Fiktiv Canada - Torstar

Torstar Corporation is a Canadian media conglomerate. The company is primarily a publisher of daily and community newspapers, including its flagship and namesake, the Toronto Star.

Torstar was founded after the Ontario government passed a law barring the provisions of late-Toronto Star owner Joseph Atkinson's will from being enacted. Atkinson had bequeathed the newspaper to a charitable organization he had founded. The Progressive Conservative provincial government of George Drew passed a law banning charitable organizations from operating profitable entities such as newspapers. Rather than sell the newspaper, the trustees of the Atkinson Foundation bought out the Star privately and founded Torstar as a private corporation.

On November 26, 2010, it was announced that the Canadian Press news agency would be taken over by a for-profit corporation, with Torstar serving as one of its investors. In December 2011, Torstar acquired a 25% minority stake in specialty television channel owner Blue Ant Media.

On November 27, 2017, Postmedia and Torstar announced a transaction in which Postmedia will sell seven dailies and eight community papers to Torstar, in exchange for 22 community papers. The swaps effectively remove competition between the two companies in the affected markets; the Competition Bureau stated that it would review the proposed deal, and in March 2018, formally accused the companies of using no-compete clauses to reduce competition in the newspaper industry, in violation of the Competition Act.

On September 20, 2018, Torstar announced that it would acquire iPolitics.ca to enhance its coverage of the federal government.

On December 20, 2018, Torstar applied to the Ontario Superior Court for an order to keep documents seized from its offices by the Competition Bureau sealed from the public.

On May 26, 2020, Torstar announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by NordStar Capital LP, a private investment firm consisting of Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett, for 63 cents per share. The agreement was pending shareholder approval, with a shareholder vote scheduled for July 21, 2020. On July 9, the Globe and Mail reported news of a competing bid being established by Canadian Modern Media Holdings Inc., a group led by technology entrepreneurs Matthew Proud and Tyler Proud, as well as investment banker Neil Selfe, for 72 cents per share. The NordStar bid was subsequently increased to 74 cents, with major shareholder Fairfax Financial and the family Voting Trust agreeing to lock-up their shares in support of the bid, even if another proposal was subsequently submitted, effectively ending the bidding war. On July 20, Canadian Modern Media Holdings Inc. formally submitted an offer for 80 cents per share, which Torstar's board deemed "unworkable," in light of the fact that the voting trust and major shareholder Fairfax Financial had already committed to supporting NordStar’s offer. The vast majority of shareholders voted to accept the Nordstar offer and on July 31, a Court dismissed the objection against the plan. On August 5, the transaction closed, and NordStar officially acquired Torstar.

Torstar's media operations are divided into three primary divisions: Daily News Brands, Community Brands, and Digital Ventures (VerticalScope).

The Daily News Brands division primarily comprises the Toronto Star and its associated properties, including Torstar Syndication Services and the commuter paper StarMetro in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon and London. The division also owns eight Ontario regional daily newspapers and a stake in the Canadian edition of the Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily.

The Community Brands division owns well as more than 80 community papers, the free magazine Canadian Immigrant, and other community-oriented properties.

On July 29, 2015, Torstar announced its acquisition of a 56% majority stake in VerticalScope, a Toronto-based operator of online communities, for $200 million. The company operates websites and message boards that focus on niche categories, particularly within the automotive industry. Torstar CEO David Holland explained that the purchase was designed to bolster the company's presence in digital media.