The Halifax Herald Limited published two daily newspapers until March 1, 2004. The Chronicle-Herald was the older of the two, starting on January 14, 1875; and, The Mail-Star, starting on October 23, 1879. Following extensive research with the public and staff, it was decided that, effective March 1, 2004, the two newspapers would be combined into one product and packaged as The Chronicle Herald. The Sunday Herald began publication on April 19, 1998.

The Dennis family connection with the newspaper is as old as the first issue of the Morning Herald. William Dennis, who had emigrated from England to Nova Scotia in the early 1870’s as a penniless boy, was able by 1875 to commit $50 to the purchase of one share in the firm and was also the junior of two reporters. In 1907 Dennis acquired the remainder of the shares from the estate of Mr. John James Stewart, first Publisher of The Herald. William provided the leadership in the establishment of the city in the successful effort to build circulation. His frequent trips throughout the province in search of new subscribers and news for both the morning and afternoon papers are a family legend, the single-mindedness with which he pursued his journalistic goals a public one. Upon Dennis’ death in 1920, a majority interest in the company passed to a nephew, William Henry Dennis (1889-1954).

His nephew, William Henry, although less flamboyant, was at once more business like and more closely in touch with public opinion; but, unlike his uncle, he believed his first duty to be the production of more attractive newspapers than offered for sale by competitors. Both men were admired and attacked in their time, as men of impulsive character are. Senator William Dennis built the present Herald Building after fire destroyed The Dennis Building on Granville Street in 1912. William Henry Dennis conducted the affairs of the company until his death in 1954 when control passed to his son Graham William Dennis.

Graham William Dennis is the present owner of the company while his daughter, Sarah Dennis, currently holds the position of President and CEO. He is a graduate of McGill University and has received honorary degrees from Acadia University, University of Kings College, Saint Mary’s University, St. Francis Xavier University and Mount Saint Vincent University. His numerous philanthropic accomplishments were recognized in 2003 when he was the recipient of the Red Cross Humanitarian Award. His business acumen was recognized by his induction in the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame in 2005. He has the longest record of service as a publisher in the Canadian daily newspaper industry and has presided over a period of expansion of the newspapers for more than 50 years. The Halifax Herald Limited, under his direction, has become a rarity in Canadian journalism - a substantial daily newspaper operation free of chain ownership. His newspapers not only deliver the most comprehensive package of Nova Scotia news, but also provide coverage of the rest of Canada and the world. In the words of one former editor: “Not a sparrow falls in Stellarton, they used to say, but it finds its way to the pages of the Herald”.

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When the cheeky news tabloid, the Edmonton Sun, breezed into town in 1978, predictions were it would soon fold. But readers found an authenticity in our pages they failed to find elsewhere.

It became the little paper that could, and now the online version that would, still satiating that desire for news with a kick.

For over 30 years we have kept a dedication to a quality product that offers our readers something special.

“You can not do that on your own. You have to have good people running the paper. And we put out a great paper every single day,” says publisher and CEO Gordon Norrie.

Our loyal staff also includes, of course, people behind the scenes, from the guys running the presses to our paper carriers and our classified ad takers. The 1980s saw spectacular growth at the Edmonton Sun. For much of that decade, we were ranked as the fastest-growing newspaper in the country.

Another milestone was reached on Sept. 17, 1994, with the launch of the first Saturday Sun. The Sun became a seven-days-a-week force to be reckoned with, offering tremendous value to readers and advertisers alike.

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The Winnipeg Sun was first published Nov. 5, 1980. It was formed following Southam’s closure of the Winnipeg Tribune Aug. 27, 1980 after 94 years. Initially, The Winnipeg Sun only published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but went to Monday-Friday in February 1982. The first Sunday edition came off the press March 31, 1982. Quebecor invested in the newspaper in February 1983. On April 14, 1992, The Sun launched a Saturday edition, and began publishing seven days a week. On May 10, 1999, The Winnipeg Sun re-launched with a new look Sun Media flavour, including more columns, more sports, editorial and op-ed pages, SUNshine Girls and Pet. The newspaper is available through home delivery, vendor boxes and retail outlets.

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History of The Toronto Star

In 1892 Toronto was a bustling city of 180,000 with six newspapers competing for readers when a seventh daily, a self-styled “Paper for the People”, suddenly appears on the streets.

Born on November 3, 1892, The Evening Star had been created almost overnight by 21 printers and four teenage apprentices who were locked out during a labour dispute at the afternoon News. Their aim was to publish a serious journal - and possibly to teach the News a lesson. Little did they realize that their bright new four-page sheet would grow into Canada’s largest daily newspaper, The Toronto Star.

Learn more about the history of The Toronto Star or Joseph E. Atkinson.

You can also view an interactive timeline about Joseph E. Atkinson or watch the video Fighting Words: The Social Crusades of Joseph E. Atkinson.

The Toronto Star Today

Today, the Toronto Star is Canada’s largest daily newspaper, with the largest readership in the country. It is published seven days a week in the Greater Toronto Area and is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The newspaper is printed at its production facility, The Toronto Star Press Centre, located in Vaughan, just north of Toronto. The Press Centre houses six MAN Roland presses and its extensive capacity allows for the use of full colour throughout the newspaper every day for both editorial and advertising purposes.

