Recent Posts
The Creeping Threat to Trans Rights in Toronto
Toronto is seen by many as a progressive bastion, but as anti-trans sentiment grips right-wing politics abroad and in Canada—including here in Ontario’s biggest city—local advocates are bracing themselves.
Trouble in the Principal’s Office
The problems in Toronto schools end up in the office, where principals and vice-principals say they’re overwhelmed and struggling to keep up.
Fewer Caretakers, Dirtier Schools
Sticky floors, rodent infestations, uncleared ice, overflowing toilets—Toronto schools are showing the effects of years of slashing caretaker jobs.
How Decades of Underfunding Eroded Toronto’s Schools
In the largest city in one of the richest countries, Toronto's public school system should be world class. So why are students heading back to school in crumbling buildings without enough staff to meet their needs?
Failing Our Students
Toronto’s public education system has been underfunded for decades. Kids are paying the price.
When Environmentalism is Weaponized Against the Unhoused
From a proposed pollinator garden at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields to tree trimmings and ‘grass remediation’—how the city uses green rhetoric to displace the homeless.
Excluded: The Legal Loophole Barring Hundreds of Ontario Students From School
A little-known provision gives school principals blanket authority to exclude “detrimental” students from class. Advocates say it’s being abused, and the province isn't paying enough attention.
Making Space for Queer Community, Between Banquet Tables and Dim Sum Carts
For many queer, racialized Torontonians, Church and Wellesley doesn’t feel welcoming. As they push for inclusion, they’re also building their own spaces far from the Village.
The Flow of Money: What Southern Ontario’s Nature Is Worth
Talk about a green economy might evoke images of solar panels and carbon capture. But work to conserve and restore ecosystems is already driving economic activity
Enbridge Gas Is ‘Fighting For Its Survival’—That Means Keeping Ontario on Fossil Fuels
The energy giant is lobbying Ontario municipalities to ensure efforts to reduce emissions don't threaten its bottom line.
More Electric Vehicles Are Coming to Toronto’s Streets, But Who Gets to Fix Them?
As the federal government introduces ambitious goals for all new cars to be zero-emissions by 2035, mom-and-pop garages are wrestling with EV manufacturers and dealers over the right to repair them.
What We Found at Three Canadian GFL Locations
Dead fish in North Stormont, conflicting stories in Abbotsford, and a mysterious, unbearable stench in Hamilton.
Toronto Homes Can’t Go Carbon-Neutral Unless Developers Get On Board
Buildings are Toronto's largest source of greenhouse gases. The city has ambitious plans to fix that, but developers are balking at the price tag.
Royal Bank of Canada on the Defensive Over Criticism of Fossil Fuel Financing
Accused of being Canada’s biggest financial backer of fossil fuel projects, the bank is feeling the heat—even if it doesn’t say that publicly.
GFL Says It’s ‘Green For Life’—Its Neighbours Disagree
The GTA waste management company projects a green image. But a history of fires, water contamination, regulatory violations, and the complaints of neighbours from North Carolina to Hamilton tell another story.
Toronto’s Green-ish Economy
If we want to write about the environment, we need to write about business.
Join the thousands of Torontonians who've signed up for our free newsletter and get award-winning local journalism delivered to your inbox.
The Realities of Renting While Black
Black renters have always faced discrimination in Toronto. The rental crisis makes it worse.
Where Has Olivia Chow Been?
After almost a decade out of public life, years spent training grassroots organizers, the former NDP MP is leading the polls for Toronto mayor. What does Chow’s time out of government say about what she might do if she finds herself back in?
“Canada’s Worst Obstacle Course”
Metrolinx has promised Toronto a more interconnected tomorrow. As it rips up some of the city’s busiest streets, is it paying enough attention to the safety and wellbeing of Torontonians today?
In Small Claims Court, Justice Delayed
While Ontario’s other court systems bounce back from their pandemic-era backlogs, analysis by The Local shows that “the people’s court,” where many low-income people seek justice, is lagging far behind.