Stop the press. Or rather, end the printed press.

News dropped last week of Metroland’s bankruptcy protection declaration and the ending of the printed version of The Mississauga News. Truly the end of an era – and one that predates our city.

Since its founding in 1965, The Mississauga News has been one of our leading community voices and purveyor of local news. The paper has played a critical role in chronicling and capturing the stories of our city, and in shaping our interactions with, and perspectives about, our city. Certainly, The Mississauga News was not alone when its first edition hits the stands on June 23, 1965. The older community papers of The Streetsville Review and The Weekly (formerly called the Port Credit Weekly and later rebranded as the South Peel Weekly and then the Mississauga Times), were already publishing when The Mississauga News was born. But for a myriad of reasons, one by one the other local papers ceased, while The Mississauga News continued, eventually becoming the sole print newspaper in our city.

When the newspaper was born, the name Mississauga was still several years away from being adopted as the official name of our city, and in the newspaper’s first issue, the new publication was introduced to our citizens as such:

“With this issue, the management of the Mississauga News presents to the citizens of South Peel a lusty young infant newspaper. It will be published weekly as a chronicle of the happenings of the Mississauga community – Port Credit, Cooksville, Lorne Park, Clarkson, the Park Royal and Fairfield areas, Sheridan, Streetsville, Erindale and environs. The period of gestation and birth were normal and without incident, and the parents anticipate a normal and healthy pattern of growth. The Mississauga News is fortunate to be born in a climate and locality that is probably more conducive to growth than any other part of Canada. The dream of the great Golden Horseshoe is becoming a reality, and South Peel today is the pivot of the booming semi-circle.”

Under the direction of its publishers over its history, notably its founder Ken Armstrong, followed by Erik Watt, Brian Saracini, Elio Agostini, Douglas Regan, Ron Lenyk, Ken Nugent and Dana Robbins, not to mention the countless journalists, editors and staff who have worked with The Mississauga News over the years, the newspaper found its way into the hand of countless residents. Metroland’s news of ceasing the print newspaper (although they will continue with the online news content) means that for the first time in our city’s history we will not have a regular printed newspaper. After 58 years it is truly the end of an era.

To this student of history, the end of the printed newspaper seems to have generated little in the way of an emotional response – perhaps suggesting that its time had come in the public consciousness. I know that I will miss it. Thank you to all of those, past and present, who crafted the newspaper over the years and provided a voice for our city. The paper will be missed, but it has left a remarkable chronicle for our city.

But, just maybe, the ending of one chapter may open doors for another in the future.