The Creeping Threat to Trans Rights in Toronto
Toronto is seen by many as a progressive bastion, but as anti-trans sentiment grips right-wing politics abroad and in Canada—including here in Ontario’s biggest city—local advocates are bracing themselves.
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?
Failing Our Students
Toronto’s public education system has been underfunded for decades. Kids are paying the price.
When Environmentalism is Weaponized Against the Unhoused
From a proposed pollinator garden at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields to tree trimmings and ‘grass remediation’—how the city uses green rhetoric to displace the homeless.
Making Space for Queer Community, Between Banquet Tables and Dim Sum Carts
For many queer, racialized Torontonians, Church and Wellesley doesn’t feel welcoming. As they push for inclusion, they’re also building their own spaces far from the Village.
Excluded: The Legal Loophole Barring Hundreds of Ontario Students From School
A little-known provision gives school principals blanket authority to exclude “detrimental” students from class. Advocates say it’s being abused, and the province isn't paying enough attention.
The Flow of Money: What Southern Ontario’s Nature Is Worth
Talk about a green economy might evoke images of solar panels and carbon capture. But work to conserve and restore ecosystems is already driving economic activity
Enbridge Gas Is ‘Fighting For Its Survival’—That Means Keeping Ontario on Fossil Fuels
The energy giant is lobbying Ontario municipalities to ensure efforts to reduce emissions don't threaten its bottom line.
More Electric Vehicles Are Coming to Toronto’s Streets, But Who Gets to Fix Them?
As the federal government introduces ambitious goals for all new cars to be zero-emissions by 2035, mom-and-pop garages are wrestling with EV manufacturers and dealers over the right to repair them.
What We Found at Three Canadian GFL Locations
Dead fish in North Stormont, conflicting stories in Abbotsford, and a mysterious, unbearable stench in Hamilton.
Toronto Homes Can’t Go Carbon-Neutral Unless Developers Get On Board
Buildings are Toronto's largest source of greenhouse gases. The city has ambitious plans to fix that, but developers are balking at the price tag.
Royal Bank of Canada on the Defensive Over Criticism of Fossil Fuel Financing
Accused of being Canada’s biggest financial backer of fossil fuel projects, the bank is feeling the heat—even if it doesn’t say that publicly.
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.
Toronto’s Green-ish Economy
If we want to write about the environment, we need to write about business.
Meet the 2024 Local Fellows
We’re excited to announce this year’s Local Journalism Fellows: Alice Boyle, Sam Rosati Martin, Matthew Molinaro, and Mzwandile Poncana.
The Local Wins at the Digital Publishing Awards and National Magazine Awards
Our coverage of the mayoral election and the Finch West LRT construction were recognized at a pair of awards ceremonies on Friday evening.
The Local Wins Two Canadian Association of Journalists Awards
Daysha Loppie received the Student Award of Excellence and Simon Lewsen won the prize in the Community Written category.
Don’t Save Local Journalism, Reinvent It
We launched The Local on this day in 2019. After five years, one global pandemic, multiple elections, and a constant drumbeat of bad news for the media, here’s why I’m more optimistic than ever about local, non-profit journalism.