Understanding John Tory’s Proposed Budget
The first budget of the “strong mayor” era doesn’t do enough to address the city’s long-standing problems.
A Voice on the End of the Line
For the last sixty years, crisis hotlines have been the emergency rooms of the mental health world. But remote work has transformed the already challenging overnight shift into a deeply lonely one.
How York Memorial Students Got Blamed for the TDSB’s Mistakes
Sensational reports about violence have dominated the narrative around York Memo, ignoring the reality of how, despite warnings, the Board’s decisions have devastated students' access to education.
The Deadly Inequality of Toronto’s Vision Zero Rollout
An investigation by The Local using FOI requests, city-wide speeding data, and analysis of council minutes, reveals a system that makes wealthy downtown neighbourhoods safer while leaving lower-income inner-suburban communities to fend for themselves.
Call the Police… Then Wait
The Toronto Police take three times longer than they should to get to the most urgent emergencies. Why a $1.1 billion force doesn’t come when you need them.
As Toronto Temperatures Rise, Inequalities Widen
Climate change causes heat waves, but the city’s politics, policies, and design determine who suffers most.
For TTC Bus Riders, the Wait is Endless
Buses are the unglamorous workhorses of the TTC. By neglecting them to build flashy rail projects a decade from now, is the TTC failing the people that need transit most today?
Two School Shootings, 15 Years Apart
The 2007 shooting of Jordan Manners sparked a massive review of school safety. With another fatal shooting last month, advocates are asking what has changed, and what hasn’t, in the years since.
Fighting Vaccine Hesitancy at Alternative Schools
High vaccine exemption rates have long been a feature at Toronto alternative schools, but as COVID vaccines roll out to kids, there’s a new urgency to reach these hesitant parents.
“Somebody Is Going to Get Hurt”
Inspections at industrial workplaces in Ontario fell nearly 30 percent in the last decade, according to analysis by The Local. In the same period, critical injuries more than doubled.
Plenty of Pharmacies, but No Vaccines in Toronto’s Northwest
There are 25 pharmacies in the five Toronto neighbourhoods worst-hit by COVID. Why weren’t any of them chosen to administer vaccines?
Who’s Actually Running Ontario’s Long-Term Care Homes?
Nearly 100 of Ontario’s embattled care homes are outsourced to third-party operators—an arrangement often invisible to the families that hides death rates far higher than the industry average.
The Other Epidemic in Toronto’s Schools
The problems in Toronto’s schools didn’t start with COVID-19—our underfunded education system has been in a slow-motion crisis for decades.