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David Peterson

For other people named David Peterson, seeDavid Peterson (disambiguation).

David Robert PetersonPCOOntKC(born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20thpremier of Ontariofrom 1985 to 1990. He was the firstLiberalofficeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty.[1]

The Honourable
David Peterson
PCOOntKC
Peterson in 2001
20thPremier of Ontario
In office
June 26, 1985 – October 1, 1990
MonarchElizabeth II
Lieutenant GovernorJohn Black Aird
Lincoln Alexander
Preceded byFrank Miller
Succeeded byBob Rae
Member of Provincial Parliament
In office
September 18, 1975 – September 6, 1990
Preceded byNew riding
Succeeded byMarion Boyd
ConstituencyLondon Centre
Ontario Liberal Party Leader
In office
February 21, 1982 – September 6, 1990
Preceded byStuart Smith
Succeeded byRobert Nixon
Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature
In office
February 21, 1982 – June 26, 1985
Preceded byRobert Nixon
Succeeded byFrank Miller
Chancellor of theUniversity of Toronto
In office
July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2012
Preceded byVivienne Poy
Succeeded byMichael Wilson
Personal details
Born
David Robert Peterson

(1943-12-28)December 28, 1943(age 80)
Toronto,Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseShelley Peterson
RelationsJim Peterson(brother),Tim Peterson(brother),Deb Matthews(sister-in-law)
Children3 includingBen Peterson
Residence(s)London,Ontario, Canada
Alma materUniversity of Western Ontario
University of Toronto Faculty of Law
Professionlawyer

Background

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Peterson was born inToronto,Ontario,to Clarence Marwin Peterson (1913–2009) and Laura Marie Scott (1913–2015), and has two siblings, former MPPTim Petersonand former MPJim Peterson.[2]His parents were both born inSaskatchewan.His father was born to Norwegian immigrant farmers who had previouslyhomesteadedinNorth Dakota.In the early 1930s, Clarence Peterson joined the newly-formedCo-operative Commonwealth Federationand was present at the conference where it adopted theRegina Manifesto.Looking for work during theGreat Depression,he moved to Ontario and in 1936 was living in Toronto, where he found a job as a salesman withUnion Carbide.The job eventually took him to London, Ontario, where he worked for the company for several years before establishing a wholesale electronics business, C.M. Peterson Co. Ltd, in 1944. He was elected to city council as analdermanin the early 1950s and joined theOntario Liberal Party,running as its candidate in the1955 Ontario general electioninLondon North,losing to future premierJohn Robarts,and ran again as afederal Liberalcandidate in1963inLondon.[2]

Peterson grew up in London and earned hisBachelor of Artsdegree from theUniversity of Western Ontarioin political science and philosophy and his law degree from theUniversity of Toronto.He was called to the bar in 1969.[3][4]He was made aQueen's Counselin 1980 and later was appointed to theQueen's Privy Council for Canadain 1992 byBrian Mulroney.[5][6]

At the age of twenty-six, he became president of C.M. Peterson Company Limited, a wholesale electronics firm founded by his father.[7][8]He holds fourHonorarydegrees including a doctor of laws from theUniversity of Western Ontarioand is a knight of the Order of theLegion of Honour of Franceand a member of theOrder of La Pléiade.[9]In 2009, he became a member of theOrder of Ontario.[10]

Peterson married actressShelley Matthewsin 1974 and they have since raised three children.[11]He is the younger brother ofJim Peterson(1941–2024), formerly a federal Liberal MP andcabinet minister.Both his sister-in-lawDeb Matthewsand his brother,Tim Peterson,were elected to the Ontario legislature in the2003 provincial electionwhile Deb Matthews was re-elected in 2007, 2011 and 2014.[2]

Politics

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Peterson was elected as the LiberalMember of Provincial ParliamentforLondon Centrein the1975 provincial election.[12]Less than one year later, he campaigned for theleadership of the partyfollowingRobert Nixon's resignation. Despite his inexperience, Peterson nevertheless came within 45 votes of defeatingStuart Smithon the third and final ballot of a delegated convention held on January 25, 1976. Smith presented an image of an articulate intellectual who some delegates said reminded them ofPierre Trudeauwhile Peterson came across as similar to then PremierBill Davis.Convention delegates also thought that Peterson, a neophyte MPP at 31 years old, was too young and his convention address which he later characterized as the "worst speech in modern political history" came across as stilted and over rehearsed.[13][14]

Peterson was re-elected in the provincial elections of1977and1981.[15][16]He ran again for theLiberal leadership in 1982,after Smith resigned.

