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Andrea Yu

Andrea Yu is a freelance journalist based in Toronto. She reports on a wide variety of topics including business, real estate, culture, design, health, food, drink and travel. Aside from Toronto Life, her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine and Cottage Life.

Latest from Andrea Yu

A Toronto couple was expecting. So they ditched the city and bought this $715,000 home in Niagara

Real Estate News

A Toronto couple was expecting. So they ditched the city and bought this $715,000 home in Niagara

When Justin and Courtney started working from their condo, they realized they needed a lot more square footage. Then they found out a baby was on the way, too

These retired teachers built a $350,000 laneway house. The tenant? Their 30-year-old daughter

Real Estate News

These retired teachers built a $350,000 laneway house. The tenant? Their 30-year-old daughter

Lee Gelbloom had trouble finding stable, affordable housing in the city. So, she went to her parents with a proposal

These long-time Torontonians were retirement ready. So they bought a $475,000 home in Belleville

Real Estate News

These long-time Torontonians were retirement ready. So they bought a $475,000 home in Belleville

The pandemic significantly sped up this couple's retirement timeline

A Toronto couple wanted more space during lockdown. They bought this Grimsby bungalow for $690,000

Real Estate News

A Toronto couple wanted more space during lockdown. They bought this Grimsby bungalow for $690,000

Stuck in a Humber Bay Shores apartment, paying $2,640 a month, the Shauches wanted more outdoor space for their dog

After their Airbnb wedding venue shut down, they had to plan another ceremony in eight days

After their Airbnb wedding venue shut down, they had to plan another ceremony in eight days

Inside an intimate ceremony at an art gallery in Kleinburg

Adventures in real estate: “I gave up my basement apartment to live on a boat year-round”

Adventures in real estate: “I gave up my basement apartment to live on a boat year-round”

I'd dreamed about it for years. The pandemic was the push I needed

Adventures in real estate: “Once I saw how much interest rates dropped, I was able to buy a house with a yard”

Adventures in real estate: “Once I saw how much interest rates dropped, I was able to buy a house with a yard”

I looked at properties almost every day and I was checking out virtual tours for those that didn’t allow in-person tours

Adventures in real estate: "I bought an RV and hit the road"

Real Estate News

Adventures in real estate: “I bought an RV and hit the road”

Four Torontonians who traded real estate for wheel estate

Adventures in real estate: “I finally moved out of my parents’ home in the suburbs”

Real Estate News

Adventures in real estate: “I finally moved out of my parents’ home in the suburbs”

Once the pandemic hit, I realized how much the rental market had dropped. I found a one-bedroom condo on King West for $1,800

We quit our jobs—and gave up a combined income of $400,000—to sell used kids' clothes online

We quit our jobs—and gave up a combined income of $400,000—to sell used kids’ clothes online

They took their business full time when Covid hit

We split our 1940s bungalow into two modern houses. It's pandemic perfect

Real Estate News

We split our 1940s bungalow into two modern houses. It’s pandemic perfect

It took nearly a decade, but the multi-generation Chong family finally moved into their adjacent homes in May 2020. The close-yet-separated arrangement ended up being ideal for the pandemic

"Teachers are in an impossible situation": Parents share their back-to-school concerns

“Teachers are in an impossible situation”: Parents share their back-to-school concerns

The Ontario government recently announced the back-to-school protocol, which drew criticism from plenty of parents.

Our big summer wedding was postponed by the pandemic, so we had an intimate backyard ceremony with a homemade Caribbean feast

Our big summer wedding was postponed by the pandemic, so we had an intimate backyard ceremony with a homemade Caribbean feast

They borrowed chairs from their church and purchased most of their decor, including a balloon arch, from Amazon

Our first date was supposed to be in mid-March—and then the entire world shut down. How we fell in love during a pandemic

Our first date was supposed to be in mid-March—and then the entire world shut down. How we fell in love during a pandemic

"I was incredibly nervous for our first FaceTime date. I put on nice clothes. I put on shoes. I even put on cologne. She wasn't going to smell me, but I wanted to get in the zone"

