‘No apologies’: Court documents reveal division between Torstar business partners

One of the co-owners of Torstar says he is making 'no apologies' for the way he runs the newspaper business after his partner filed for a court order to wind up its parent company.

One of the co-owners of Torstar Corp. says he is making “no apologies” for the way he runs the newspaper business after his partner filed for a court order to wind up its parent company.

Nordstar Capital Inc. co-owner Jordan Bitove says in a statement that he has worked to make the company resilient, more accountable and more competitive.

Bitove says he has focused on building a product centred on the trusted journalism that readers demand, while using that demand to build a sustainable business.

The statement comes after Bitove’s business partner Paul Rivett described an erosion of the partners’ relationship in a filing to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice earlier this month and called for an asset sale to wind up the company.

In the court filing, Rivett claims Bitove changed his mind about previously agreed upon plans, failed to provide a budget at the Toronto Star, which he oversees as publisher, ignored proper corporate governance and disregarded his responsibilities to Torstar and Nordstar.

Rivett did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday, and the claims have not yet been tested in court.

Rivett has asked the court to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers to manage an asset sale to resolve the “impasse” between the two parties and says dissolving Nordstar is the only way to create a clear path forward for the companies under its umbrella, which also include Metroland Media Group and NorthStar Gaming Inc.

Torstar holds an investment in The Canadian Press as part of a joint agreement with subsidiaries of the Globe and Mail and Montreal’s La Presse.