Issues | The Local

Special Series

A Thousand Cuts

Close to a quarter of a million students attend schools in the Toronto District School Board, the largest board in Ontario and one of the largest in all of North America. Yet decades of underfunding have left it struggling to meet students’ needs. From cuts to caretakers, to overworked school administrators, to a lack of resources for special education, our ongoing series examines how our schools got to where they are now—and what it will take to fix them.

Summer 2024

The Green* Economy

*allegedly green, or green-ish, stories from the GTA businesses that could make or break our environmental goals. In collaboration with The Narwhal, this issue digs into some of the biggest corporations in the country, visits small business owners trying to ride the wave of a green transition, and looks at all the ways climate commitments and business imperatives collide in Canada’s biggest city.

Spring 2024

Art + Money

Can you make art and still make a living in Toronto? Stories about international students-turned-popstars, indie filmmakers, radical visual artists, Indigenous painters, and the rest of the playwrights, gallery workers, cultural critics and workers keeping Toronto arts alive.

Winter 2024

The Aging City

Toronto is getting old. Today there are more people over 65 than under 15, and by 2041 it’s estimated that one in five Torontonians will be a senior citizen. In our new ongoing series, we examine life in an aging city—with stories about home care, transit, seniors who wander, LGBTQ2S+ discrimination, and more.

Fall 2023

The Finch West Issue

From a wide-angle look at the region’s sorry transit history to an intimate ride-along on the 36 bus, from an examination of the pandemic's legacy in northwest Toronto to a profile of a forgotten workers’ housing co-op in Rexdale—stories from Finch West on the verge of a massive transformation.

Special Series

First 100 Days

The first 100 days are crucial for a new mayor. In our new column, we’re following Olivia Chow’s first months in office—tracking her progress (or lack thereof) on election promises, who’s supporting and who’s impeding her, and everything else you need to know from City Hall.

Summer 2023

Mayor's Race

Ongoing coverage of the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election. With in-depth profiles of candidates, community reporting, policy analysis, and our Candidate Tracker tool—the only place to find reported, fact-checked biographies and platform summaries of all 102 candidates.

Spring 2023

The Rent Series

The average listing for a one-bedroom is $2,500, people are leaving the city, and the housing situation in Toronto has never been more dire. With stories about delays at the landlord and tenant board, housing discrimination, the city’s worst landlords, and possible solutions, the Rent Series is our in-depth look at the barriers preventing the almost 50 percent of Torontonians who are renters from making a life here.

Issue 17 - Winter 2023

Toronto at 3 AM

In this city’s quietest hour, the people who are awake are awake for a reason. From international student security guards to crisis line volunteers, from DJs building fun in an unfun city to palliative care doctors making house calls—stories of the people who are up while the rest of the city sleeps.

Special Series

Toronto Election 2022

Ongoing coverage of Toronto’s 2022 municipal election. In-depth features on the issues at stake, hyper-local coverage of competitive ward races across the city, and a Candidate Tracker tool to keep you informed this fall.

Issue 15 - Summer 2022

Toronto's Climate Right Now

From heat inequality to invasive species, from an urban bird sanctuary to a brand new Toronto island—stories about vulnerability and adaptation in Canada’s biggest city, a collaboration between The Local and The Narwhal.

Issue 14 - Spring 2022

"Living With It"

This is the sixth wave of the pandemic but the first wave of the “living with it” era. How does a city recover when COVID is no longer the single dominant force in our lives, but still very much present? From beleaguered theatre artists to shopkeepers in a Malvern mall, from the TTC to the health care system—stories about individuals and institutions groping their way towards a new kind of equilibrium.