Why Aren’t Arts Workers Unionized?
Behind every piece of art is a community of underpaid, idealistic gallery installers, box office staff, and technicians. Why arts work needs to be seen as real work.
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.
How I Went Broke Succeeding in Theatre
As curtains rise on Toronto theatres after years of disruption, a generation of creators are wondering if there’s still a place for them on the stage.
Childcare is an Essential Service and a Dysfunctional Business
With ECEs fleeing the industry and a federal childcare deal on the horizon, now is the time to fix a long-broken system.
The Labour of Immigrant Women
During the pandemic, immigrant women briefly came into the spotlight as the hardest hit faction of Canada’s workforce. Those numbers don’t tell nearly enough of the story.
Trapped in the Ivory Basement
In Toronto's booming public community colleges, part-time educators get none of the privileges of cushy academic jobs. Instead, they are overworked, underpaid, and even pushed out of their union.
The Real Cost of a Manicure
In Toronto’s ubiquitous nail salons, immigrant nail technicians are underpaid, precarious, and often exploited.
Rebuilding the Restaurant Business, One Argument at a Time
The pandemic created a window of opportunity to change a broken industry. The challenge now is getting restaurant workers to agree on what that change should be.
How the Laws Make Sex Work Less Safe
Canada's prostitution laws are supposed to protect sex workers. Advocates say they're doing the opposite.
Three Black Farmers on Making it in the GTA
These farmers are trying to fight food insecurity in their communities while making farming a sustainable job. Their biggest challenge? Getting access to arable land.
Is EI Broken?
Our employment insurance system was built before the rise of temp work, gig work, and foreign labour. It’s time for an overhaul.
The Way We Work
How decent jobs became precarious labour, and what we can do about it.
“Somebody Is Going to Get Hurt”
Inspections at industrial workplaces in Ontario fell nearly 30 percent in the last decade, according to analysis by The Local. In the same period, critical injuries more than doubled.
One Year, Fifty Cover Letters, Three Interviews, Zero Jobs
A report from the debt-ridden, desperate, increasingly despairing graduating class of 2020.
The Gigification of Health Care
During the pandemic, health care workers have flocked to apps like Staffy for temp work. What happens when nurses are hired like Uber drivers?
The Hands That Feed Us
Throughout the pandemic, temporary foreign workers have worked in cramped quarters under unsafe conditions to keep our pantries stocked. Is it time they were given a pathway to permanent residency?
Wednesday on the Front of the Frontlines
One is sick with COVID-19. Another has lost a quarter of her income. The personal support workers who care for our most vulnerable remain underpaid and underappreciated.
Providing Care, Barely Getting By
Personal support workers are the backbone of the health care system. Why are they quitting to work in factories and at Tim Horton’s?
Unsung Heroes: Ghirmai the Interpreter
In a city of immigrants, interpreters play an often overlooked role — trekking across the GTA to ensure new Torontonians are understood.
Unsung Heroes: Victor from Maintenance
Victor fixes ruptured pipes and broken heaters. But to those living in supportive housing he’s part therapist, friend, and support worker.