Breakdown at the Racetrack
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of fatal horse injuries at Woodbine raises questions about the future of the sport.
Doug Ford’s Big Wager on Online Gambling
The province’s three-year-old online casino market, iGaming Ontario, is already bringing in billions of dollars. The Tories are betting the revenues outweigh the human costs.
The Killing of the Science Centre
The 55-year old museum shuttered without warning one Friday in June. Then devastated staff were given four months to dismantle it. A former employee on the last days of a beloved institution.
The Geography of Complaint
From wealthy neighbours griping about shrubbery to low-income tenants requesting winter heat—a map of 311 requests charts a certain kind of civic engagement, and privilege.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A New Approach to Homelessness on the TTC?
85 Days In — a new message at the TTC Board, turning shuttle buses into shelters, and how to derail a train.
The Crisis After the Crisis
During lockdowns, politicians, journalists, and policy makers suddenly started paying attention to communities along the Finch West corridor. Then they stopped. A panoramic look at Toronto’s northwest after the COVID emergency.
Call the Police… Then Wait
The Toronto Police take three times longer than they should to get to the most urgent emergencies. Why a $1.1 billion force doesn’t come when you need them.
Two School Shootings, 15 Years Apart
The 2007 shooting of Jordan Manners sparked a massive review of school safety. With another fatal shooting last month, advocates are asking what has changed, and what hasn’t, in the years since.
Honouring Black-Indigenous Bloodlines
For urban gardener Isaac Crosby, being Anishinaabe and Black is a double blessing.
Rewriting the Colonial History of Toronto, One Streetcar at a Time
Indigenous artist Philip Cote’s collaboration with the TTC is about much more than improving the morning commute.
Seeing Myself in ‘Indigenous Toronto’
A new anthology traces the Indigenous history of this city, from pre-contact to present day.