This year, The Local published more stories than ever, with a higher readership than ever. Our stories, published on The Local’s website and our Apple News page, were read close to one million times. We published issues on immigration and higher education, covered provincial and federal elections, reported on the provincial takeover of local school boards, and wrote a lot about animals.

Our most-read stories, we were gratified to see, were also the feature articles we spent the most time on—a reassuring sign that there’s an audience eager for the kind of in-depth, long-form journalism we love.

Here’s a countdown of The Local’s 10 most-read stories of the year.

10. How J.D. Vance Became a Flash Point in an Election in Durham

In a federal election dominated by Donald Trump’s tariff threats and annexation taunts, Conservative candidate Jamil Jivani’s close friendship with Vice President J.D. Vance brought American politics into a local campaign. For this feature, Nicholas Hune-Brown travelled to Bowmanville to talk with residents and to try to suss out whether all this attention on Jivani’s college buddy was just campaign silliness or a window into something more substantive. | Federal Election 2025

9. After the International Student Gold Rush

Foreign students were harmed by the policies that brought them here, but in this piece by Nicholas Hune-Brown, we learn how they’re being harmed once again by the policies shutting them out. | The Immigration Issue

8. How York University Lost the Trust of Its Community

A string of program closures, questionable major capital projects, and increasingly fractious labour relations had co-writers Sabika Zaidi and Kunal Chaudhary question the core purpose of York University and its future. | The Higher Education Issue

7. On the TTC, With Nowhere to Go

With rising homelessness, decreased mental health support, and fewer public spaces than ever, writer Lana Hall examined how the TTC and its workers are being asked to fill gaps in a dissolving social safety net.

6. Inside the Takeover of Toronto-Area School Boards

The province said its decision to put multiple school boards under supervision was about restoring financial stability. But observers saw a larger play for power. In this piece, which kicked off The Local’s School Board Takeover series, Wency Leung reached out to trustees and school board administrators to try to make sense of a confusing situation. | School Board Takeover

5. Are There More Bunnies in Toronto?

Local editor Nicholas Hune-Brown never used to see rabbits in Toronto. Then, suddenly, they were everywhere. “Are there more bunnies in Toronto these days?” he began asking people. In this essay, he tried to get to the bottom of it, and nearly lost his mind. | Wild Wild City

4. Ontario Needs Nurses—Many Are Already Here, and Waiting to Practice

In the midst of a health care labour shortage, Wency Leung’s feature examined how foreign-trained nurses who come as caregivers and students remain shut out of their profession, with many working gig economy jobs and contemplating leaving. | The Immigration Issue

3. 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.

2. Breakdown at the Racetrack

Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario’s horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, Nicholas Hune-Brown took a close look at a cluster of fatal horse injuries at Woodbine and raised questions about the future of the sport. | Wild Wild City

1. The Worm Hunters of Southern Ontario

Nearly all bait worms sold in North America are hand-plucked from a stretch of land between Toronto and Windsor. Inori Roy’s writing and Galit Rodan’s photography take readers on a night journey into the peculiar world of bait-worm harvesting, where labour shortages and climate change threaten to unsettle a once thriving business. | Wild Wild City