The convention was held on February 21, 1982. This time his convention speech was better. Although not very inspiring, it was viewed as 'statesmanlike' and effective. He won on the second ballot defeating the more left-leaningSheila Coppswith 55% of the vote. In his acceptance speech Peterson said that he would move party to the 'vibrant middle, the radical centre', and stressed economic growth as a way to increase support for social services. Observers from the other parties felt he was trying to move the Liberal party more to the right, away from values that Smith promoted.[17]

Liberal leader

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Peterson worked to pay off the party's debt from the 1981 election and accomplished that by the end of the year and was working on long-term debt. Peterson performed well as opposition leader and was popular in the press. The party started to use him as a label rather than 'Liberal' referring to 'David Peterson's Ontario'. A by-election loss to the NDP was attributed to dislike of Federal Liberals.[17]In 1984, a Liberal backbencher,J. Earl McEwencrossed the floor to join the Tories.[18]Polling in late 1984 showed Peterson's Liberals consistently trailing behind the Progressive Conservatives. Premier Davis still polled as the most popular leader.

Peterson's fortunes improved when Davis retired as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party in early 1985. His successor,Frank Miller,took the party further to the right, and was unable to convince the electorate of his leadership abilities.[19]Though Miller's Tories began theelection in 1985with a significant lead, Peterson's Liberals gradually increased their support throughout the campaign. To the surprise of many, Peterson won a narrow plurality of the popular vote. However, at the time rural areas were still slightly over represented in the Legislative Assembly. As a result, the Liberals won 48 seats, while the Progressive Conservatives 52 which was enough for a minority government.[20]

Shortly after the election, NDP leaderBob Raecalled Peterson to negotiate. Rae also initiated talks with Premier Miller but the talks with the Liberals proved more fruitful. Rae and Peterson signed a "Liberal-NDP Accord" in which the NDP agreed to support a Liberal government in office for two years. The Liberals, in turn, agreed to implement some policies favoured by the NDP. Rae wanted to have a coalition with representation in cabinet but Peterson indicated that he would not accept a coalition.[21][22]

Premier of Ontario

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Leadership style

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The Liberals and NDP defeated Miller's government on June 18, 1985, on amotion of no confidenceon thespeech from the throne.[1]Peterson was sworn in as Premier of Ontario eight days later. Peterson's top three cabinet ministers wereRobert Nixonas Treasurer,Sean Conwayas Education Minister, andIan Scottas Attorney General.

After the expiration of the Liberal-NDP Accord in 1987, the Liberals called anotherprovincial election,and won the second-largestmajority governmentin Ontario's history, taking 95 seats out of 130, at the expense of the NDP and the Progressive Conservatives who dropped to third place in the legislature.[23]

Peterson's Liberal party, regarded as a challenger in 1985, was seen by the end of the 1980s as a "juggernaut that became arrogant and didn’t listen to its critics". As the PC and NDP opposition parties were weakened after the 1987 election, it fell to the media and other special interest groups (particularly teachers’ unions and environmental groups) who were criticizing the Ontario government at a level not seen with past administrations.[23]

Domestic policy

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Peterson's government introduced several pieces of progressive legislation. It eliminated "extra billing" by doctors, brought in pay equity provisions, and reformed the province's rent review and labour negotiation laws. His government also brought in pension reform, expanded housing construction, and resolved a long-standing provincial controversy by honouring the Davis Tories promise to extend full funding to Catholic secondary schools. Peterson was also a vocal opponent offree tradewith theUnited Statesin 1988. His administration was less activist in its later years, though it still introduced progressive measures on environmental protection, eliminated health insurance premiums, and brought in no-fault automobile insurance for the province.

