IPolitics

''iPolitics'' is a Canadian digital newspaper, which covers stories in Canadian politics. The site was launched in 2010 by James Baxter, and offers daily coverage of political news, a quarterly print magazine, political analysis podcasts, and specialized parliamentary monitoring services. It also runs ''Queen's Park (QP) Briefing'', which focuses on Ontario political news.

It was purchased by Torstar, the parent company of the ''Toronto Star'' in 2018, but split off in February 2023 following a division of Torstar assets between two former co-owners; former Torstar co-owner Paul Rivett received both publications.

History

''iPolitics'' was founded in 2010 by James Baxter as a digital newspaper covering Canadian politics. In addition to daily political news coverage, its content also included social media sites, a quarterly magazine, parliamentary monitoring services, and podcasts.' In 2018, it was purchased by Torstar, the parent company of the ''Toronto Star''. Torstar moved ''Queen's Park (QP) Briefing,'' its daily subscription newsletter for Ontario politics that it launched in 2012, under the ''iPolitics'' umbrella. After the sale was completed, Torstar laid off five of ''iPolitics'''s staff and appointed Marco Vigliotti as an editor.

After Torstar was taken private in 2020, the two ownership partners fell out, and Paul Rivett asked for a court order to dissolve the partnership assets with Jordan Bitove. One-time owner and former Conservative MP Brian Storseth served as its chairman .

On February 8, 2023, a deal finalized by arbitrator Douglas Cunningham gave Bitove the ''Toronto Star'' and the Metroland Media Group while Rivett received ''iPolitics'' and ''Queen's Park Briefing''.

Also on February 8, Jessica Smith Cross, the editor-in-chief of both publications, and reporter Charlie Pinkerton both resigned and said that the outlet's owners had suppressed a story the day before on developers attending a stag and doe party for Ontario Premier Doug Ford's daughter's wedding. Multiple other outlets had reported on how developers, including donors to Ford's Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, bought protected land in the Greenbelt and would benefit from the premier's plans to take land out of it for development. According to publisher Laura Pennell said that the story did not meet ethical and professional standards and that the editorial staff had been given an opportunity to edit the article. In addition, two reporters who had threatened to quit over the owner's decision on February 7, were laid off on February 8 in pre-planned cost cuts along with a third reporter. Unifor, which was seeking to organize both publications, criticized the layoffs as reducing accountability in Ontario provincial politics.

In May 2024, ''iPolitics'' pitched Alex Nuttall, the mayor of Barrie, a collaboration to launch the ''Barrie Compass'' as a print community newsletter for the city. Conflict of interest concerns were raised after the outlet published a poll favourable to one of Nuttall's policy proposals in early January, since Nuttall and Storseth were both Conservative MPs, though not concurrently; Storseth's wife had worked as an assistant for Nuttall; and the two are co-founders of health charities with mutual ties. The Barrie integrity commissioner confirmed that there were no conflict of interest concerns. Ultimately, the proposal was rejected and an advertising relationship similar to other papers was the final result.

Journalists

Over the years, journalists and columnists for the site have included Michael Harris, Don Newman, Lawrence Martin, L. Ian MacDonald, Frank Graves, Eliza Reid, and Kady O'Malley. iPoliticsINTEL, originally founded as the Alpheus Group by Danelia Bolivar, was handed off to Marguerite Marlin in 2018.

Notes

References

External links

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Canadian news websites
Canadian political websites
Newspapers published in Ottawa
Torstar publications
2010 establishments in Ontario
Newspapers established in 2010