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Where Has Olivia Chow Been?
After almost a decade out of public life, years spent training grassroots organizers, the former NDP MP is leading the polls for Toronto mayor. What does Chow’s time out of government say about what she might do if she finds herself back in?
How Toronto’s Mayoral Candidates Plan to Address the Housing Crisis
From staying the course, to supply-based approaches, to getting the city back in the business of building, here’s how Toronto’s mayoral hopefuls promise to fix housing.
The Chief Concern with Mark Saunders
Toronto’s former police chief has run his campaign for mayor almost exclusively on a law and order platform. In a city grappling with its relationship with the police, does Saunders’ service record help or hinder his chances?
Toronto Needs a Mayor Who Can See Through the Smoke
Climate change is an urgent municipal issue. Here are the mayoral hopefuls taking it seriously, the deniers posing as delayers, and the long-shot candidate with the best environmental platform.
The Transformation of Josh Matlow
Once an ardent centrist, the midtown councillor has tacked a course to the left in recent years and is now running as progressive truth-teller. Can a politician change? Can a city?
Meet the 2023 Fellows
We’re thrilled to introduce this year’s Local Journalism Fellows: Khadija Alam, Mobólúwajídìde (“Bo”) D. Joseph, Daysha Loppie, and Sakeina Syed.
The Local Wins Two Digital Publishing Awards
The honours include gold in the General Excellence category for the third year in a row.
Who is Ana Bailão? Depends Who You Ask
The former councillor has been criticized for her allegiance to John Tory and a career of political compromise. But some housing advocates see something different: a savvy, effective consensus-builder. Is Bailão's brand of pragmatism enough for voters looking for bold change?
Landlord and Tenant Board Wait Times Continue to Grow
Wait times for tenant cases have risen by four months since last count, as a new report from the Ontario Ombudsman declares the LTB to be “fundamentally failing in its role.”
Awards Season at The Local
We’re honoured to have received nominations for three National Magazine Awards and two Digital Publishing Awards, including for General Excellence.
What It Takes to Get Someone Housed
Each day, housing support workers like Madison McElroy are asked to do the near impossible: get clients out of homelessness and onto a lease in the midst of a raging rental crisis.
Stuck in Social Housing
With an 80,000-household waitlist, just getting affordable housing is hard enough. But once they’re in, residents find themselves with few options to leave.
When a Guest Takes Over
Unit takeovers are a hidden crisis in Toronto social housing, at the intersection of unaffordability, social isolation, and an epidemic of addiction.
Meet Your New Landlord: a Local Non-Profit
The Neighbourhood Land Trust has been snapping up buildings across Toronto, taking them off the market and into the community. Over 200 units later, they say they’re ready to do much more.
The Realities of Renting While Black
Black renters have always faced discrimination in Toronto. The rental crisis makes it worse.
The Airbnb Loophole Pushing Out Long-Term Tenants
Despite regulations, short-term rentals continue to keep apartments off the market in neighbourhoods like Kensington Market.
How to Protect Seniors From Eviction
A new report on seniors in TCHC buildings shows that current eviction prevention methods need to be strengthened.
At the Landlord and Tenant Board, Tenants Wait Twice as Long as Their Landlords
Applications by tenants take up to seven months longer than those by landlords. Behind this disparity is a skewed system of Zoom hearings and inexperienced adjudicators that can’t keep up with a mile-high case backlog.
How We Misunderstand the Housing Crisis
The “housing crisis” isn’t a crisis for everyone—for some it’s a windfall. That fact infuses every aspect of our response to it.
For Scarborough Bus Riders, a Long Wait Gets Longer
The TTC is implementing a new round of cuts to bus services on March 26. Many of the biggest wait time increases are in Scarborough.