Peterson's prominent role in creating and promoting the"Meech Lake" constitutional accordgained criticism from some. While initially popular, this attempt at revising Canada's constitution proved extremely divisive in most of English-speaking Canada. Many believed that it gave too many concessions toQuebec,while others believed that it weakened the federal government's authority in relation to the provinces. Peterson's continued support for the accord, in the face of increased opposition, damaged his personal popularity in Ontario. The accord was not endorsed byManitobaandNewfoundland,and did not pass.

Peterson and the Liberals also faced controversy over thePatti Starr affair.Starr, a prominent Liberal fundraiser, was found to have improperly diverted money from a land development scheme and charitable organizations to the provincial Liberal Party. Several Liberal cabinet members were recipients of her largesse including Health MinisterElinor Caplan,Transportation MinisterEd Fultonand Revenue MinisterBernard Grandmaitre.[24]She was eventually sentenced to six months' jail time.[25]Although no-one in Peterson's administration was accused of criminal activity, the scandal eroded public confidence in the integrity of the government. Polls showed that more than half of respondents felt that Peterson had poorly handled the matter and 61% felt that it revealed widespread corruption in the government.[26]

Fiscal policy

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The Peterson administration also developed a reputation for fiscal prudence, under the management ofTreasurerRobert Nixon.The Liberal government was able to introduce a balanced budget for 1989–1990 following several years ofdeficit spendingin Ontario, at a time when deficit spending was commonplace in most of North America.

In theearly 1990s recession,Ontario faced a weakening North American economy. Productivity levels were falling throughout theUnited Statesand Canada during this period. While there was little that Peterson, or any other Ontario Premier, could have done to prevent this downturn, it weakened his government's reputation for fiscal competence. (Indeed, the government's projected surplus budget for 1990–1991 ultimately yielded a deficit of at least three billion dollars.) Peterson "was getting a ton of advice to call an early snap election after less than three years" and "pundits warned Peterson he certainly didn’t want to call an election in 1991, in the middle of a deep recession".[23]

Defeat in the 1990 provincial election

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Notwithstanding all of this, Peterson's Liberal Party still retained a comfortable lead over the Progressive Conservatives and NDP in mid-1990 public opinion polls, as their party leaders Mike Harris and Bob Rae, respectively, were not expected to be strong challengers. The PC Party was broke after the 1987 election, and anticipating an early election call they held their leadership contest in May 1990 with a membership vote instead of a delegated convention, they still struggled due to newly minted leader Harris's inexperience as well as an association with Prime MinisterBrian Mulroney's growing unpopularity.[27]The NDP having never won an Ontario election and Official Opposition leader Bob Rae was considering retiring from the legislature after one more term. As a result, Peterson decided to call asnap election,less than three years into his mandate. This proved to be his greatest mistake.[23]

During the first week of the campaign, then-attorney general Ian Scott, claimed that 'while the voters might be cranky at the moment, they ultimately would hold their noses and re-elect the Liberals. After all, he added, “They’re not going to vote for Mike Harris, and what are they going to do — vote NDP?” '[23]However many voters saw the early election as a mark of arrogance, and a sign that Peterson's Liberals had become detached from the electorate. There was nodefining issuebehind the campaign, and many believed that Peterson was simply trying to win re-election before the economic downturn reached its worst phase. Some Liberal cabinet ministers, most notablyGreg SorbaraandJim Bradley,were strongly opposed to the early election call.Sean Conway,a member of Peterson's inner circle, would later acknowledge that most backbench MPPs also opposed the timing of the campaign.

