The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that the country's largest newspaper chains called off merger plans on Monday, with the owner of the Toronto Star citing "financial uncertainty" that came with a proposed marriage to debt-heavy partner Postmedia. The Globe's Joe Castaldo and Andrew Willis write that Postmedia and Nordstar Capital LP said they were unable to reach agreement on terms of a deal, two weeks after they announced detailed plans to combine the two businesses. Postmedia and Nordstar said the lack of agreement on terms, and "the added backdrop of regulatory and financial uncertainty led them to make the decision to end their negotiations." Nordstar executives were concerned with Postmedia's debt structure, even though Postmedia's lenders were planning to swap most of the company's loans for equity. Last month, Postmedia and Nordstar said combining forces would help the companies deal with the "existential threat" they face from advertising in platforms such as Facebook and Google. The two tech giants have threatened to drop Canadian news content over Bill C-18, which will require them to pay news organizations for posting or linking to their work. Money-losing Postmedia has $288-million in debt.