bˈeɪn wʌz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd baɪ ˈælən fˈʌðɚɹˌɪŋæm æz bˈiːɪŋ  "ðə wˈɪɾɪɪst kˈɑːləmnˌɪst ˈɛvɚ tə ɡɹˈeɪs ˈɑːɾɐwə," ænd dˈʌɡ fˈɪʃɚ sˈɛd ðæt bˈeɪn wʌz "ðə klˈoʊsɪst tə ðə pˈɜːfɛkt kˈɑːləmnˌɪst" ænd ðə kˈɑːləmnˌɪst hiː tɹˈaɪd tʊ ˈɛmjʊlˌeɪt.
Bain was described by Allan Fotheringham as being  "the wittiest columnist ever to grace Ottawa," and Doug Fisher said that Bain was "the closest to the perfect columnist" and the columnist he tried to emulate.