At the time thewrit was dropped,the Liberals stood at 50% support in the polls.[28]Peterson's personal popularity rating based on his Meech Lake record was 54%.[29]However, his luck turned immediately upon calling the election. One of the seminal moments in the campaign was at a press conference called to announce the forthcoming election. Peterson justified the early writ claiming "especially after the failure of the Meech Lake Accord, Ontario faced 'profound changes in this country and the world' and that he needed to protect the province in the event of a national-unity crisis", while denying "that he was being an opportunist and trying to capitalize on polling results that put Liberal support at 50 per cent". It was soon interrupted without intervention by security or police byGreenpeaceactivistGord Perks,who arrived with a briefcase handcuffed to his arm, with a tape recorder inside playing a pre-recorded list of broken Liberal environmental promises. Peterson sat in front of the room full of reporters, awkwardly silent and clearly uncomfortable.[30]

Disappointed by high expectations as well as perceiving that the PC and NDP parties would not be strong opposition, groups representing various interests (such as teachers, doctors, and environmentalists), came out against Peterson on television, radio, in print, and at Liberal campaign events, despite the Liberals having worked cooperatively with these special interest groups prior to the election call.[27]Protesters would follow the Premier throughout the campaign, and often received considerable media coverage.[31]The media reported the election call as cynical, and the party appeared desperate when they unexpectedly proposed to cut the provincial sales tax halfway through the campaign. It did not help that the provincial election campaign was being run in the aftermath of the failedMeech Lakeconstitutional accord ofBrian Mulroney's federal government, with which Peterson had significant media exposure in association with the other first ministers.

Peterson felt that the Liberals’ fading poll numbers "reflected greater anxieties about the world and that the party had failed to successfully communicate his government’s accomplishments"; by contrast the NDP's hastily assembled platform called "Agenda for People" managed to escape heavy scrutiny due to their underdog status. As the NDP gained momentum, the Liberals panicked as many candidates removed Peterson from their campaign materials and distanced themselves from Peterson, while Treasurer Robert Nixon proposed a cut to the sales tax. The Liberal campaign slogan shifted from “Effective leadership for a strong Ontario” to “Warning: An NDP government will be hazardous to your health.”Toronto Suncolumnist Michael Bennett summed up the divergent fortunes of the Liberals and NDP as campaign progressed, writing “As Peterson became more strident, Rae assumed an almost statesman-like attitude. He’d used up most of the venom early in the campaign. Now he didn’t need it.”[27]

On September 6, 1990, the NDP scored one of the greatest upsets in Canadian political history, taking 74 seats for a strong majority government. Due to the nature of thefirst-past-the-postsystem as well as numerous fringe parties contesting this election, one third of NDP seats were won with less than 40 per cent of the vote.[27]While the NDP only outpolled the Liberals by a narrow six-point margin, they managed to unseat many Liberal incumbents in theGreater Toronto Area.The Liberal caucus was decimated as they plunged from 95 seats to 36, at the time their worst showing ever. The 59-seat loss surpassed the 48-seat loss in 1943 that began the Tories' long rule over the province. This was also the second-worst defeat for a governing party in Ontario. Peterson lost his own seat, having been resoundingly defeated by NDP candidateMarion Boydin London Centre by over 8,200 votes.[32]The loss ended Peterson's political career. He announced his resignation as Liberal leader on the night of the election.[33]

Post-provincial politics

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Peterson has continued to organize and fund-raise for the federal and Ontario provincial Liberals. In May 2005, he played the central role in persuadingBelinda Stronach,a federalConservativeMP, tocross the floorto the rulingLiberal Party,days before a crucial confidence motion on the federal budget ofPaul Martin's Liberalminority government.The defection proved critical to the survival of Martin's government, with the outcome of the budget vote 153–152 in favour of the government.[4]

After Martinresigned the party leadershipin the wake of the Liberal defeat in the2006 election,Peterson planned to support formerNew BrunswickPremierFrank McKennawho chose ultimately not to run. Peterson then backedMichael Ignatieff,criticizing former political opponentBob Rae's entry into the race due to the latter's record as provincial premier. Peterson insisted he did not hold a personal grudge against Rae.[34]

Later career

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Peterson as Chancellor of the University of Toronto in 2009

In 2003, Peterson was contracted by the federal government to be its chief negotiator in talks with the government of the Northwest Territories and aboriginal leaders to transfer federal powers over lands and resources.

