Stories about Feature
The Chaotic Race to Vaccinate Peel
Overwhelmed phone lines, frantic group texts, frustration and relief—inside the first week of pop-up clinics in a region desperate for vaccines.
“You Can’t Stop the Spread of the Virus if You Don’t Stop it in Peel”
Not enough support, not enough testing, not enough vaccines—Peel has been neglected at every step of the pandemic, and the results have been devastating.
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 Long-Term Tragedy
The devastation in seniors homes during COVID-19 was the predictable result of decades of indifference and neglect. From Victorian poorhouses to sites of mass death—the shameful history of our long-term care system.
The Hands That Feed Us
Throughout the pandemic, temporary foreign workers have worked in cramped quarters under unsafe conditions to keep our pantries stocked. Is it time they were given a pathway to permanent residency?
The Other Epidemic in Toronto’s Schools
The problems in Toronto’s schools didn’t start with COVID-19—our underfunded education system has been in a slow-motion crisis for decades.
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?
The Cost of a Stay at a Shelter Hotel
Temporarily housing homeless people in hotels was supposed to protect them during the pandemic. Why are residents overdosing and dying in the isolation of their own rooms?
Pandemic’s Labyrinth
How Canada’s secretive, byzantine, Cold War-era stockpile system left us unprepared for COVID-19.
How Noise Shaped a City
Toronto’s anti-noise movement began in the 1930s. Ever since, noise policing has been inextricably linked with issues of race, class, and power.
Are Noisy Hospitals Making Us Sick?
The constant beeping, talking, and overhead paging aren’t just an annoyance—they can lead to delirium, longer recovery times, and even sleeping pill addiction.
FAITH/VOID Was a Thriving DIY Venue. Then Came the Noise Complaint
Fights around Toronto’s unofficial music venues reveal a stark reality—there is noise this city values, and noise it doesn’t.
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.
A Summer Without Tourists
We don't usually think of Toronto as a travel destination. But when the tourism industry imploded overnight, the effects rippled across the city.
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.
Monday in Lockdown, Without Wi‑Fi
As schools, government services, and life itself seems to move online, those without internet access are struggling to stay connected.
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.
Wednesday on the Front of the Frontlines
One is sick with COVID-19. Another has lost a quarter of her income. The personal support workers who care for our most vulnerable remain underpaid and underappreciated.
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?
On the Food Bank Frontlines
With demand skyrocketing, distribution sites closed, and volunteers staying home, food banks are scrambling to keep Toronto fed.