Stories about
The Transit Boss Torontonians Love to Hate
When Phil Verster was announced as Metrolinx’s CEO in 2017, there was universal praise. But with an $856,000 salary and a tenure defined by cost overruns and years of delays to projects like the Eglinton LRT, critics want him out. How did it go so wrong?
Tenants See Evictions; Their Landlord Sees a Revolutionary New Business Model
As CEO of Harrington Housing, Jonas Emre says he’s “transforming” the rental sector with a new model of flexible co-living. Tenants say he’s evicting them, subdividing their apartments, and attempting to sidestep the protections of the RTA.
Results from The Local’s Annual Diversity Survey
Every year The Local conducts a diversity survey among staff and contributors. See how we did in 2023.
Death and the Salesmen
As the city runs out of burial space, a series of boardroom and legal battles in the booming bereavement industry could determine the future of death in Toronto.
The Local Journalism Fellowship 2024
Now in its fifth year, the program provides training and mentorship to aspiring and emerging journalists from communities underrepresented in Canadian media.
The Trouble with Home Care
Aging at home is what people want, and what governments have long said is the key to easing pressure on the health care system. So why is home care so broken?
When Seniors Wander
Each year, over 500 seniors are reported missing to the Toronto Police. As the city ages and dementia rates rise, what can we do to ensure older Torontonians get home safe?
Biking at 77
I’ve cycled in Toronto all my life. But when I had an accident, and was forced off my bike, I suddenly saw the city with new eyes.
The Local’s 2023 Year in Review
Favourite stories, best reporting trip meals, worst Big Tech dustups—a Local end-of-year staff roundtable.
After 20 Years, Torontonians Will Have to Wait Even Longer for an Accessible TTC
Until this September, the TTC reported being on-track to meet its 2025 deadline for provincially mandated accessibility improvements. The transit authority had two decades on the clock—where did it go wrong?
Recloseted at 80
Out of fear of discrimination, insensitive care, or even memory loss returning them to an earlier time, some LGBTQ2S+ seniors find themselves hiding their identities as they age.
How the City Is Failing Aging Torontonians
Toronto’s demographic shift was expected and predictable. But from housing to health care, it often feels like the city has been caught by surprise.
Parthi Kandavel Wins Scarborough Southwest By-Election
The former TDSB trustee beat out a field of 23 to become Ward 20's newest city councillor.
Live Results from Scarborough Southwest By-Election
Real-time results from election night, starting at 8 p.m. on November 30, 2023.
Minor Tweaks to Road Safety Policy Won’t Get Us to Zero
City council just approved a series of changes to Toronto’s Vision Zero program—but the improvements fail to address a key weakness in the way the program is run.
Promised Childcare Centres Delayed by Provincial Red Tape, says TDSB
Six years after the ministry of education greenlit 28 new childcare centres, construction hasn’t even begun, leaving parents in underserved corners of Toronto struggling to find care.
In Small Claims Court, Justice Delayed
While Ontario’s other court systems bounce back from their pandemic-era backlogs, analysis by The Local shows that “the people’s court,” where many low-income people seek justice, is lagging far behind.
Behind the Unprecedented Rise in Food Bank Use
Food charities started out as a temporary measure to alleviate hunger. But since COVID, demand has skyrocketed for services that were only ever meant to be a stopgap.
Evaluating Olivia Chow’s First 100 Days
On issues from intergovernmental relations to housing, transit to taxes—we try to make sense of the mayor’s first months in office in the final column of our First 100 Days series.
The New Middlemen of the Rental Market
With demand high and renters desperate, property management companies like Urby Housing are using non-standard rental agreements that try to sidestep the protections of the Residential Tenancies Act in creative, increasingly brazen ways.