Toronto Star - Atkinson Principles

Atkinson Principles

Shortly before his death in 1948, Atkinson transferred ownership of the paper to a charitable organization given the mandate of continuing the paper's liberal tradition. The provincial government of Ontario passed a law barring charitable organizations from owning large parts of profit-making businesses. The law required the Star to be sold. The five trustees of the charitable organization circumvented the law by buying the paper themselves and swearing before the Supreme Court of Ontario to continue the Atkinson Principles:

• A strong, united and independent Canada
• Social justice
• Individual and civil liberties
• Community and civic engagement
• The rights of working people
• The necessary role of government

Descendants of the original owners, known as "the five families", still control the voting shares of Torstar, and the Atkinson Principles continue to guide the paper to this day. In February 2006, Star media columnist Antonia Zerbisias wrote on her blog: "we all have the Atkinson Principles—and its multi-culti values—tattooed on our butts. Fine with me. At least we are upfront about our values, and they almost always work in favour of building a better Canada."