Subscribe

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

"I've been called a dictator and a tyrant": Pickering mayor Kevin Ashe on city council's descent into chaos

“I’ve been called a dictator and a tyrant”: Pickering mayor Kevin Ashe on city council’s descent into chaos

After more than a year of hostile interactions with councillor Lisa Robinson and threats from alt-right protesters, Pickering city council has moved its meetings online. Now, the stand-off has escalated again—with criminal charges on the table

"Our relationship frustrations get a healthy workout onstage": Paul Gross and Martha Burns on their new production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

“Our relationship frustrations get a healthy workout onstage”: Paul Gross and Martha Burns on their new production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Real-life husband and wife Paul Gross and Martha Burns play a volatile married couple in Canadian Stage’s new production of the 1962 classic

“I grabbed one guitar and one pair of underwear—I thought we’d be back”: This Canadian couple lost their home to the LA fires

“I grabbed one guitar and one pair of underwear—I thought we’d be back”: This Canadian couple lost their home to the LA fires

Brian and Pamela Hughes’s place in Eaton Canyon was their refuge for more than 20 years. After the Eaton fire ripped through their neighbourhood, nothing remains

"People are fed up": How congestion pricing could save Toronto from its hellish traffic

“People are fed up”: How congestion pricing could save Toronto from its hellish traffic

New York has started charging divers who are getting behind the wheel at peak hours, and its streets already generate less road rage. Could the same be true in our traffic jam of a city?

Power Ranking: Who’s up, who’s down and who’s scrambling after Justin Trudeau’s resignation

Power Ranking: Who’s up, who’s down and who’s scrambling after Justin Trudeau’s resignation

The political manoeuvring has only just begun

“I want to address the stigma around renting”: Meet mega-developer Adrian Rocca

“I want to address the stigma around renting”: Meet mega-developer Adrian Rocca

Rocca has a plan to inject thousands of new two- and three-bedroom rentals into the housing market. Sounds great. What’s the catch?

"She has a history of taking on powerful men": Chrystia Freeland's biographer on the finance minister's bombshell resignation

“She has a history of taking on powerful men”: Chrystia Freeland’s biographer on the finance minister’s bombshell resignation

Catherine Tsalikis, the author of Chrystia: From Peace Valley to Parliament Hill, weighs in on the legacy and next moves of the most influential woman in Canadian politics

A holiday-themed guide to the auditor general’s annual naughty list

A holiday-themed guide to the auditor general’s annual naughty list

Lumps of coal included

Wait: Did Taylor Swift really visit a Toronto dive bar?

Wait: Did Taylor Swift really visit a Toronto dive bar?

An investigative report

"It ran during the Great Depression and both world wars": The CEO of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade on the event's uncertain future

“It ran during the Great Depression and both world wars”: The CEO of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade on the event’s uncertain future

Everybody’s favourite 120-year-old festive float extravaganza is in jeopardy. Here’s what it will take to keep Santa coming to town

"We can throw a wrench into the war machine": Why pro-Palestine Canadian authors are boycotting the Giller Prize

“We can throw a wrench into the war machine”: Why pro-Palestine Canadian authors are boycotting the Giller Prize

Comics artist and illustrator Michael DeForge, an organizer with CanLit Responds and No Arms in the Arts, on protesting the award's lead sponsor's stake in Israeli arms manufacturing

"I do a song-for-song rendition of the Eras Tour in drag": Meet Tay BoBo, Toronto's Taylor Swift impersonator

“I do a song-for-song rendition of the Eras Tour in drag”: Meet Tay BoBo, Toronto’s Taylor Swift impersonator

It’s Taylor Swift, drag queen version

"People aren’t listening to that little voice that tells them to walk away”: A TPS fraud cop on the rise of Taylor Swift ticket scams

“People aren’t listening to that little voice that tells them to walk away”: A TPS fraud cop on the rise of Taylor Swift ticket scams

Thousands of people are clamouring for last-minute tickets to the Eras Tour, and many are getting scammed. Here, the head of the Toronto Police Service's new fraud unit breaks down how Swifties are being swindled

"I left everything on the field": Kamala Harris's rally producer on the shocking US election results

“I left everything on the field”: Kamala Harris’s rally producer on the shocking US election results

On the campaign trail, Jean-Michel Picher coordinated major events featuring heavy hitters like Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen. After a devastating night for the Democrats, the political insider weighs in on the ups and downs of Harris’s election bid

"You cannot achieve peace in the Middle East by destroying a literary arts organization": Elana Rabinovitch on protests against the Giller Prize