Peterson served asChancellorof theUniversity of Torontofor two terms from July 1, 2006, until June 30, 2012.[35]

In September 2013, Peterson was appointed chair of the Toronto2015 Pan American GamesOrganizing Committee.[36]In 2015, he was sued for alleged sexual harassment of a 34-year-old female Pan Am games manager Ximena Morris. Peterson denied any wrongdoing.[37]

The case was dismissed with Morris apologising for the lawsuit but not the allegations.[38]

David Peterson was the founding chairman of theToronto Raptorsof theNational Basketball Association,and was a member of Toronto'sOlympicsBid Committee. Since leaving politics, he has been a professor atYork Universityin Toronto, a senior partner and chairman of the Toronto law firm Cassels, Brock & Blackwell LLP and has been director or member of several charitable, cultural, and environmental organizations.[36]He is or has been a member on several corporate boards, being particularly associated withRogers Communicationswhere he has been a director since 1991.[39]In 2006, Peterson was named to the board ofShoppers Drug Martat the time of the firm's acquisition byLoblaws.[40]In his legal practice he provides international advice to a wide range of clients about public policy issues and government affairs in Canada.

In 1999, Peterson was at the centre of controversy due to his membership on the board of YBM Magnex, a firm which was discovered to have links to theRussian mafia.Peterson maintained that he was unaware of illegal activities at the company, and referred to the accusations against him as "guilt by association". A subsequent investigation by theOntario Securities Commissionfound that Peterson's actions met "the legal test of due diligence", but expressed disappointment that he had not shown more leadership on the board.[41]

A 2004 report fromThe Globe and Mailnewspaper noted that Peterson was chastened by this experience, and had become "a cautious and more conscientious director" since that time.[42]The same article further claimed that he has "no influence outside of Toronto".[42]

On May 26, 2020, a group of Toronto investors known as NordStar Capital, announced a proposal to acquireTorStar Corporationthe parent company of theToronto Star,for C$52-million.[43][44]Peterson was announced as part of the NordStar team. The bid was later improved to $60 million and was approved by courts and shareholders by early August 2020. Peterson took a senior advisory role at the Toronto Star as vice-chair of theTorstarboard of directors[45]and as of 2024 is chair of Torstar, the publisher of the Toronto Star.[46]

