The Local is an independent magazine exploring urban health and social issues in Toronto. We take a data-driven, yet authentically human approach to storytelling on pressing issues facing the city, from poverty and homelessness, to mental health, aging, and food insecurity.
The Local is unabashedly Toronto , reporting from corners of the city that are too often ignored or misunderstood, with bylines as diverse as the city itself. We publish in-depth features, essays, data journalism and commentary, alongside multimedia and other experimental forms of storytelling. The Local aims to fill a role that traditional media neglects — turning complex policy issues into compelling narratives, and addressing problems that are pressing and ongoing, even if they don’t have a news hook.
The Local was the winner of the 2022 Press Freedom Award for its groundbreaking coverage of the pandemic in Peel Region. The Local also won two National Magazine Awards and two Digital Publishing Awards in 2022, including the prestigious General Excellence in Digital Publishing (Small Publication) for a second year in a row. The Local won a total of four Digital Publishing Awards in 2021 and another two Digital Publishing Awards in 2020.
The Local (formally The Local TO Publishing) is a Registered Journalism Organization, and a member of Press Forward.
Masthead
Editor-in-Chief: Tai Huynh
Senior Editor: Nicholas Hune-Brown
Associate Editor: Inori Roy
Manager of Operations: Craig Madho
Board of Directors
Chair: Chris Ellis
Directors: Sagal Ali, Amirah El-Safty, David Gildiner, Nora Gorman, Julia Howell, Pauline Pariser, Michael Torres
Our History
The Local began as a hyper-local storytelling project at UHN OpenLab, a design and innovation studio, in 2017. It was spun off as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2019.
Our Supporters
As a non-profit, we rely on various sources of revenue to pay our staff and contributors, and to offer high-quality content that is freely accessible to everyone. Vital to keeping The Local operating as an ad- and paywall-free magazine is our growing community of financial supporters. They include philanthropic foundations and individual readers like you.
The Local makes public all sources of funding above $5,000 per year as part of our code of ethics. In addition to these major financial contributors, The Local is supported by hundreds of individual readers who have generously donated various amounts—one-time, monthly, or yearly.
Interested in supporting our work? It’s really quick and easy through our secure payment portal. The Local is a Registered Journalism Organization, which means supporters get a charitable tax receipt.
Have questions? Contact us at info@thelocal.to
The Local StoryLab
The Local StoryLab works with mission-driven organizations to help tell their stories. It uses The Local‘s journalism expertise and resources to tell in-depth, human-centred stories on issues of concern to client organizations. Stories live on those organizations’ websites and platforms, and income from The Local StoryLab helps to fund the journalism of The Local.
Interested in working with The Local StoryLab? Contact us at info@thelocal.to