[1][2] The newspaper was first published on 21 June 1912, and was originally entitled the Montreal Financial Times.
In 1961 it was bought by Southam-Maclean Publications Limited, owned by Southam Company Limited, which was later renamed Southam Inc.[1] Michael Barkway was named editor and publisher of the paper in 1962, staying in those positions until 1974, during which time circulation of the paper increased from 5,000 to 50,000.
[1] In the late 1980s the newspaper became locked in a circulations battle with other Toronto-based business publications, including the Globe and Mail's daily Report on Business, and Toronto Sun Publishing Corp's Financial Post.
In 1988 the newspaper was revamped into a tabloid format, with a buff-coloured front cover,[4] and with a greater focus on analytical pieces.
[6][7] In 1993 the paper contested a gagging order brought against them by Miko Leung, president of MTC Electronic Technologies, on reporting on the content of court files including a lawsuit brought against Leung by his former wife, and questioned whether an announced Chinese business deal was in fact real.