"I've been going on two or three dates a week. Everyone's feeling claustrophobic and horny": Toronto singles on the ins and outs of dating during Covid

“I’ve been going on two or three dates a week. Everyone’s feeling claustrophobic and horny”: Toronto singles on the ins and outs of dating during Covid

Toronto romance seekers discuss online speed dating, Zoom movie nights and how they decide when to let someone in their homes

In 2018, a couple bought this place for $900,000. Then they tried to sell it during the pandemic

Real Estate News

In 2018, a couple bought this place for $900,000. Then they tried to sell it during the pandemic

Ian and Alicia planned to reno this Junction home and live there indefinitely. But when a house on their street sold for $1.3 million during the pandemic, the couple wondered if they could garner a similar offer

"Living alone has been a huge challenge and my cat has kept me sane": New pet owners share their pandemic adoption stories

“Living alone has been a huge challenge and my cat has kept me sane”: New pet owners share their pandemic adoption stories

"Lots of things around the world are a cause for stress, sadness and anger. My dog doesn't see any of that"

Our wedding was postponed so we got dressed up and played Jeopardy! instead

Our wedding was postponed so we got dressed up and played Jeopardy! instead

This couple playfully reimagined their wedding day

"One little boy played the violin on his stoop": These Toronto teachers biked around their neighbourhood for an epic series of porch parties

“One little boy played the violin on his stoop”: These Toronto teachers biked around their neighbourhood for an epic series of porch parties

“We visited more than 200 families. Our voices were raspy by the end from cheering and shouting to people on their porches”

“People are going to remember which companies did the right thing”: How a hospitality CEO put people before profits

“People are going to remember which companies did the right thing”: How a hospitality CEO put people before profits

LoveKind CEO Loren Shifrin convinced his partners to donate any money made to front-line workers

Desperate times: how to master the art of the DIY home haircut

Desperate times: how to master the art of the DIY home haircut

Here’s what you'll need to take the plunge

"People are sleeping in the streets or ravines because shelters are unsafe": This doctor is helping restructure homeless shelters during the Covid crisis

“People are sleeping in the streets or ravines because shelters are unsafe”: This doctor is helping restructure homeless shelters during the Covid crisis

“There are roughly 8,000 people experiencing homelessness in Toronto, and there are easily 8,000 hotel beds in the city. It's such an easy intervention”

“We just feel like we’re drowning”: How parents with newborns are coping with social isolation

“We just feel like we’re drowning”: How parents with newborns are coping with social isolation

“There is lots of screen time happening, more than I ever thought I would allow”

“I offered my tenants $100 off their rent. I wish I could have given them more”: How mom-and-pop landlords are coping with the pandemic

Real Estate News

“I offered my tenants $100 off their rent. I wish I could have given them more”: How mom-and-pop landlords are coping with the pandemic

Some are unable to pay their bills, others are offering discounts and deferrals to tenants

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Discover our top-rated summer camps for kids of all ages

Best New Restaurants

Toronto Life ’s Best Restaurants returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on June 8

Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants returns for its 10th-anniversary edition on June 8

General admission tickets are now on sale for Toronto’s biggest culinary night, featuring top chefs, restaurants and drinks

Big Stories

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2026

This year’s list includes a 150-square-foot omakase counter, a Parisian brasserie in the Annex, Korean comfort food, Filipino karaoke and a Summerhill seafood spot that’s reinventing the raw bar

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

Hoop Dreams: Inside the making of the Toronto Tempo, the city’s newly assembled WNBA team

After years of false starts, months of nail-biting negotiations between the league and the players’ union, and an 11th-hour scramble to build a roster, Toronto finally has its own major-league women’s basketball team. Now it just has to live up to the hype

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Live From New York: Inside the slay-or-be-slayed world of Studio 8H with SNL rookie Veronika Slowikowska

Slowikowska is the first Canadian to join the cast of Saturday Night Live in more than 25 years. She’s also this season’s breakout star. Now all she has to do is keep crushing it

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

Better Call Deepak: Meet drug lord Ryan Wedding’s self-styled cocaine lawyer

The man who represented the infamous drug lord is unapologetically flashy—he has a Lamborghini and two Maseratis and wears $1,200 Louboutins. But did he become an accomplice to his client’s crimes? Deepak Paradkar says he was just doing his job. The FBI says he crossed a line

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

The Redemption Tour: The Blue Jays are back. Can they finish what they started?