“You cannot achieve peace in the Middle East by destroying a literary arts organization”: Elana Rabinovitch on protests against the Giller Prize

The executive director of the Gillers discusses the prize’s controversial lead sponsor, her response to demands made by more than 1,500 Canadian authors, and the relationship between literature and dissent

“The good old days of driving downtown without hassle are over”: Meet Roger Browne, Toronto’s director of traffic management

“The good old days of driving downtown without hassle are over”: Meet Roger Browne, Toronto’s director of traffic management

Browne is leading the fight against the city’s soul-crushing congestion—and he genuinely thinks he can win

"They say you should never go back to your exes": Jagmeet Singh on breaking up with Justin Trudeau and taking on Pierre Poilievre

“They say you should never go back to your exes”: Jagmeet Singh on breaking up with Justin Trudeau and taking on Pierre Poilievre

After tearing up his agreement with the Liberals, the NDP leader gets real about spats on Parliament Hill, feuding with Doug Ford and how to fix everything from health care to housing

"My restaurants are for anyone. They just might not be for everyone": Jen Agg on perceived value, handling rude customers and burgers that aren't smashed

“My restaurants are for anyone. They just might not be for everyone”: Jen Agg on perceived value, handling rude customers and burgers that aren’t smashed

Ten openings, one bestselling memoir and a million social-media spats later, Agg continues to innovate

"I never got tired of trashing hotel rooms": Sum 41's Deryck Whibley on his new memoir, Walking Disaster

“I never got tired of trashing hotel rooms”: Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley on his new memoir, Walking Disaster

The frontman talks about dating Avril Lavigne, his bad boy reputation and the band’s upcoming farewell tour

The Eras Tour Effect: A dollar-by-dollar breakdown of Taylor Swift fervour in Toronto

The Eras Tour Effect: A dollar-by-dollar breakdown of Taylor Swift fervour in Toronto

Including $121,000 luxury-suite tickets and a $1,000 private performance by the city’s top Swift impersonator

"I think Kid Rock is an asshole based on his politics": Jim Cuddy on songwriting, artistic collaboration and using his platform to speak out

“I think Kid Rock is an asshole based on his politics”: Jim Cuddy on songwriting, artistic collaboration and using his platform to speak out

In the wake of his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, we spoke with the Blue Rodeo frontman about the band’s early days and his accolade-studded career since

"The title was a helpful reminder not to get too mushy": Filmmaker Megan Park on her new Muskoka-set movie, My Old Ass

“The title was a helpful reminder not to get too mushy”: Filmmaker Megan Park on her new Muskoka-set movie, My Old Ass

The Lindsay-born writer and director talks about the inspiration behind her new flick, the beauty of Mrs. Doubtfire and why the film couldn’t have been shot anywhere but Muskoka

What went down at last night's TIFF Tribute Awards

What went down at last night’s TIFF Tribute Awards

With appearances by Cate Blanchett, Amy Adams and David Cronenberg

“Toronto has a lot of rich people, and a lot of them don’t give much”: Meet philanthropist and media mogul Gary Slaight

“Toronto has a lot of rich people, and a lot of them don’t give much”: Meet philanthropist and media mogul Gary Slaight

Through his family foundation, Slaight donates a lot of money—$15 million to this, $30 million to that—and he’s not above shaming his wealthy friends into doing the same

Summer Camp Guide

Summer Camp Directory 2026

Summer Camp Directory 2026

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

Wines of the World

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

Wines of the World: Rediscover your favourites from Toronto Life’s Best Restaurants

From cabernet and merlot to icewine and chardonnay, these wines are primed to pair and delight

Big Stories

Charm Offensive: The cottage country mortgage broker who lost $101 million of his clients’ money

Charm Offensive: The cottage country mortgage broker who lost $101 million of his clients’ money

Sandy Sussman spent decades wooing the upper echelons of Toronto society, becoming their go-to investment guy. He took their money and made a huge bet on cottage country. When the market tanked, he lost it all. Then he did everything in his power to cover it up

The Monster Cottages vs. the Resistance: Inside the ruthless battle for the future of Muskoka

The Monster Cottages vs. the Resistance: Inside the ruthless battle for the future of Muskoka

From Gravenhurst to Port Cockburn, the uber rich and powerful are buying up shoreline for private island compounds and sprawling mega-resorts, radically changing the face of Muskoka and infuriating environmentalists, locals and long-time cottagers

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

Just Listed

For Sale: 99 Lake Promenade

For Sale: 99 Lake Promenade

This classic Hamptons-style home by Chatsworth Fine Homes offers an exciting opportunity to customize a new dream home and build instant value - without the long wait of new construction

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