It began as a buttoned-down clarion for Upper Canada's elite. It never, ever rose to its own claimed status as Canada's national newspaper but through the latter part of the twentieth century it did morph into a thinking person's paper - always right of centre but with a sense of social justice. 

Oddly it withered under the ownership of a company (BCE) that might have been expected to drag it kicking and screaming into the digital era. Now back in the hands of Thompson, it continues to flail against the digital destiny ordained for all survivors in the news business.

It struggles with the deck chairs, oblivious of the dark, massive thing just off its bow. It suffers from poor quality content, an incoherent editorial policy, and a confused revenue model. Inexplicably it clings to uninspired, old-guard, two-fingered hacks as if they were life jackets. But its downfall when it comes will be its growing inclination to eshew controversy and stifle debate.