We’re not over it, but they are. Six months after that devastating defeat, the Jays take the field once more, bent more than ever on winning the World Series. Dispatches from the dugout

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My Life as a True Crime Spectacle: My father’s crimes fractured our family. Then came the press

My dad was the infamous Rolex Killer. The news of his crimes nearly broke me. And ever since, my family has been hounded by reporters, podcasters and true crime fanatics—a whole new circle of hell

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Robby on the Line: Out and about with Robby Hoffman, comedy’s equal opportunity assassin

Larry David is the indisputable king of brutal honesty. But if anyone comes close, it’s Robby Hoffman, the suddenly everywhere comic from whom no group is safe

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Notes on an Academic Scandal: Why did TMU demote a leading advocate of DEI?

Pamela Sugiman, a former arts dean at Toronto Metropolitan University, was a key player in the school’s push for diversity, equity and inclusion. When the backlash against DEI arrived, she was demoted. The school says it was a coincidence. She disagrees

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

City of Renters: The dream of home ownership isn’t dead. Maybe it should be?

Scenes from the rent-for-life revolution

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

This generation was pummelled by Covid high school. Now the job market wants to replace them with AI

It’s hard out here for a 20-something

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

The High Price of Hope: Inside Toronto’s white-hot fertility market

Desperate wannabe parents are betting their life savings on unproven treatments and false promises

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Man vs. Machine: ChatGPT caused him to spiral into delusion. Now he’s suing OpenAI

Last spring, a chatbot convinced Allan Brooks that he had discovered a revolutionary mathematical theory. He says it nearly destroyed him

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Smart City: 20 mind-blowing Toronto inventions that are changing the world

Homegrown innovations that will transform lives for the better

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

293 Days Without My Son: I gave up everything to rescue my kidnapped child from my abusive husband

When Valentino was abducted, I knew three things: he’d been taken by his father, he was somewhere in India and I would not rest until I found him

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The Violent Life of a Tow Truck Driver: How an unremarkable profession turned Toronto into a war zone

The towing industry has been hijacked by criminals and kingpins who fleece customers, beat up dissenters and shoot their enemies. Inside the brutal turf war for the city’s wrecks

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

Street Fight: Inside the battle raging over Toronto multiplexes

If this city stands any chance of solving the housing crisis, it will need buildings with multiple units in residential neighbourhoods—a move that has many residents saying, “Anywhere but here!”

Young and Retired: Meet the super-savers quitting work decades before the average Canadian

Young and Retired: Meet the super-savers quitting work decades before the average Canadian

In the age of doomspending, these ultra-driven Torontonians give up their weekends, work multiple jobs and never, ever eat out. The upside: they’ll retire long before the rest of us

Just Listed

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

For Sale: 171 Durant Ave

This rare property features 2 houses on 1 lot

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

For Sale: 50 First Avenue

A testament to time presiding over one of Uxbridge's most storied streetscapes, this magnificently preserved circa 1880 residence commands its prominent corner lot with the quiet confidence of a true architectural landmark

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

For Sale: 7 Bentley Drive

A commanding architectural statement in prestigious Stonegate–Queensway, this newly completed custom residence by Bali Homes Group presents a refined interpretation of contemporary luxury living

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

For Sale: 75 Queen Street

Guelph is having a moment

For Sale: 112 Mildenhall Rd

For Sale: 112 Mildenhall Rd

A rare opportunity to own a custom-built masterpiece in the heart of Lawrence Park beautifully designed by Gray Smith and Arca Design for the most discerning buyer