Stories about Society
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.
Reclaiming the Story of Toronto
Introducing the Indigenous Toronto Issue.
A Year of Indigenous People Helping Indigenous People
In the middle of a pandemic, with multiple crises devastating their community, Nanook Gordon and Brianna Olson Pitawanakwat started a grassroots organization to bring compassion, aid, and culture to Indigenous people on Toronto’s streets.
A Congregation Apart
The parishioners at San Lorenzo are a tight-knit group of Latin American immigrants and refugees. When the pandemic forced the church's doors to close, Father Hernan Astudillo decided to bring faith and community to them.
A Place for Those Who Raised Us
In many immigrant families, elders are the pillars of the household. With COVID-19 revealing flaws in the way we treat seniors, what can society learn from how different cultures value aging?
What’s Plaguing Toronto’s Ethnic Press?
In a city of immigrants, non-English language newspapers play a critical role in the fight against COVID-19. Can they survive the pandemic?
As the World Grew Quiet, Inside Got Loud
Overlapping Zoom calls, fights between siblings, enraging neighbourhood pool parties—the maddening, unending sounds of a stay-at-home crisis.
The 35 Jane
What a bus route reveals about race, class, and social vulnerability during a pandemic.
Here I Am, Stuck in Malvern
When my father died, heading downtown was a way to escape my grief. Now, under lockdown, I see him everywhere.
Where the Pandemic Hit Hardest
COVID has amplified social issues that have long existed at Jane and Finch. It’s also revealed the resiliency of the community.
A Pandemic Across Time Zones
For the millions of Torontonians with family overseas, COVID has meant not just navigating our own lockdowns, but living through theirs as well.
Last Week, In Review
As the first tentative positive signs emerged, it was tempting to look beyond the week—to try to trace the curve past where it flattens to the point it sinks beneath the horizon. It's too early for that.
Tuesday in Allan Gardens, Where the Police Guard the Benches
With shelters crowded and drop-ins closed, the police and the homeless play a strange game of cat and mouse.
Thursday in Virtual Bail Court
Overnight, almost every aspect of the justice system has transformed in the name of public health. So why are we still sending people to crowded jails?
Friday with Charlotte
Teens like Charlotte are caught in a strange limbo, their plans for impending adulthood put on hold as the world freezes in place.
Saturday is Just Another Day
Every hour is a hundred years long, and each day is over before it’s begun. In a pandemic, everyone has their own personal theory on the passage of time.
Sunday in the Suburbs
The broad emptiness, the desolate streets, the deadening sameness—it turned out my parents’ suburban neighbourhood was the ideal place to live through a global pandemic.
On the Food Bank Frontlines
With demand skyrocketing, distribution sites closed, and volunteers staying home, food banks are scrambling to keep Toronto fed.