Canadian return OK for Black

OTTAWA — Former media mogul Conrad Black has been given permission to return to Canada after his release from a Florida jail.

The federal government granted Black a one-year, temporary-resident permit, according to a source.

Black has been serving the final days of a jail term for fraud and obstruction of justice. He has declared publicly he wants to return to his home in Toronto, which he shares with his wife, Barbara Amiel.

The authorization of a temporary permit is the first step in Black’s quest to return to Canada long-term — but he will have to pass through a series of immigration hurdles to become a Canadian citizen again.

In 2001, the Montreal-born Black gave up his citizenship to accept a peerage in Britain’s House of Lords. He did this because then-prime Minister Jean Chretien would not allow him to accept the title as a Canadian citizen.

Black was convicted of fraud and obstruction of justice in 2007.

He was released in 2010 while the courts re-examined his case. He returned to a Miami prison last September, where he received credit for time served.

His sentence is due to end this weekend, although prison officials said he likely would be released Friday.

Black has made it clear he wants to return to Canada, but his criminal conviction and lack of citizenship pose problems. Black’s ultimate goal is to once again become a citizen.

Before his run-in with U.S. prosecutors, Black was one of the world’s most successful media moguls. In the 1990s, he bought a stake in the Southam newspaper company and founded the National Post in 1998.