This week in my Toronto neighbourhood, a scene of utter mayhem unfolded.
It happened just after 11:00 on Monday night. Undercover cops were staking out a recording studio on Queen Street West near Dufferin Street. Suddenly, a stolen white Honda pulled up. Three guys armed with handguns jumped out. They started shooting toward the back of the studio building at 1196 Queen, where dozens of people had gathered for a birthday party. Several of the partygoers rushed out and returned fire.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: What does it mean to Mayor Olivia Chow?
Toronto council on Thursday evening debated not just the removal of bike lanes, but also the nature of democracy in Ontario’s capital, at the behest of the mayor.
The Toronto bike lane that went too far and sparked a backlash from Doug Ford’s government
Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., on an unseasonably warm, sunny weekday in October, 18 cyclists travel in the eastbound bike lane on Bloor Street West in Etobicoke, in front of a church, where elderly men and women struggle to climb the stairs to their morning sermon.
Local resident and former Toronto city councillor John Campbell watches ruefully. He voted for the extension of the Bloor West bike lanes from Shaw Street to Runnymede Road when he represented what was then Ward 4 (Etobicoke Centre) from 2014 to 2018.
December will be Christian Heritage Month in Toronto – but only after a surprisingly emotional half-hour at City Council.
After Gord Perks unspooled a rant about Canada and its history with the Christian faith, a tearful Lily Cheng, who represents the Willowdale ward, rose to tell council: “Christianity saved my life.”
Turning 13 is a milestone year. A teenager at last and gaining a bit of independence. Making friends, perhaps riding the subway alone, well on the way to becoming an adult. Thirteen is advanced enough an age that the phrase “a lifetime” begins to have weight behind it.
Construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT recently had its 13th anniversary. This saga already feels like a lifetime, but this is a real milestone: Toronto has a teenage construction project. If the Eglinton Crosstown construction were human it would be heading to high school soon, perhaps picking up some babysitting gigs to make a little cash. That would help since it’s so over budget.
Worried about money? Statistically, you probably are: New research from Meridian Credit Union asked more than 1,500 people from coast to coast about how they really feel about their finances. Experts predicted it wouldn’t be great, but no one knew it would be this bad: More than half of Canadians — and nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of Ontarians — reported their lifestyle was becoming unaffordable due to rising costs. Forty per cent of women (compared to 18 per cent of men) worry about their long-term financial future.
This Swift trip into the city from the airport was Taylor made for a superstar!
And paid for by Toronto taxpayers. It was a motorcade and Toronto Police escort fit for a world leader or royalty.
President Taylor Swift? Queen Taylor? Or, in this case, prime minister?
Toronto police on Thursday morning confirmed one of the 23 arrests laid after Monday’s gang shooting at a west end recording studio was a teen wanted for his involvement in a deadly attack.
The 16-year-old boy was wanted by police for his involvement in a deadly home invasion in Etobicoke in April. The boy, whose identity is protected because he’s a juvenile, has now been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Matthew Bergart on April 25.
I blame Taylor Swift’s entourage.
The city of Toronto is clearing tents belonging to homeless people near the Rogers Centre in preparation for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The first of Swift’s six sold-out concerts is on Thursday.
“The individuals surrounding Rogers Centre are being offered a space in the city’s shelter system to help ensure their safety,” a city spokesperson said in an email.
Toronto is an increasingly divided city, according to a new report, which finds that many people are struggling financially and mentally despite significant economic growth.
The Toronto Foundation’s Vital Signs “Roundup on Growth” report, released Wednesday, paints a picture of a city that is rapidly growing but also leaving many people behind. More Torontonians are feeling financially vulnerable, which is having an impact on their physical and mental health.
As Taylor Swift prepares for her string of concerts, we were blasted with a reminder that it’s not really always safe in Toronto, a city plagued by more than one shooting each and every day.
Toronto’s 406th shooting incident of 2024 was a gangster movie-style shootout late Monday night on Queen St. W. in which an unmarked Toronto Police car — with two officers inside — was hit by gunfire.
They pulled the vid.
As Toronto enters its Taylor Swift era, experts say crowd safety depends on planning
As Toronto readies for Taylor Swift’s arrival this week, some crowd management and planning experts say additional safety precautions should be taken when tens of thousands of fans fill the city’s downtown core on show nights.
That means being prepared for a sudden shift in crowd dynamics and severe traffic gridlock, despite planned road closures, the experts say.
I really don’t want to cheer on the Islamists but …
Toronto’s tourism industry hopes Taylor Swift can help shake off slump with Eras Tour concerts
Toronto’s sagging tourism industry is hoping for a Taylor Swift lift, as the pop superstar’s six shows at Rogers Centre starting this week attract hundreds of thousands of fans expected to spend more than $150-million on hotels, food and friendship bracelets.
But the long-term effects of Swiftonomics remain questionable.
The only thing Swift will accomplish is creating even more tourists vowing never to return to this shithole and they will spread that message far and wide.
Come for the concert …
Stay for the homeless encampments!
Stay for the traffic chaos!
Stay for the Death Cult street takeovers!
As Toronto prepares for the annual Santa Claus parade, that festive jingling sound isn’t coming from sleigh bells, but a collection cup.
Facing rising costs amid Canada’s ongoing affordability crisis, the 120th edition of the parade is in financial hot water, prompting organizers to issue a GoFundMe campaign to help keep the annual tradition on the street.
Saying the chair of the Toronto Police Service Board has “breached our confidentiality agreement” and spread “false statements” during contract negotiations, the union representing Toronto Police officers has called for her resignation.
More than 350 vehicles have been recovered and 59 people have been arrested following an auto-theft investigation by Toronto police, who say some ServiceOntario employees were involved in a scheme that provided fraudulent vehicle identification numbers (VINs) for stolen cars.
The results of the investigation, known as Project Thoroughbred, were shared by police Chief Myron Demkiw and Supt. Ron Taverner at a press conference in Scarborough on Friday morning. Toronto police say they have recovered 363 stolen vehicles, valued at $14 million, and have laid 302 charges so far.
