Health811 Promises 24/7 Health Advice—If You Can Wait
Data obtained through freedom of information requests show wait times have increased dramatically since Health811 replaced Telehealth Ontario, peaking at a monthly average of more than 11 hours.
When Your Dermatologist Becomes a Salesperson
Getting a mole checked can takes months, but Botox appointments are readily available. Why dermatologists say their practice is the canary in the coal mine for privatized care.
Understanding the Eglinton Crosstown in Seven Illustrations
From Shohei Ohtani’s salary to the tunneling rate of a mole—an unorthodox guide to the numbers behind Toronto’s newest transit line.
How Ontario’s Corporate Pharmacies Are Burning Out Their Pharmacists
At corporate pharmacies like Shoppers Drug Mart, pharmacists say they face overwhelming pressure from their parent companies to perform medically unnecessary tasks in the interest of profit.
Meet Gabrielle McMann, Our Yearlong Journalism Fellow
The emerging journalist is our first early-career fellow, in partnership with The Philanthropist Journal
Inside the Booming Industry Selling Lifestyle Drugs Online
From erectile dysfunction medicine to hair loss treatment to weight loss drugs—a thriving online market has emerged to seamlessly deliver drugs straight to your door. But what happens when prescriptions meet profit incentives?
Saving Rhea Seegobin
For the growing number of Canadians who will get cancer in their lifetimes, the financial stress can be profound. But despite her terminal diagnosis, with the support of her community, Rhea is determined to live well.
And How Will You Be Paying for Your Baby Today?
When I first came to the pediatrics unit as an idealistic medical student, I ran into an uncomfortable reality about our universal health-care system.
How Privatized Cataract Surgery Helped Ontario’s Wealthiest—and Left Others Behind
Why a routine surgery offers a window into the possible future of care in this province.
A Clearer Look at the Cost of Care
Dispatches from the edge of the health care system, where money meets medicine and patients are customers.
Ontario’s Daycares Are Increasingly Staffed by Underqualified Hires
New data shows Ministry of Education approvals for non-ECEs working in ECE-designated roles jumped more than 1,000 percent over the last five years.
The Year in Pictures
The Local’s editors pick our favourite images of 2025
The Local’s Most-Read Stories of 2025
From features about health care and higher ed, to stories about tracking bunnies, scammers, and worms, these are our most popular stories of the year.
The Local’s 2025 Year in Review
At this reflective time of year, we gather around the flickering warmth of The Local Slack channel to discuss the year that was.
Can the Finch West LRT Keep Up With Its Promises?
After years of delay, Line 6 is now running across a historically isolated part of the city. At its launch, politicians posed, transit enthusiasts assembled, and some locals wondered if it was worth the wait.
On the TTC, With Nowhere to Go
With rising homelessness, decreased mental health support, and fewer public spaces than ever, the TTC and its workers are being asked to fill gaps in a dissolving social safety net.
The Fallout From Our AI Freelancer Investigation
A conversation about the future of journalism in a world of “Victoria Goldiees.”
“It’s Quite Clear They Don’t Listen to Us”
For years, the TDSB's special education advisory committee has pressed for accountability from the board. Since the province's takeover, that's become harder than ever.
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era
A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor Nicholas Hune-Brown to dig into their past work. By the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, had removed articles from their sites.
What Happened to the Campus Me Too Movement?
Eight years after the international movement that created policy changes and a shift in culture around sexual violence, survivors and advocates at Ontario universities say they’re still fighting an uphill battle for justice.