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Photographer and multimedia artist Martin Reis has a knack for making art that captures the city’s attention. He donned a referee uniform to hand out yellow and red cards to drivers blocking crosswalks and installed colourful Lego installations that bring whimsy and interaction to city infrastructure. His “interventions,” as he refers to these guerrilla-style art projects, ask us to think about the type of city we want Toronto to be.
Read MoreA decade ago, Toronto tried something new, transferring vulnerable individuals picked up by the cops to a “situation table” of community workers, in order to tend to people in crisis within a day or two. On its 10-year anniversary, Xavier Richer Vis reports on how the program, called FOCUS, has “changed the game,” radically improving outcomes in delicate cases.
Read MoreAt Xawaash, a Somali food blog-turned-restaurant, owners Leila Adde and Abdullahi Kassim consider their dishes a legacy for the next generation. “It makes us feel very happy, you know. That this has become a gathering place. Because for us, this isn’t just a business. It’s more like family.”
Read MoreTwo-time mayoral candidate, policy analyst and firebrand Chloe Brown was raised near Islington and Finch and has fond memories of growing up in Rexdale. She chats with Stacy Lee Kong about community and civic duty, where the neighbourhood’s political leadership fails and why it all comes back to food.
Read MoreWoodbine Mall is in receivership. As its retailers and its once great attraction, the Fantasy Fair, limp toward the finish line, Kunal Chaudhary visits for one last roundabout and remembers what the mall once meant to him.
Read MoreBilbo isn't afraid to show her many sides, and on the afternoon I met her, I saw two of them. She greeted me with curiosity, rubbing her head against my hand, but later, when I went to pet her goodbye, she swung a set of claws at me to let me know I was dismissed.
Read More“Glimmer is a word that I was recently re-introduced to, as a way of describing the little joys in life. In a shifting city, I know they are not always easy to find. Which is why sometimes, you kind of have to make them yourself. Do you know how?..”
Read MoreSometimes it feels like I’m navigating through a palliative care unit that has one patient – the city. North and south of where I live in Bloordale, there are towering cranes and cement trucks, the protective canopy of scaffolding over a sidewalk, debris screens.
Read More“Hey Jenn! How’s it going? Seems like the art career is going well on Instagram.” “It’s funny you should say that. That’s just the illusion of social media. Here’s how I paid my rent this month…”
Read MoreCharlie had toyed with the idea idea of running off to explore the neighbourhood, but, unlike many cats, he’s not much of a climber or a jumper. Shannon was always able to stop him before he got too far. But then, this April 15, everything lined up just right.
Read MoreFor much of Little Jamaica’s history, Black business owners felt they couldn’t count on the three BIAs that cover the neighbourhood. Now, things are finally changing.
Read MoreThese immigrants have spent a quarter-century in Canada, yet they have no access to publicly funded health care. Why advocates are urging Ontario to bring back recently gutted health-care coverage for the uninsured.
Read MoreLast year, music lovers checked out almost half a million CDs tucked away in Toronto Public Library branches. Meet a few committed, long-time stack hunters and the man in charge of growing the collection.
Read MoreLast June, Ontario brought Doug Ford’s Conservative government back for a second term. In this issue, WEP looks at the 7 key ways his party’s policies have put the squeeze on neighbourhoods across the province during five years in office – and meets a growing contingent of people pushing back to protect what’s left.
Read MoreAs a motion to extend the lane through Bloor West Village reaches council, a rogue group has emerged, pushing to see the protected lane dismantled.
Read MoreOur new mayor must put the housing issue first, writes Tim Harper, who scoured the frontrunners' plans for proof of a progressive, workable way forward.
Read MoreKipling to Kensington, Trinity Bellwoods to Black Creek, these songs have soundtracked the neighbourhood for 40+ years and counting.
Read MoreDeath metal bassist Miguel Angel Garcia recently expanded his made-from-home churros business into a commercial kitchen in the back of Steadfast Brewing, where he preps killer birria tacos, tamales and other Mexican street-food classics. When he works, he says, he’s always blasting music. “I like to feel like I’m at a party”
Read MoreIllegal increases, ramshackle conditions, bullying tactics from landlords – renters in Toronto are facing a free fall. For almost half of the city's population, finding and keeping a decent rental has become nearly impossible. And as housing prices skyrocket, their ranks can only grow.
Read MoreAt a boxing gym in the Junction Triangle, a free program is teaching young people from underserved communities how to cope with the challenges life throws at them.
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