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Ten things Russell Martin can’t live without

Ten things Russell Martin can’t live without

Last fall, the star catcher signed a five-year, $82-million deal with the Jays. This month, he’ll make his debut on the...

How the Rogers Centre turns a concrete floor into a field of dreams and fake grass

How the Rogers Centre turns a concrete floor into a field of dreams and fake grass

The artificial turf at the Rogers Centre has, oddly enough, been a source of some controversy over the past few years, because...

Doug Ford can't legally be Rob Ford's replacement, but he's going to try it anyway

Doug Ford can’t legally be Rob Ford’s replacement, but he’s going to try it anyway

Doug Ford has now apparently made peace with the fact that he can't legally take over Ward 2 councillor duties while his brother...

Mel Lastman gets some furniture-sales help from the mayor who made him look good

Mel Lastman gets some furniture-sales help from the mayor who made him look good

The goofball-mayor singularity has arrived. The National Post reports that Wednesday's Toronto Star contained a full-page...

John Tory announces a plan to make life slightly more frustrating for raccoons

John Tory announces a plan to make life slightly more frustrating for raccoons

This morning, our mercifully boring mayor John Tory came as close as he will probably ever come to picking a fight with a specific...

Inside the Latest Issue

The July issue of Toronto Life features the monster cottages of Muskoka versus the resistance. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.

Memoir: my strict Muslim upbringing didn't stop me from losing faith in God

Memoir: my strict Muslim upbringing didn’t stop me from losing faith in God

I grew up in an observant Muslim household in Hamilton. My parents were refugees from Afghanistan who spoke Dari at home, read the...

Dear Urban Diplomat: how can I convince my racist boss to hire a black sushi chef?

Dear Urban Diplomat: how can I convince my racist boss to hire a black sushi chef?

Dear Urban Diplomat, I manage a Japanese restaurant, and I recently interviewed a sushi chef who is insanely talented and happens...

"Getting cussed out comes with the job": Ten parking enforcement officers share their on-the-job horror stories

“Getting cussed out comes with the job”: Ten parking enforcement officers share their on-the-job horror stories

John Tory's “zero tolerance” policy on illegal parking during rush hour has a lot of Torontonians seeing...

Q&A: Säad Rafi, CEO of the Toronto Pan Am Games, on leading the most polarizing event since the G20

Q&A: Säad Rafi, CEO of the Toronto Pan Am Games, on leading the most polarizing event since the G20

You were the widely respected deputy minister of health, making $428,000 a year. Then you accepted this highly controversial job...

Doug Ford wants to fill his brother's council seat, whether he's allowed to or not

Doug Ford wants to fill his brother’s council seat, whether he’s allowed to or not

Rob Ford’ s cancer surgery in May will keep him in the hospital for a week or two, and "out of commission" for four months—and...

Will Toronto actually adopt ranked-ballot voting?

Will Toronto actually adopt ranked-ballot voting?

THE IDEA Last week, mayor John Tory announced his support for ranked balloting, an alternative to the city’s first-past-the-post...

The Kink Club: inside the secret world of BDSM

The Kink Club: inside the secret world of BDSM

Lord Morpheous, arguably Toronto’s reigning king of kink, lives in a downtown penthouse with a panoramic view of the...

No matter what anyone says, a Woodbine casino would be good for Toronto

No matter what anyone says, a Woodbine casino would be good for Toronto

I’m not a fan of casinos. I’ve never dropped a single coin into a slot machine. As someone with a background in money...

Q&A: Barbara Hall, the ex-mayor and human rights commissioner who just can't quit politics

Q&A: Barbara Hall, the ex-mayor and human rights commissioner who just can’t quit politics

Over the course of her long career, Barbara Hall has been (among other things) an activist, a lawyer, a city councillor, a...

Fair Enough: skin-lightening is potentially hazardous, politically charged—and disturbingly popular

Fair Enough: skin-lightening is potentially hazardous, politically charged—and disturbingly popular

This past winter, a subway ad for Liberty Clinic sparked much controversy when it proclaimed, “Get brighter and lighter skin!”...

"We're on the bandwagon no matter what": Leafs fans on what it would take for them to finally stop buying tickets

“We’re on the bandwagon no matter what”: Leafs fans on what it would take for them to finally stop buying tickets

It takes a lot to get Toronto Maple Leafs fans to stop supporting their team, but they may have finally started to give up. Last...

Could the TDSB really be broken up into smaller school boards?

Could the TDSB really be broken up into smaller school boards?

THE IDEA Earlier this month, education minister Liz Sandals appointed an expert panel to troubleshoot the notoriously...

Rob Ford has to apologize for being racist a couple times

Rob Ford has to apologize for being racist a couple times

Next week's city council meeting will be the setting of another classic Rob Ford forced apology, as he owns up to a few racist...

Dear Urban Diplomat: can I disobey the demands of sidewalk-hogging TV crews?

Dear Urban Diplomat: can I disobey the demands of sidewalk-hogging TV crews?

