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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

Hay bales, hot drinks and heat lamps: This secret patio behind a secret bar is serving up boozy cocoa and fall-on-the-farm feels

Hay bales, hot drinks and heat lamps: This secret patio behind a secret bar is serving up boozy cocoa and fall-on-the-farm feels

It's like being at a farm—if that farm served cognac-spiked cider

"This has been a really taxing time for people of colour": Meet the stylish group introducing Torontonians to the Zen world of birding

“This has been a really taxing time for people of colour”: Meet the stylish group introducing Torontonians to the Zen world of birding

No khakis necessary

"People have been in tears at our shows because they miss live music": How the Royal Conservatory is forging ahead with in-person concerts this fall

“People have been in tears at our shows because they miss live music”: How the Royal Conservatory is forging ahead with in-person concerts this fall

Even the world-famous pianist Angela Hewitt is flying in to play a show—and quarantining for two weeks first

This guy knows how to avoid a worst-case scenario second wave this winter

This guy knows how to avoid a worst-case scenario second wave this winter

His name is Amol Verma, and he runs the Covid-19 Hospital Analytics Lab at U of T

"We liken it to the invention of the washing machine": A Q&A with the creator of Geoffrey, Toronto's adorable new delivery robot

“We liken it to the invention of the washing machine”: A Q&A with the creator of Geoffrey, Toronto’s adorable new delivery robot

It's hands down the city's cutest courier

"I got a FedEx delivery of all the awards to my house": This Toronto event producer presented Emmys to the Schitt's Creek cast in a hazmat tuxedo

“I got a FedEx delivery of all the awards to my house”: This Toronto event producer presented Emmys to the Schitt’s Creek cast in a hazmat tuxedo

She now has the world's safest Halloween costume

Why aren't there more Black executives on Bay Street?

Why aren’t there more Black executives on Bay Street?

Wes Hall has seen up close how clubby and exclusive corporate Canada can be. His solution: getting his fellow executives to hire more Black leaders

"It’s still pretty surreal": A Q&A with Tyrone Edwards, eTalk ’s newest co-anchor and a first-time restaurateur

“It’s still pretty surreal”: A Q&A with Tyrone Edwards, eTalk’s newest co-anchor and a first-time restaurateur

Why he and his restaurant, Miss Likklemore's, are officially "unmuted"

This guy is plastering billboards in Silicon Valley to lure tech workers to Canada

This guy is plastering billboards in Silicon Valley to lure tech workers to Canada

Communitech spent $100,000 on the billboards, and plans to launch similar campaigns in Boston and Austin

Donna Young, dean of Ryerson's new faculty of law, is launching a law school like no other

Donna Young, dean of Ryerson’s new faculty of law, is launching a law school like no other

She wants the legal system to reflect the diverse population it serves

Beach umbrellas, boozy slushies and barbecued burgers: How a group of Toronto business owners turned a parking lot into a tropical paradise

Beach umbrellas, boozy slushies and barbecued burgers: How a group of Toronto business owners turned a parking lot into a tropical paradise

Take a staycation at the city's own Venice Beach

"I wrote a book and my mom helped me publish it on Amazon": How seven Toronto kids are coping with the most boring summer ever

“I wrote a book and my mom helped me publish it on Amazon”: How seven Toronto kids are coping with the most boring summer ever

For kids, summer 2020 means the cancellation of a lot of highly anticipated plans (sleepaway camp!), but also a chance to get creative, get cooking and, in some cases, get perms!

Blender drinks, burlesque dancing and figure skating: How one Ossington bar is keeping things interesting during Covid

Blender drinks, burlesque dancing and figure skating: How one Ossington bar is keeping things interesting during Covid

Yes, actual figure skating

Q&A: Pearson CEO Deborah Flint on keeping travellers safe during a pandemic

Q&A: Pearson CEO Deborah Flint on keeping travellers safe during a pandemic

The future of flying includes robot cleaners, temperature scanners and an Instagrammable disinfecting mist corridor

"Towels were so close together you could barely see the sand": A Q&A with Wasaga's deputy fire chief on beach-based mayhem and some new crowd-control measures for this weekend

“Towels were so close together you could barely see the sand”: A Q&A with Wasaga’s deputy fire chief on beach-based mayhem and some new crowd-control measures for this weekend

"There were people drinking, people BBQing—and not in the designated area. I saw someone dragging a 20-pound propane tank right out onto the beach."

Time to reconsider squirrel meat? Chef Michael Hunter on takeout booze, his cookbook and how the pandemic is expanding our palates

Time to reconsider squirrel meat? Chef Michael Hunter on takeout booze, his cookbook and how the pandemic is expanding our palates

"It actually does taste like chicken"

"It's like scuba diving in the most amazing clear water except you’re looking around at art": How Toronto's Immersive van Gogh exhibit came together

“It’s like scuba diving in the most amazing clear water except you’re looking around at art”: How Toronto’s Immersive van Gogh exhibit came together

"Everyone knows he cut his ear off, but he also created more than 2,000 original works before his death at 37"

Q&A: Brooke Lynn Hytes, host of Drag Race Canada

Q&A: Brooke Lynn Hytes, host of Drag Race Canada

Her new show, which premieres July 2, is a literal dream come true

"We got 4,100 reservation requests in less than five hours": Toronto's nightclub king, Charles Khabouth, on re-opening the city's biggest patio

“We got 4,100 reservation requests in less than five hours”: Toronto’s nightclub king, Charles Khabouth, on re-opening the city’s biggest patio

Cabana Pool Bar is now Cabana Waterfront Patio, an outdoor sit-down restaurant with a menu by O&B

"My dress arrived at the end of February, and then, well, Covid": How Toronto grads are celebrating prom this year

“My dress arrived at the end of February, and then, well, Covid”: How Toronto grads are celebrating prom this year

Eight Grade 12 students describe the ins and outs of socially distanced proms, look forward to the fall and flaunt their fashions

"We're selling 1,500 burgers a week": A Q&A with Alo chef Patrick Kriss, who turned Toronto's fanciest restaurant into a takeout joint

“We’re selling 1,500 burgers a week”: A Q&A with Alo chef Patrick Kriss, who turned Toronto’s fanciest restaurant into a takeout joint

"Obviously Alo isn’t a restaurant that we imagined with takeout in mind, but we’re in survival mode"

Q&A: Actor Colm Feore on the Stratford Festival's Covid-induced shutdown

Q&A: Actor Colm Feore on the Stratford Festival’s Covid-induced shutdown

He was supposed to star in Richard III. Now, like every other actor in Canada, he’s at home wondering when he’ll ever work again

"It's all based on digital cubby technology": Restaurateur Mohamad Fakih on Box'd, Canada's first fully automated restaurant

“It’s all based on digital cubby technology”: Restaurateur Mohamad Fakih on Box’d, Canada’s first fully automated restaurant

It’s like a vending machine for made-to-order food

"There's no reason we can't make camp happen with a little planning and ingenuity." Camp Timberlane director Corey Mandell's proposal for salvaging the summer

“There’s no reason we can’t make camp happen with a little planning and ingenuity.” Camp Timberlane director Corey Mandell’s proposal for salvaging the summer

“We’d effectively be creating our own camp-wide bubble”

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