Jim Jennings, who took over the newsroom at the Toronto Sun just two years ago, has resigned as editor in chief.

Jennings, 57, handed in his resignation at the tabloid daily on Wednesday.

There had been friction between Jennings and Sun owner Quebecor Media over job cuts.

Quebecor announced 120 job cuts at the Sun newspaper chain, including 30 at the Toronto Sun, in June.

However, Sun publisher Kin-Man Lee said Jennings's resignation was not related to Quebecor's cost-cutting measures.

"His resignation was his choice, and we respect that, and had nothing to do with a cost reduction or restructuring exercise that we have here at the Sun," Lee said.

Managing editor Gord Walsh will oversee the newsroom while an executive search firm seeks a new editor in chief, he said.

Jennings, 57, a former Thomson Newspapers executive and editorial consultant with wide international experience, took the Sun job two years ago in what, he said, was "one of the few truly competitive newspaper markets in North America."

A range of jobs

A California native, Jennings worked on newspapers around the world before becoming group managing editor for Thomson in the U.K. He moved on to become vice-president and editorial director of Thomson Newspapers in North America.

He first came to Toronto in 1997 to assist the Globe and Mail in its relaunch prior to the arrival of the National Post.

The Sun, a morning tabloid with no weekday home delivery, is competing with the broadsheets the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and the Post, as well as with free tabloid newspapers handed out on transit routes, including Metro and Quebecor's 24 Hours.

Quebecor owns Sun papers in Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary, the Free Press in London, Ont., as well as the Journal de Montréal, Journal de Québec, and nine smaller publications in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba.

Quebecor intimated at further cuts in its newspaper operations after reporting flat revenue in the second quarter.

Its Canoe online unit named two new executives Wednesday. Stephen Evans, previously director of information services at MSN Canada, will be editor for emerging products at Canoe, and Stephane Bosse, formerly with Bell Sympatico, will be the strategic alliance director.