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.
See the Results of Our Annual Diversity Survey
Every year The Local conducts a diversity survey among staff and contributors. See how we did in 2022.
The Local Journalism Fellowship 2023
Now in its fourth year, the program provides training and mentorship to aspiring and emerging journalists from communities underrepresented in Canadian media. Applications are now open.
After a Voided Election, A Surge of Interest in a French School Trustee Race
Last fall, a French school trustee election imploded when it emerged that no one running actually spoke French. Now the by-election in Viamonde Ward 3 — Centre has a crowded slate of eager candidates and an increase in voter enrollment.
A Local Year in Review
Favourite reporting moments, overlooked stories, heaviest furniture to carry up four flights of stairs—a Local staff 2022 roundtable.
Maybe I’ll See Raymond
For years, I walked the city doing street outreach overnight—handing out socks, listening to people’s stories, always scanning the crowd for a familiar face.
The Night Watchmen
In the booming private security industry, the biggest problem is finding enough guards. Then came a new source of low-wage employees—international students.
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.
The Brutish Lives and Hideous Deaths of Toronto Rats
Rats are cunning, ravenous, daring, disgusting. They stand in for everything squalid and dysfunctional about urban life and we will never be rid of them.
Leaving the Party
Walking late at night, free from the noise of the day and the demands and threats of men, I can finally hear my own thoughts.
Death in the Small Hours
In the middle of the night, palliative care doctor Joshua Wales drives across the city, making house calls to people during the most emotionally complex, vulnerable moments of their lives.
Building Fun in a Notoriously Unfun City
With artists getting international recognition and partygoers eager to make up for lost time, the only thing standing between Toronto and a vibrant nightlife scene is Toronto.
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.
A John Tory Landslide, and New Faces on Council
With dismal voter turnout and a third term for Tory, the city’s election presented some expected results—and a few big surprises.
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.
Ward Profile: In a Tight Race in Willowdale, All Questions Lead to Housing
A controversial supportive housing project on Cummer Avenue has become a point of contention between the three lead candidates hoping to lead Ward 18.
The Mysterious French School Trustee Candidates Who Don’t Speak French
When parents at the Viamonde school board became suspicious of the only two trustee candidates running in their ward, they investigated. Now one candidate says he’s ready to resign, as the controversy threatens the legitimacy of the entire election.
New Downtown Councillors Will Have a Tough Job from Day One—Managing Development
With an exploding population, constant building, and wards the size of small towns, the candidates who win Toronto’s downtown seats will inherit problems, and possibilities.
Councillor Michael Thompson Is Facing Sexual Assault Allegations… Now What?
With the councillor facing charges, five low-profile challengers in Ward 21 — Scarborough Centre are hoping to break through the inertia of incumbency.
Why Voting Will Never Be My First Priority
For people like me, voting often feels like an easy political act that changes little. My political engagement comes in other forms.