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Courtney Shea

Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”

Latest from Courtney Shea

"They're a very passionate fanbase": Thornhill’s Hayden Christensen on playing Vader and feeling the love from fans

“They’re a very passionate fanbase”: Thornhill’s Hayden Christensen on playing Vader and feeling the love from fans

Earlier this month, the actor returned to the screen in the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi

Noah Reid has a role on Broadway, a new album and a baby on the way

Noah Reid has a role on Broadway, a new album and a baby on the way

We asked the former Schitt's Creeker all about his busy life

Tennis phenom Bianca Andreescu wrote her new book during lockdown, and it's all about her as a kid

Tennis phenom Bianca Andreescu wrote her new book during lockdown, and it’s all about her as a kid

It's called Bibi's Got Game, and it hits bookshelves this week

Fenton Jagdeo is the youngest TTC commissioner in history. Here's how he plans to get transit back on track

Fenton Jagdeo is the youngest TTC commissioner in history. Here’s how he plans to get transit back on track

A few examples: WiFi, accessibility and an open pay system

“I had a feeling my time was coming to an end”: Jeopardy! champ Mattea Roach on her epic winning streak and final game

“I had a feeling my time was coming to an end”: Jeopardy! champ Mattea Roach on her epic winning streak and final game

“I had hoped to continue, but I’m okay with how I lost. The information just wasn’t in my brain"

Because these moms created a vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free condom

Reasons to Love Toronto Now

Because these moms created a vegan, gluten-free, cruelty-free condom

The design duo behind Jems is bringing sexy (and safe) back

"We should have waited to lift mask mandates": A Q&A with Dr. Peter Juni, head of Ontario's Science Advisory Table, about the recent surge of infections

“We should have waited to lift mask mandates”: A Q&A with Dr. Peter Juni, head of Ontario’s Science Advisory Table, about the recent surge of infections

He also dished about his decision to take a job at Oxford University

Emily St. John Mandel's new book, Sea of Tranquility, is a time-travelling escape from lockdown

Emily St. John Mandel’s new book, Sea of Tranquility, is a time-travelling escape from lockdown

It's the highly anticipated follow up to Station Eleven, which earned her the reputation of "the author who predicted the pandemic"

"I realized pretty quickly that we were going to have a problem": A Q&A with the owner of the former, Soviet-themed Pravda Vodka House

“I realized pretty quickly that we were going to have a problem”: A Q&A with the owner of the former, Soviet-themed Pravda Vodka House

The Wellington Street bar has a new name and a new look

Three Q&As on the new rules of the workplace

Three Q&As on the new rules of the workplace

Including stuff you need to know about back-to-the-office anxiety, the rise of the four-day workweek and the right to disconnect

“I think we need to embrace the awkwardness”: How a Toronto brewery is helping people relearn the art of small talk

“I think we need to embrace the awkwardness”: How a Toronto brewery is helping people relearn the art of small talk

It's like platonic Tinder for tech-averse beer lovers

Ontario froze $20 million in Freedom Convoy assets—now what? We asked Monique Jilesen, the Toronto-based lawyer who filed the injunction

Ontario froze $20 million in Freedom Convoy assets—now what? We asked Monique Jilesen, the Toronto-based lawyer who filed the injunction

Jilesen wants the courts to take the assets and redistribute them to Ottawans impacted by the protests

"I’m looking out for our customers": Why this restaurant owner isn't ready to do away with vaccine passports just yet

“I’m looking out for our customers”: Why this restaurant owner isn’t ready to do away with vaccine passports just yet

"I respect the freedom of people who don’t want to come here, just like they should respect my freedom to make this choice”

“They used a sledge hammer to kill a fruit fly”: Why the CCLA is taking the Feds to court over the Emergencies Act

“They used a sledge hammer to kill a fruit fly”: Why the CCLA is taking the Feds to court over the Emergencies Act

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv says invoking the Emergencies Act was an example of massive government overreach

"I love the entrepreneur life, and it’s nice feeling like I’m in charge": Chef Brandon Olsen on his new in-home restaurant experience

“I love the entrepreneur life, and it’s nice feeling like I’m in charge”: Chef Brandon Olsen on his new in-home restaurant experience

Life after La Banane

"The accuracy of PCR with the convenience of rapid": A Q&A with a molecular biologist developing a Covid-19 super test

“The accuracy of PCR with the convenience of rapid”: A Q&A with a molecular biologist developing a Covid-19 super test

"This is billion-dollar technology, and we’re in a global competition. Whatever information I have, the Chinese also have it, the Indians, the Brazilians"

"All the marijuana charges we laid back then seem so ludicrous to me now": Police chief James Ramer on the push to decriminalize drug possession

“All the marijuana charges we laid back then seem so ludicrous to me now”: Police chief James Ramer on the push to decriminalize drug possession

He was on the verge of retirement when he accepted the top job. Multiple pandemic waves later—plus his own case of Covid—and he's still standing, and advocating for change

What does the future of work in Ontario look like?

What does the future of work in Ontario look like?

The Ministry of Labour tapped economist Rohinton Medhora to find out. A four-day workweek? He’s not saying no

The $50-million man

The $50-million man

Garry Hurvitz was a low-profile entrepreneur until he made a thunderous donation to create a mental health centre at SickKids

"Shopping habits have changed in the last two years": A Q&A with the co-founder of Aisle 24, Toronto's new cashierless convenience stores

“Shopping habits have changed in the last two years”: A Q&A with the co-founder of Aisle 24, Toronto’s new cashierless convenience stores

They're taking self-checkout one step further

"Deconstructing Drake and the Weeknd" is not a bird course

“Deconstructing Drake and the Weeknd” is not a bird course

Dalton Higgins is teaching the class next semester at the soon-to-be-renamed Ryerson University, and students expecting an easy A are in for a surprise

"If we had known it was going to be 18 months, we would have turtled up immediately": A Q&A with Doug Penfold on closing Chabrol

“If we had known it was going to be 18 months, we would have turtled up immediately”: A Q&A with Doug Penfold on closing Chabrol

The restaurant made it through the worst of the pandemic, but the damage was done

"There are Scarboroughs all over the world": A Q&A with writer Catherine Hernandez, whose film about Toronto's most notorious suburb is sweeping TIFF

“There are Scarboroughs all over the world”: A Q&A with writer Catherine Hernandez, whose film about Toronto’s most notorious suburb is sweeping TIFF

"After the premiere, I had a joy hangover"

Laneway houses are this man's business—and business is booming

Laneway houses are this man’s business—and business is booming

Part 7 in our series on the laneway housing revolution

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

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

Dead Reckoning: The executor of their estate was supposed to divide it among their friends and family. Instead, he bankrupted it

When Sami and June Suomalainen died, it fell to the executor of their wills, a lawyer they hardly knew, to sell their million-dollar midtown home and split the proceeds among their inheritors. Seven years and six lawsuits later, the beneficiaries haven’t seen a cent

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!”

Just Listed

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

For Sale: 92 Arjay Crescent

As luxury buyers become increasingly focused on wellness, privacy, and long-term livability, a new generation of custom homes is emerging – one defined less by excess and more by thoughtful design

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