Every year, The Local conducts a diversity survey among our staff and contributors as part of our ongoing commitment to race, representation, and diversity. In 2025 we sent our survey to 44 contributors and received 33 responses, a 75 percent response rate.
In 2025, 72.7 percent of our respondents identified as non-white. This is higher than the Canadian industry average of 25.1 percent.
In terms of gender representation, 60.6 percent of our contributors identified as female, which is higher than the industry average of 52 percent for female contributors. 9.1 percent identified as non-binary, which is higher than the industry average of 1.
In addition to gender and race, The Local is among a handful of outlets that also collect and report data on contributors who identify as living with a disability, which is 9.1 percent for 2025. As not many outlets report on this data, there is no industry average for comparison.
More from this issue
The New Reality for Toronto’s Crossing Guards
Once a job for local retirees backed by the police, today's crossing guards are poorly paid contract workers employed by private companies. As they confront growing road rage and speeding drivers, their work is more dangerous than ever.
We’re Hiring a Peel Reporter
The Local is looking for a talented journalist to join our team as a staff reporter covering civic issues in Mississauga and Brampton.
Canada’s Oldest AIDS Organization Closes After Four Decades
The AIDS Committee of Toronto was at the centre of this city’s response to a crisis. As it shuts its doors this month, the people who built it reckon with its unfinished legacy.
The Local Fellowship 2026
Our fellowship program provides training and mentorship to emerging journalists from communities underrepresented in Canadian media. Applications are now open.
Understanding the Eglinton Crosstown in Seven Illustrations
From Shohei Ohtani’s salary to the tunneling rate of a mole—an unorthodox guide to the numbers behind Toronto’s newest transit line.
Meet Gabrielle McMann, Our Yearlong Journalism Fellow
The emerging journalist is our first early-career fellow, in partnership with The Philanthropist Journal
Ontario’s Daycares Are Increasingly Staffed by Underqualified Hires
New data shows Ministry of Education approvals for non-ECEs working in ECE-designated roles jumped more than 1,000 percent over the last five years.
The Year in Pictures
The Local’s editors pick our favourite images of 2025
The Local’s Most-Read Stories of 2025
From features about health care and higher ed, to stories about tracking bunnies, scammers, and worms, these are our most popular stories of the year.
The Local’s 2025 Year in Review
At this reflective time of year, we gather around the flickering warmth of The Local Slack channel to discuss the year that was.