The Toronto Star Charities

The Toronto Star publisher, Joseph E. Atkinson, believed that his newspaper had a social responsibility to its readers and the people of Toronto. Having experienced childhood poverty, Atkinson created a charity more than a century ago that helped needy children during the summer months. A few short years later, he realized yet again that there was a need to help less-privileged children at Christmas … a time of year most enjoyed by children. And so the two charities were created … to help put a smile on the face of children.

Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC), an agency of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture is the central catalyst for the province’s cultural media cluster including book publishing, film and television, interactive digital media, magazine publishing and music industries.

OMDC promotes, enhances and leverages investment, jobs, and original content creation by:

(a)   contributing to the continued expansion of a business environment in Ontario that is advantageous to the growth of the cultural media industry and to the growth of new employment, investment and production opportunities in Ontario;

(b)   facilitating and supporting innovation, invention and excellence in Ontario ’s cultural media industry by stimulating creative production, format innovation and new models of collaboration among sectors of the cultural media industry;

(c)   fostering and facilitating co-operation among entities within the cultural media industry and between the public and private sectors to stimulate synergies in product development and the creation of products with original Canadian content;

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Several electronic payment processing solutions exist nowadays, and it is not always easy for a merchant to determine which one should be used.

One great company that deserves the closest attention is Prodigy Payment Systems, a Texas based company, which was founded by 4 Dallas citizens. The company was founded on principles of ethics and integrity.

Prodigy Payment Systems provides several forms of electronic payment processing solutions, to SMB retail businesses in United States.
Several merchant payment processing solutions are offered by Prodigy:

- The total retail merchant solution
- Credit card processing
- Check processing
- Debit card processing
- Gift and Reward cards
-  EBT
- and Wireless payment processing

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Douglas Gibson Books was the very first editorial imprint in Canada when it was established in March 1986. Legend has it that Jack McClelland, having just sold his company to Avie Bennett, advised him to lure Doug Gibson away from Macmillan of Canada, where he had been Editorial Director since 1974 and Publisher since 1979. By offering Gibson an editorial imprint, plus the independence to run what was in effect a one-man publishing house with no bureaucratic strings attached, Bennett was able to entice him to join McClelland & Stewart.

The hope was that some of the authors who had worked with Gibson over the years would choose to join him in this small “boutique” publishing operation, where he took on only 5-10 books per year and devoted himself to hands-on editing, choosing the jacket and all other details, and supervising the book through the publishing process.

The plan worked brilliantly. The authors who chose to follow Gibson from Macmillan were led by Alice Munro (The Progress of Love in 1986 was the very first Douglas Gibson Book.) Soon the parade of authors included W.O. Mitchell, Robertson Davies, Jack Hodgins, Donald Jack, Mavis Gallant and so many others that Macmillan in a few years folded its fiction publishing programme. The addition of authors such as these to M&S’s own already strong fiction list made for a very formidable group of fiction writers.
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D&M Publishers is one of the largest independent publishing houses in Canada with full offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Gabriola Island. D&M publishes Canadian fiction and non-fiction which is internationally recognized for the best quality editorial content, design and production. Our driving passion is to create the best Canadian books for readers worldwide and to bring the best international stories to our nation’s readers.

The house includes three unique imprints: Douglas & McIntyre, led by Publisher Scott McIntyre, Greystone Books, led by Publisher Rob Sanders and New Society Publishers led by Publisher Judith Plant.

From the very beginning, D&M has been committed to publishing the finest international authors such as Thomas L. Friedman, P.J. O’Rourke and Ishmael Beah and Canadian icons like Douglas Coupland, David Suzuki and Jean Beliveau.

D&M was co-founded by Jim Douglas and Scott McIntyre in 1971. Since its inception, D&M has created over 2,000 quality books in close to 4 decades and continues to nurture a rich backlist of more than 700 titles, including many Canadian classics.

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Cormorant Books is committed to publishing the best new work in the area of literary fiction and creative non-fiction for the adult market.

Twenty years ago, Jan and Gary Geddes started Cormorant Books on their farm outside of Dunvegan in Eastern Ontario. Each of them had a reason for naming the company for this particular bird. According to Gary, the cormorant is such a good fisher that humans use it, with a wooden ring to prevent it from swallowing its catch.

Gary enjoyed being of use to Canadian writers briefly, then passing the responsibility and the glory to Jan, who had heard a rumour that the cormorant was a voiceless bird. She endeav- oured to give that bird a voice by introducing new writers to readers across Canada. Both Gary and Jan succeeded in acquiring the good catches, the new writers, and providing a foundation for a company that has introduced many significant voices.
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Commodore Books is the first and only black literary press in western Canada. We are affiliated with the non-profit West Coast Review Publishing Society. Explore the site, order some books, and support independent African Canadian literature.

Commodore Books is an imprint of LINEbooks, and operates under the umbrella of the West Coast Review Publishing Society, a non-profit society. All proceeds go to the authors and towards funding further titles.

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