Dear Urban Diplomat, I work near Victoria and Adelaide, which is almost always occupied by TV crews. I can’t go anywhere without...

Q&A: David Hulchanski, the U of T professor sounding the alarm on income inequality

Q&A: David Hulchanski, the U of T professor sounding the alarm on income inequality

David Hulchanski has been thinking about affordability and cities ever since he moved here from upstate New York in the late '60s...

Twitter makes the same two jokes about the TTC's mysterious subway ooze

Twitter makes the same two jokes about the TTC’s mysterious subway ooze

You may be wondering about the the oily mystery liquid currently leaking onto subway tracks at College Station and preventing...

Doug Ford is peeved that John Tory won't help pay off his campaign debt

Doug Ford is peeved that John Tory won’t help pay off his campaign debt

Doug Ford told the Sun that he's very, very disappointed by John Tory' s decision not to attend a $300-a-ticket fundraiser, the...

The brother of Sandro Lisi's alleged crack-video extortion victim got shot on Tuesday

The brother of Sandro Lisi’s alleged crack-video extortion victim got shot on Tuesday

On Tuesday afternoon, a 21-year-old man named Ahmed Siyad was shot in the parking garage of a Toronto Community Housing high-rise...

People with their arms crossed in front of things they're against: a taxonomy of the Star ’s favourite visual cliché

People with their arms crossed in front of things they’re against: a taxonomy of the Star’s favourite visual cliché

Two things are inevitable in a big city: constant change, and constant opposition to change. Local media outlets have a tough time...

Cost of Living

These North York points enthusiasts earn $370,000 a year. How do they spend it?

These North York points enthusiasts earn $370,000 a year. How do they spend it?

“We try to maximize our rewards by using various credit cards plus PC Optimum”

This 22-year-old venture capitalist is on track to make $180,000 this year. How does he spend it?

This 22-year-old venture capitalist is on track to make $180,000 this year. How does he spend it?

“I love a good bargain, so I shop at No Frills”

This globetrotting couple earns a combined $287,000 a year. How do they spend it?

This globetrotting couple earns a combined $287,000 a year. How do they spend it?

“Groceries are our biggest monthly expense after rent”

This Doctors Without Borders marketer earns $100,000 a year. How does she spend it?

This Doctors Without Borders marketer earns $100,000 a year. How does she spend it?

Manpreet Badyal moved from Delhi to Vancouver to Toronto in search of success

How a Gen Z finance enthusiast in Forest Hill spends her money

How a Gen Z finance enthusiast in Forest Hill spends her money

Business analyst and budding TikTok investment guru Chaeeun Lee hopes to visit 50 countries before she turns 30

This policy analyst and stand-up comedian makes $83,000 a year. How does she spend it?

This policy analyst and stand-up comedian makes $83,000 a year. How does she spend it?

“Investing in mental health is important. I have an unlimited membership at Othership in Yorkville”

This entrepreneur is on track to make $23,000 this year. How does she spend it?

This entrepreneur is on track to make $23,000 this year. How does she spend it?

“It was hard to accept financial aid from my parents, but it actually brought us closer together”

Urban Diplomat

Dear Urban Diplomat: My family takes Mother’s Day more seriously than Father’s Day

Dear Urban Diplomat: My family takes Mother’s Day more seriously than Father’s Day

She gets flowers, gifts and breakfast in bed; I get a lousy grill brush. Am I wrong to feel slighted?

Dear Urban Diplomat: What’s the etiquette for EV charging?

Dear Urban Diplomat: What’s the etiquette for EV charging?

Dear Urban Diplomat , What’s the etiquette for EV charging? A few weeks ago, I finally found a spot in my neighbourhood to juice...

Dear Urban Diplomat: My husband thinks I'm a hoarder, but I'm a collector

Dear Urban Diplomat: My husband thinks I’m a hoarder, but I’m a collector

He’s started quoting Marie Kondo and insisting that I get rid of my “emotional support tchotchkes.” How can I get him to back off?

Dear Urban Diplomat: My condo building has zero tolerance for the slightest noise

Dear Urban Diplomat: My condo building has zero tolerance for the slightest noise

They’ve asked us not to shower after 11 p.m. because of “pipe whistling.” Is this normal?

Dear Urban Diplomat: My husband bought us a pass to skip the line at the ski hill. Why do I feel guilty for using it?

Dear Urban Diplomat: My husband bought us a pass to skip the line at the ski hill. Why do I feel guilty for using it?

I can’t help being embarrassed every time I sheepishly walk past the eye rollers in the regular queue

Dear Urban Diplomat: My brother is lying online about Dry January

Dear Urban Diplomat: My brother is lying online about Dry January

He’s preaching the virtues of sobriety on TikTok but still crushing six-packs every weekend, and the hypocrisy is getting on my nerves. Should I call him out?

Dear Urban Diplomat: My co-workers have forgotten how to behave in an office

Dear Urban Diplomat: My co-workers have forgotten how to behave in an office

I actually don’t mind the return-to-office mandate, but it seems like so much working from home has caused my fellow employees’ self-awareness to atrophy