The following article was written by staff at Sudbury.com as a tribute to Michael Atkins, a member of Village Media's board of directors whose entrepreneurship and vision stretched across Northern Ontario and beyond. Sudbury.
com is saddened to share the news of the passing of Michael Ross Atkins, the man whose vision and passion for Northern Ontario was second only to his vision and passion for the news business. The founder of Northern Life, Sudbury.com, Northern Ontario Business and a host of other publications, Mr.
Atkins passed away Dec. 18 in Toronto with his family by his side. He was 76.
Telling the story of a life like his is challenging. Mr Atkins, as the many people interviewed for this story will tell you, had his finger in a lot of pies. He moved easily through the worlds of news media, business, academia and politics, driven, as his friends and associates will tell you, by an insatiable curiosity and an unquenchable desire to make a difference in people’s lives and in the world.
Fortunately for the people of Greater Sudbury and the people of Northern Ontario, Mr. Atkins chose to dedicate his considerable talents to ensuring the Nickel City and the North — long ignored by power brokers in Toronto and Ottawa — not only had a voice, but had influence. Mr.
Atkins’ approach in this regard was as unique and interesting as the man himself. He didn’t tell Northern Ontario it had a voice; he used his media empire to give the North a megaphone. Mr.
Atkins had a k.
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