The ''Midland Free Press'' was founded in 1896. In 1933, it was purchased by Herbert Cranston, longtime editor of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

Weekly''. Cranston published the newspaper until his death. His son sold it to

Thomson Newspapers The Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organisation Ltd (ITOL) and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to form ...

in 1965. Thomson published the paper on Wednesdays and Fridays, introducing a Sunday paper in 1992. The Sunday edition, which was circulated in several regional papers, was dropped in 1994, just before the paper was sold to

Southam Newspapers Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, news ...

. Southam, in turn, was absorbed by Hollinger, which sold the paper to

Osprey Media Osprey Media L.P. was a Canadian newspaper regional chain that published 20 daily newspapers, 34 non-daily newspapers, and a number of shopping guides and magazines in the Canadian province of Ontario. Formerly an independent income trust, it was ...

. That company was later absorbed by

Quebecor Quebecor Inc. is a Canadian diversified media and telecommunications company serving Québec based in Montreal. It was spelled Quebecor in both English and French until May 2012, when shareholders voted to add the acute accent, Québecor, in F ...

. Each owner stripped assets from the paper and cut staff. Its printing plant and downtown office were sold and its editorial staff was cut from six full-time reporters and editors to one part-time editor and one reporter. The newspaper has won numerous awards, especially during the Cranston years. Its reporters, including Paul Welch, Jacquie McLaghlan,

Mark Bourrie Mark Bourrie (born 1959 or 1960) is a Canadian journalist and author. He has worked as a contract lecturer at Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. In 2020, his biography of Pierre-Esprit Radisson, ''Bushrunner: The Adventures of Pi ...

, and Debbie Levy broke important environment, political and spot news stories in the 1980s and 1990s. The Free Press published its last edition on Thursday June 20, 2013.

See also