Established as the BytownPacket in 1845 byWilliam Harris, it was renamed theCitizen in 1851.[6]The newspaper's original motto, which has recently been returned to the editorial page, wasFair Play and Day-Light.[7]
The paper has been through a number of owners. In 1846, Harris sold the paper toJohn Gordon Bell andHenry J. Friel.[8]Robert Bell bought the paper in 1849, and sold it to I.B. Taylor in 1861.[9]In 1877,Charles Herbert Mackintosh became the principal owner, and he later sold it to Robert and Lewis Shannon.[10]
The editorial view of theCitizen has varied with its ownership, taking areform position under Friel,[8] and aconservative position (supportingJohn A. Macdonald) under Mackintosh.[10]When the Liberals defeated the Tory government in 1896, the owners of theCitizen decided to sell to Southam, rather than face an expected cut in government revenue.[11]In 2002, theCitizen's publisher,Russell Mills, was dismissed following the publication of a story critical ofPrime MinisterJean Chrétien and an editorial calling for Chrétien's resignation.[14]
TheCitizen published its last Sunday edition on July 15, 2012. This move meant 20 fewer newsroom jobs, and was part of a series of changes made byPostmedia.[15]TheCitizen stopped producing a print edition on Mondays as of 17 October 2022, due to the costs of printing and delivery, but it continued to publish a digital Monday edition.[2]
Former logo
The pre-2014 logo depicted the top of thePeace Tower of Canada'sParliament Buildings in Ottawa. In 2014, the newspaper adopted a new logo showing the paper's name over an outline of the Peace Tower roof on a green background.[citation needed]
TheOttawa Citizen'scirculation in 2009 was 123,856 copies daily.Its circulation dropped by 26 percent to 91,796 in 2015.[16]
In Spring 2022, theOttawa Citizen's unduplicated print and digital average weekday audience was 231,000, and its unduplicated average weekly audience was 490,000.[4]
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