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.
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.
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.
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.
The Real Cost of a Manicure
In Toronto’s ubiquitous nail salons, immigrant nail technicians are underpaid, precarious, and often exploited.
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.
From Six Nations to Christie Pits and Back
Moving to Toronto was overwhelming. But this foreign city is just another part of the lands my ancestors have existed on for generations.
Emerging from the Long Shadow of Canada’s Indian Hospitals
From racially segregated hospitals to signs of Indigenous self-determination in health care.