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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

Q&A: David Frum, conservative commentator and former George W. Bush speechwriter, on why Trump is dangerous

Q&A: David Frum, conservative commentator and former George W. Bush speechwriter, on why Trump is dangerous

A staunch conservative explains why he couldn't back the party's candidate

Q&A: Craig Alexander, the Conference Board of Canada's chief economist, on what Donald Trump means for Toronto

Q&A: Craig Alexander, the Conference Board of Canada’s chief economist, on what Donald Trump means for Toronto

Thinking through the likely consequences of the American election

Q&A: The creators of the "world's best tuque" on why their hat is worth $200 (or more)

Q&A: The creators of the “world’s best tuque” on why their hat is worth $200 (or more)

The finished product is made from rare muskox wool—just one of the reasons for the hefty price tag

Q&A: Charles Bronfman, the billionaire philanthropist who just wrote a memoir

Q&A: Charles Bronfman, the billionaire philanthropist who just wrote a memoir

On his new book, his storied family, and why he's horrified by the American election

A (mostly) evidence-based breakdown of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's rumoured romance

A (mostly) evidence-based breakdown of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s rumoured romance

Six signs that they're totally a thing

Q&A: Joe Gomes, Toronto's longest-serving bartender, on 57 years of mixing drinks at the Park Hyatt

Q&A: Joe Gomes, Toronto’s longest-serving bartender, on 57 years of mixing drinks at the Park Hyatt

"I’ve seen and heard things that I would never repeat to a lady"

Q&A: Cory Vitiello on the success of the Harbord Room, and why he's closing one of Toronto's most popular restaurants

Q&A: Cory Vitiello on the success of the Harbord Room, and why he’s closing one of Toronto’s most popular restaurants

"It was my work life, my social life and my love life, all in one little 400-square-foot room"

Q&A: Ins Choi, the playwright whose new CBC comedy, Kim's Convenience, premieres tonight

Q&A: Ins Choi, the playwright whose new CBC comedy, Kim’s Convenience, premieres tonight

On the pressure of pioneering, the future of Asian–North American entertainment and burying Long Duk Dong once and for all

Q&A: Kevin Donovan, the Star reporter whose book, out today, tells the rest of the Ghomeshi story

Q&A: Kevin Donovan, the Star reporter whose book, out today, tells the rest of the Ghomeshi story

The Star's chief investigator, on how the story came together

Q&A: Christie Blatchford, the National Post columnist whose new book critiques the justice system

Q&A: Christie Blatchford, the National Post columnist whose new book critiques the justice system

On the courts, the media, and what makes her cry

Q&A: The Ritz-Carlton bartender who made a $600 drink

Q&A: The Ritz-Carlton bartender who made a $600 drink

Our interview with the guy who created the city's most expensive cocktail

Q&A: Sue-Ann Levy, the Toronto Sun ’s most notorious columnist, whose new book comes out today

Q&A: Sue-Ann Levy, the Toronto Sun’s most notorious columnist, whose new book comes out today

A conversation with with the veteran columnist and self-professed shit disturber

Why two Toronto illustrators created an entire show of pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio

Why two Toronto illustrators created an entire show of pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio

And of course they called it Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls

Q&A: Chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat, who wants build a "Central Park" for downtown

Q&A: Chief city planner Jennifer Keesmaat, who wants build a “Central Park” for downtown

On how Rail Deck Park will be funded, and whether the name could be in for a change

Q&A: Stephanie Drabik, the Crywolf boutique owner who says Zara stole her design

Q&A: Stephanie Drabik, the Crywolf boutique owner who says Zara stole her design

Stephanie Drabik and Rose Chang—owners of Ossington boutique Crywolf—were shocked to learn last week that Zara was selling a...

Toronto restaurateurs' favourite after-work hangouts

Toronto restaurateurs’ favourite after-work hangouts

"Sometimes after a long shift, a bunch of us will head over to BMB Karaoke"

Toronto's best places to eat (really) late

Toronto’s best places to eat (really) late

The city's options for after-hours snacking are no longer limited to pizza and poutine

Q&A: James Hinchcliffe, the Oakville racing champ who's competing in this weekend's Honda Indy

Q&A: James Hinchcliffe, the Oakville racing champ who’s competing in this weekend’s Honda Indy

On the crash that almost ended him, and why he got back behind the wheel

Q&A: Selwyn Pieters, the only black member of Justin Trudeau's Pride delegation, on Black Lives Matter

Q&A: Selwyn Pieters, the only black member of Justin Trudeau’s Pride delegation, on Black Lives Matter

The lawyer and activist reflects on the most controversial Pride parade in recent memory

Toronto's Best Dressed: Curator Rui Amaral and gallerist Daniel Faria

Toronto’s Best Dressed: Curator Rui Amaral and gallerist Daniel Faria

They say the couple who shops together stays together

The life (and near-death) of bad-boy chef Matty Matheson

The life (and near-death) of bad-boy chef Matty Matheson

How the hard-partying chef resurrected a brand built on debauchery without the vice

Q&A: Angela Kennedy, the Catholic school board trustee who changed her mind about sex ed

Q&A: Angela Kennedy, the Catholic school board trustee who changed her mind about sex ed

Our Six in the Six interview with the chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board

Toronto's Best Dressed: Julian Finkel & Georgia Groom

Toronto’s Best Dressed: Julian Finkel & Georgia Groom

Both work in fashion, and they look like a family out of a Wes Anderson movie

Q&A: Maria Toorpakai, the top-ranked Pakistani squash player who dressed as a boy for a decade

Q&A: Maria Toorpakai, the top-ranked Pakistani squash player who dressed as a boy for a decade

On fleeing Taliban rule and writing her first book

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