Growing Up on the 36 Finch West
It takes me two hours on transit to visit my mom in Rexdale. Can a transit line begin to connect a neighbourhood that sometimes feels a world apart?
The Apartments the Union Built
In the 1980s, aircraft workers in Malton were struggling to find housing—so they built their own. What can this obscure Rexdale housing co-op teach us today?
The Slow Fight for Rapid Transit on Finch West
After more than fifty years of talk, northwest Toronto is finally getting an LRT. But as the new line brings higher rents, changing businesses, and on-going construction, residents are demanding a say in how their community will change.
Welcome to Finch West
The LRT doesn’t open until next year at the earliest, but it’s already transforming Toronto’s northwest.
A Return to Pre-Budget Consultations
68 Days In—budget chief Shelley Carroll on how this budget’s process will be different, her reluctance to raise property taxes, and how to negotiate with the feds and the province.
Olivia Chow’s Financial Plan Takes Form
50 Days In - If the mayor can’t wrest funds from the province or feds, or convince council to approve new revenue tools, her tenure will look little different from Tory’s.
A Leftward Tilt for the City’s Committees
34 Days In—Olivia Chow makes council appointments, and the by-election churn continues.
What Can Olivia Chow Do About Climate Change?
24 days in—How a city mayor can tackle a global problem, a literal train wreck in Scarborough, and what’s next at Toronto City Hall.
Tracking Olivia Chow’s First 100 Days as Toronto Mayor
9 days in—a shelter and homelessness crisis reaches city hall, Olivia Chow's first council meeting, and drinking in (some) parks.
Come Work with Us!
The Local is looking for a talented, Toronto-based journalist to join our team as a full-time, permanent staff reporter to cover beats like public education and labour.
Olivia Chow is Mayor
Chow becomes the first progressive mayor in 13 years, the first female in the role since amalgamation, and the first non-white leader in Toronto history.
Results from Toronto’s Mayoral By-Election
Real-time results from every ward, starting at 8 p.m. on election night.
How the Election Looks From the Suburbs
Toronto mayoral elections are often decided far from the downtown core. Here’s what matters to voters in three key suburban wards where the race could be fiercest.
Where Toronto’s Mayoral Candidates Stand on Public Safety
It's one of the city's most complex policy problems, and a political lightning rod. Here's what the platforms of frontrunners in the mayoral race—Olivia Chow, Mark Saunders, Josh Matlow, Mitzie Hunter, Brad Bradford, and Anthony Furey—say about making Toronto safer.
Where Has Olivia Chow Been?
After almost a decade out of public life, years spent training grassroots organizers, the former NDP MP is leading the polls for Toronto mayor. What does Chow’s time out of government say about what she might do if she finds herself back in?
How Toronto’s Mayoral Candidates Plan to Address the Housing Crisis
From staying the course, to supply-based approaches, to getting the city back in the business of building, here’s how Toronto’s mayoral hopefuls promise to fix housing.
The Chief Concern with Mark Saunders
Toronto’s former police chief has run his campaign for mayor almost exclusively on a law and order platform. In a city grappling with its relationship with the police, does Saunders’ service record help or hinder his chances?
Toronto Needs a Mayor Who Can See Through the Smoke
Climate change is an urgent municipal issue. Here are the mayoral hopefuls taking it seriously, the deniers posing as delayers, and the long-shot candidate with the best environmental platform.
The Transformation of Josh Matlow
Once an ardent centrist, the midtown councillor has tacked a course to the left in recent years and is now running as progressive truth-teller. Can a politician change? Can a city?
Meet the 2023 Fellows
We’re thrilled to introduce this year’s Local Journalism Fellows: Khadija Alam, Mobólúwajídìde (“Bo”) D. Joseph, Daysha Loppie, and Sakeina Syed.