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Diana Chan McNally attends an overdose awareness event at Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Vote 2026
Vote 2026

Toronto’s Most Well-Known Defender of the Unhoused Runs for Council

September 11, 2026

Profile
by Emma Paling with photography by Nic Hotchkiss

As a teenager, Diana Chan McNally was briefly homeless. She’s since worked in drop-in centres and become a prominent advocate for unhoused Torontonians. In the race for Parkdale-High Park, she’s going to need to win over homeowners too.

After discovering inaccuracies in this story, we’ve temporarily taken it down for editorial review. (Oct. 1, 2026)

About the author, Emma Paling

Emma Paling is a journalist in Toronto whose work has been published in The New York Times, CBC News, The Maple and many other publications. Her forthcoming book, The Get-Well Club, is about the Moss Park safe consumption site. For updates about the book, subscribe here.

About the photographer, Nic Hotchkiss

Nic Hotchkiss is a documentary photographer and visual artist based in the GTA. Whether out in nature or on city streets, they marry the stories of people with the places they find themselves in. Their work has been published in The Globe and Mail and University of Toronto Magazine. Nic is a 2026 Local Journalism Fellow, supported by funding from the City of Toronto’s Access Plan for Two-Spirit, Trans & Non-Binary Youth. Nic can be reached via email at nic_hotchkiss@outlook.com.

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