The Toronto Star began in 1892 as the Evening Star and was renamed the Toronto Daily Star in 1900, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. Joseph E. Atkinson took control of it in 1899 and led it until his death in 1948, and the paper became Toronto’s largest by 1913. It has been owned since July 2020 by NordStar Capital, which bought its parent company Torstar for $60 million (CAD).
From the Evening Star to the Toronto Daily Star
The paper was founded in 1892 as the Evening Star. In 1899 its Liberal proprietors hired Joseph E. Atkinson, born near Newcastle, Ontario, in 1865, to run it, and by 1913 he was the majority shareholder, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia. The name Toronto Daily Star dates from 1900. The Canadian Encyclopedia adds that Atkinson established the Toronto Star Weekly (later Star Weekly) in 1910, addressing the absence of Sunday newspapers in Canada.
Sources differ on when the paper took the lead among Toronto dailies. The Canadian Encyclopedia’s biography of Atkinson says that the Star had about 7,000 copies a day in 1899, the lowest of Toronto’s six dailies, and the highest circulation in the city by 1909. A 2005 Globe and Mail profile of the Star’s later publisher says that by 1913 it was Toronto’s largest paper. Both agree on the general picture: within about 15 years of Atkinson’s arrival, the Star led the city. Other papers of the era, including the Telegram founded by John Ross Robertson, competed with it. The Globe’s own story is in the article on the Globe and The Globe and Mail.
Atkinson, the foundation, and the 1958 buyout
Atkinson established the Atkinson Foundation in 1942. After he died in 1948, he left the paper to the foundation, according to the Globe and Mail, with a stipulation that it be sold only to people who shared his social views. The Canadian Encyclopedia says the will was contested by his political and professional enemies to force a sale, which led to the trustees buying the paper about a decade later. Harry C. Hindmarsh, who joined the paper in 1911 and became Atkinson’s lieutenant and son-in-law, died on December 20, 1956. In 1958 the Supreme Court allowed the foundation’s board to buy the paper for $25.5 million in a leveraged buyout, the same Globe profile states.
The Globe and Mail dates the court-approved buyout to 1958 and gives the price. The Canadian Encyclopedia says only that the purchase came about a decade after Atkinson’s death in 1948, which is consistent with 1958. Some other reference works give a different year, so the 1958 date rests on the Globe profile.
The Atkinson Principles
The Atkinson Foundation, which Joseph and Elmina Atkinson established in 1942, says on its own page that Atkinson’s personal motto was “humanity above all.” The Globe and Mail profile reports that when the foundation’s board bought the paper in 1958, its members swore before the Supreme Court that they would uphold the principles outlined in Atkinson’s will. The wording of those principles could not be read from a fetchable page for this article, so they are not listed here. The Star hosts its own statement of the Atkinson Principles, which readers can consult directly. The paper’s archive is described in the article on Toronto’s historical newspapers and archives.
Beland Honderich and Torstar
Beland Honderich joined the Star in 1943 as a wartime replacement and became publisher and president in 1966. In 1976 he was named chairman and chief executive officer of Torstar Corp., and he stopped serving as publisher in September 1988, according to the Globe and Mail. Under his leadership the Star introduced color, moved from an afternoon to a morning edition, added a Sunday edition, and named Canada’s first newspaper ombudsman. The Globe profile does not date those changes, and the encyclopedia’s dates for the Sunday and morning editions are given below. The Canadian Encyclopedia says the Star introduced a Sunday edition in 1977 and a morning edition in 1981.
The move to One Yonge Street
The Canadian Encyclopedia says the paper was officially named the Toronto Star in 1971, the year its longtime rival, the Toronto Telegram, ended publication. The Star’s headquarters is the 25-storey building at One Yonge Street, which Wikipedia’s article on the building says opened in 1971. The earlier headquarters and the exact move dates could not be confirmed from a fetched source, so they are not given here.
2020: sale to NordStar Capital
In 2020 Torstar, the parent of the Star, was sold to NordStar Capital LP, a holding company controlled by investors Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett. The Globe and Mail reported that Ontario Superior Court Justice Cory Gilmore approved the $60-million (CAD) takeover late on Monday, July 27, 2020, at 74 cents a share, and that shareholders had voted 98.7 percent in favor. A rival bidder, Canadian Modern Media Holdings, had made a higher late offer. Justice Gilmore held that it came well after NordStar had secured commitments from Torstar’s major shareholder and the five families controlling its voting trust. The rival applied to appeal, and Torstar said it intended to close the deal on July 30, 2020. The outcome of the appeal request is not covered by the sources read for this page.
Timeline of the Toronto Star
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1892 | Founded as the Evening Star |
| 1899 | Joseph E. Atkinson hired to run the paper |
| 1900 | Renamed the Toronto Daily Star |
| 1910 | Toronto Star Weekly established |
| 1942 | Atkinson Foundation established |
| 1948 | Atkinson dies; paper left to the foundation |
| 1958 | Foundation board buys the paper for $25.5 million, per the Globe and Mail |
| 1966 | Beland Honderich becomes publisher |
| 1971 | Officially named the Toronto Star; Telegram ceases publication |
| 2020 | NordStar Capital agrees to buy Torstar; court approval July 27 |
Searches about the Star
Most searches that mention the Toronto Star ask for services: the crossword, subscription changes, delivery problems, and obituaries. The Star’s own customer pages are the right source for those, and this page does not print terms, prices, or delivery schedules. For old issues, photographs, and microfilm, see the archives article, which explains where researchers can look.
Frequently asked questions
When was the Toronto Star founded?
In 1892, as the Evening Star. It became the Toronto Daily Star in 1900, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia.
Who founded the Toronto Star?
The paper was founded in 1892, but Joseph E. Atkinson, hired in 1899, is the figure most identified with it. He was majority shareholder by 1913 and led it until 1948.
Who owns the Toronto Star now?
NordStar Capital LP bought Torstar, the Star’s parent company, in July 2020. It is controlled by Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett, according to the Globe and Mail. This reflects the 2020 sale and could have changed since.
What are the Atkinson Principles?
They are the principles outlined in Joseph Atkinson’s will, which the foundation’s board swore before the Supreme Court in 1958 to uphold, according to the Globe and Mail. The Star publishes the full wording on its own site.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Jessica Poulin, “Toronto Star,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Joseph E. Atkinson,” Historica Canada
- The Globe and Mail, “Beland Honderich, 86” (2005)
- The Globe and Mail, “Rival bidder tries to halt court approval of Torstar takeover by NordStar” (July 2020)
- The Globe and Mail, “NordStar says rival bidder sought to partner on Torstar deal” (2020)
- Atkinson Foundation, “Joseph E. Atkinson”
- Atkinson Foundation, “About” (foundation established 1942)
- Wikipedia, “One Yonge Street” (building opening year)
Related reading
- The Toronto Telegram, the Star’s evening rival
- The Globe and The Globe and Mail in Toronto
- The Toronto Sun, another Toronto daily
- John Ross Robertson, founder of the Telegram
- Toronto’s historical newspapers and archives
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 25). Toronto Star: History of the Newspaper, 1892 to Today. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-star-history
MLA: “Toronto Star: History of the Newspaper, 1892 to Today.” History of Toronto, 25 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-star-history. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto Star: History of the Newspaper, 1892 to Today.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-star-history.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.