AToronto by-election has shed light on some of the key issues in Ontario politics, plus a less-discussed one that voters should care about.

The Liberal win in midtown St. Paul's riding suggests Premier Dalton McGuinty's party is not ready to fall, despite being caught repeatedly failing to stop greedy appointees to the provincial payroll wasting taxpayers' money.

The Progressive Conservatives under new leader Tim Hudak have been unable to capitalize on this, are not on their way back and are slowed by their connection to the far-right premier Mike Harris.

The Liberals' plan to harmonize provincial and federal sales taxes, which the opposition parties tried to make the major issue, so far has not damaged their chances of re-election, but since the tax is not in effect yet they should be wary.

But the most interesting issue in the campaign to some reporters who cover the legislature concerned one of their own, Sue-Ann Levy, the far-right city hall columnist for the Toronto Sun, having run for the Conservatives.

News media are supposed to be neutral, but there were fears that the Sun would try to ram its employee down voters' throats, as it did when others among its writers had run for public office.

The most memorable example was when the paper's then editor-in-chief, Peter Worthington, ran in a byelection and his fellow writers made this sound more important than the emergence of a Barack Obama.

To be fair, the Sun has a tradition of publicizing its own writers, whether or not they are running for office, as a means of connecting them to readers. But the paper's support for him went far beyond this and was unfair to other candidates.

It ran editorials with such headlines as "Good luck, Peter!" Associate editor Barbara Amiel, now married to Conrad Black, wrote columns in which she pictured her boss resembling Jesus Christ, because he had moral qualities so high the public would not accept them.

Columnists vied to see who could praise Worthington most. Dalton Camp called Worthington "provocative, vigorous, clear and independent" and Paul Hellyer said he was "a free spirit, who cannot be bottled up."

Lubor Zink lauded Worthington for his "welldefined and articulated political philosophy," Ottawa columnist Douglas Fisher thought "it would be a delight if Worthington were to win" and Paul Rimstead, who normally wrote of his drinking exploits, felt Worthington "might just be the most honest man I ever met."

Claire Hoy urged voters to "cheer on" Worthington and municipal columnist John Downing, while deploring his paper devoting too much space to this by-election, added, "Worthington will win and I think should win."

Morton Shulman, a former New Democrat MPP turned columnist, said "every person with intelligence should vote for Worthington" and TV columnist Dennis Braithwaite declared his boss "capable, independent and gutsy."

Patrick Conlon lamented his contract prevented him writing about politics, but had to mention Worthington would make a great politician, and Washington correspondent Peter Brimelow strayed from his beat to urge "Worthington to power."

Even the Sun's restaurant reviewer managed to praise his editor, on the tenuous ground he was reviewing a restaurant in the same riding.

This unbalanced support by a newspaper for one of its own may have turned off readers, because Worthington lost. (Incidentally, he deserves some praise, because in his eighties he still writes lucid columns almost daily and may be the oldest full-time writer for papers in Canada.)

In the by-election Levy contested, the Sun's provincial affairs columnist wrote that she is a good friend, passionate crusader against pomposity and tireless watchdog who makes sure tax dollars are well spent.

Another Sun columnist, who reports on happenings around town, declared he was not a friend, did not care if she won, but she was a pit bull who would stir up things at the legislature.

But the paper this time gave equal space and praise to all candidates, and while its columnist did not win, its conduct was a big step forward for journalism.