. Mix these things into a market hurting for advertising dollars, and Saturday Night’s disappearance could be an indicator of things to come.

And in ongoing W3C patent news, the WaSP has posted an intelligent response to the issue. The reponse was no doubt honed last week on WebDesign-L.