References

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  1. ^"The year the Tories' 'Big Blue Machine' came sputtering to a stop".TVO.org.Retrieved2021-06-03.
  2. ^abcCsillag, Ron (December 19, 2009). "Clarence Peterson, 96, Businessman, Liberal: From Prairie farm boy to Ontario Liberal Patriarch".The Globe and Mail.p. S13.
  3. ^McCabe, Nora (August 14, 1982). "The great red hope".The Globe and Mail.p. F3.
  4. ^abTeotonio, Isabel (March 10, 2006). "New post for Peterson; Former Liberal premier appointed U of T chancellor Position 'nexus of a lot of things I'm interested in,' he says".Toronto Star.p. B1.
  5. ^"Advisory Board Hon. David R. Peterson".The School of Public Policy & Governance, University of Toronto.University of Toronto.Retrieved30 March2017.
  6. ^Freeman, Alan (19 July 2007)."No special treatment for Black in bid to return home, Harper says".The Globe and Mail.Retrieved13 October2023.
  7. ^Stephens, Robert (November 12, 1984). "Detractors bitter over Peterson's firm".The Globe and Mail.p. 8.
  8. ^Speirs, Rosemary (October 13, 1986). "How Peterson learned to win".Toronto Star.p. A9.
  9. ^"Press release: University of Toronto".The Globe and Mail.July 20, 2006. p. B6.
  10. ^"Order of Ontario Appointments Announced".January 15, 2009. Archived fromthe originalon March 4, 2009.
  11. ^Walkom, Thomas (September 1, 1990). "Peterson reflects home town".Toronto Star.p. A1.
  12. ^"Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings".The Globe and Mail.September 19, 1975. p. C12.
  13. ^Peter Oliver (1977). John Saywell (ed.).Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs (1976).Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 169–170.
  14. ^Palango, Paul (February 16, 1982). "Peterson runs hard to stay ahead".The Globe and Mail.p. P4.
  15. ^"Ontario provincial election results riding by riding".The Globe and Mail.June 10, 1977. p. D9.
  16. ^Canadian Press (March 20, 1981)."Winds of change, sea of security".The Windsor Star.Windsor, Ontario. p. 22.
  17. ^abFrederick J. Fletcher; Graham White (1984). R.B. Byers (ed.).Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs (1982).Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 222–224.
  18. ^Stephens, Robert (May 23, 1984). "Ontario MPP crosses floor to join Tories Liberals plan no wake over defection".The Globe and Mail.p. 4.
  19. ^Bradburn, Jamie (May 24, 2018)."The year the Tories' 'Big Blue Machine' came sputtering to a stop".TVOntario.RetrievedMay 11,2024.
  20. ^"Ontario's Government".The Globe and Mail.May 17, 1985. p. 6.
  21. ^Rae.Protest to Power.p. 94.
  22. ^Steve Paikin(host).1985: The Year Politics in Ontario Changed Forever(documentary). TV Ontario.
  23. ^abcdePaikin, Steve(11 September 2017)."Thirty years later, a look back at the biggest Ontario majority government ever".The Ontario Educational Communications Authority.Retrieved9 July2018.
  24. ^Walkom, Thomas (June 16, 1989). "25 politicians split $65,873 from charity".Toronto Star.p. A1.
  25. ^Starr, Patricia (1993).Tempting Fate - A Cautionary Tale of Power & Politics.Stoddart Kids. p. 1,233.ISBN0-7737-5688-4.
  26. ^Trickey, Mike (September 7, 1990). "Crack about cranky voters was too true".The Vancouver Sun.p. A8.
  27. ^abcdBradburn, Jamie (May 31, 2018)."Orange shockwave: How Ontario got its first-ever NDP government".TVOntario.RetrievedOctober 29,2019.
  28. ^Mackie, Richard (July 14, 1990). "Buoyant Liberals gather in Toronto for election talks".The Globe and Mail.p. A5.
  29. ^"Chretien's rating lowest in Quebec".Toronto Star.July 9, 1990. p. A10.
  30. ^"Distrust, Disdain, Deceit".Ryerson Review of Journalism. Spring 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-06.
  31. ^Ontario Elections: 20 Tumultuous Years. CBC News. September 1, 1990
  32. ^"Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results".The Globe and Mail.September 7, 1990. p. A12.
  33. ^Ferguson, Derek (September 7, 1990). "'A personal and lonely decision' Peterson resigns after loss ".Toronto Star.p. A9.
  34. ^"David Peterson warns Bob Rae won't be welcome".CTV News. April 5, 2006. Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2007.
  35. ^"David Peterson retires as chancellor of the University of Toronto, flash mob interrupts his final convocation ceremony".Toronto Star.June 21, 2012.
  36. ^ab"David Peterson taking over as 2015 Pan Am Games chair".CBC News.September 9, 2013.
  37. ^"Former Ontario premier David Peterson sued for sexual harassment".CBC news. August 14, 2015.
  38. ^"David Peterson receives apology as sexual harassment lawsuit thrown out".Toronto Star.31 October 2017.
  39. ^"David Robert Peterson: Executive Profile".Bloomberg Business. June 11, 2015.
  40. ^"David Peterson loses big bucks in drug price war".Toronto Star.May 8, 2010.
  41. ^"Securities regulators levy $1.2 million in fines, penalties in YBM Magnex case".CBC News. December 4, 2003.Archivedfrom the original on June 19, 2009.
  42. ^ab"From backroom to boardroom: We rank ex-pols' business clout".The Globe and Mail.April 30, 2004.Retrieved13 October2023.
  43. ^Staff, Toronto Star (26 May 2020)."Torstar to be sold, taken private in $52-million deal".Toronto Star.Retrieved26 May2020.
  44. ^Honderich, John (26 May 2020)."'So we pass the torch'".Toronto Star.Retrieved26 May2020.
  45. ^"Judge approves NordStar's $60-million takeover of Torstar".Retrieved2020-07-28.
  46. ^"Former Premier David Peterson celebrates 80th birthday".Toronto Star.February 3, 2024.RetrievedMarch 25,2024.
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