Wency Leung
Wency Leung is a reporter for The Local. She was previously a health reporter for The Globe and Mail. You can reach her by email at wency@thelocal.to or on Bluesky @wencyleung.bsky.social.
12 stories
Ontario Needs Nurses—Many Are Already Here, and Waiting to Practice
In the midst of a labour shortage, nurses who come as caregivers and students remain shut out of their profession, with many working gig economy jobs and contemplating leaving.
A Long-Brewing Crisis in Special Education
Parents and teachers say schools are underfunded and understaffed, kids are being “abandoned” in mainstream classrooms in the name of inclusion, and neither the TDSB nor the province will take responsibility.
How a By-Election in Don Valley West Became a Contentious, Partisan Fight
Voting in Ward 15 is usually a sleepy affair. But with accusations of bigotry, legal threats, and behind-the-scenes manoeuvring, the by-election has narrowed into a heated race between right-wing commentator Anthony Furey and TDSB chair Rachel Chernos Lin.
Toronto’s Encampments, By the Numbers
Recent analysis by The Local shows just how widespread encampments have become, and how the City’s clearing efforts simply pushed unhoused Torontonians from one park to another.
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?
What We Found at Three Canadian GFL Locations
Dead fish in North Stormont, conflicting stories in Abbotsford, and a mysterious, unbearable stench in Hamilton.
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.
The Trouble with Home Care
Aging at home is what people want, and what governments have long said is the key to easing pressure on the health care system. So why is home care so broken?
Promised Childcare Centres Delayed by Provincial Red Tape, says TDSB
Six years after the ministry of education greenlit 28 new childcare centres, construction hasn’t even begun, leaving parents in underserved corners of Toronto struggling to find care.
Behind the Unprecedented Rise in Food Bank Use
Food charities started out as a temporary measure to alleviate hunger. But since COVID, demand has skyrocketed for services that were only ever meant to be a stopgap.