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#TorontoIsFailingMe: My students are terrified of getting shot

#TorontoIsFailingMe: My students are terrified of getting shot

I took over as principal at Lawrence Heights Middle School in September 2009. I wanted to work in a challenging...

Smoother traffic is only the beginning: John Tory's parking crackdown will change the way Toronto works

Smoother traffic is only the beginning: John Tory’s parking crackdown will change the way Toronto works

Attention Toronto drivers: your heaping helping of schadenfreude is ready. For all the times you’ve ever been stuck behind an...

#TorontoIsFailingMe: My apartment tower is infested with cockroaches and bugs

#TorontoIsFailingMe: My apartment tower is infested with cockroaches and bugs

When I first came to Toronto in 1980, I was 24. I remember thinking, What a beautiful city. I came from a very small village in...

#TorontoIsFailingMe: My kid's school is a disgrace

#TorontoIsFailingMe: My kid’s school is a disgrace

My wife and I are originally from India, but spent more than a decade living in Abu Dhabi, where I worked as a computer...

Why Toronto needs to talk about the inner suburbs

Why Toronto needs to talk about the inner suburbs

The seven-year-old girl above, Amal Syed, came to Canada three years ago from Abu Dhabi. Her father is a computer analyst who left...

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.

Dear Urban Diplomat: what can I do about the never-ending porn shoot next door?

Dear Urban Diplomat: what can I do about the never-ending porn shoot next door?

Dear Urban Diplomat, It seems the unit down the hall at my condo has become the world’s busiest porno set. There’s a steady...

"It happened to me once": five Regent Park carding stories

“It happened to me once”: five Regent Park carding stories

On January 1, police chief Bill Blair quietly suspended "carding," the Toronto police practice of routinely stopping, questioning...

A Winter Hater's Guide to Loving Winter: how to survive the season in style

A Winter Hater’s Guide to Loving Winter: how to survive the season in style

This is the era of the polar vortex. Winters are colder, storms are icier and the frost sticks around till May. You could...

John Tory isn't as good at mayoring as Rob Ford, says Rob Ford

John Tory isn’t as good at mayoring as Rob Ford, says Rob Ford

For some, a demotion to city councillor after four years as mayor would be a humbling experience, but for Rob...

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #14. The Sheraton has an all-season outdoor pool

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #14. The Sheraton has an all-season outdoor pool

When the cold has welded your shoulders into a permanent hunch, a steamy soak does wonders. On the third floor of the Sheraton, an...

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #6. Snowshoeing induces bliss

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #6. Snowshoeing induces bliss

After the dot-com crash, Ted Cordina, a software consultant, turned his passion for kayaking and snowshoeing into an all-season...

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #8. Not all toboggans are created equal

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #8. Not all toboggans are created equal

Thick kiln-dried planks of northern birch and extra-thick powder-coated steel runners ensure Mountain Boy’ s heirloom-quality...

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #1. There’s a Game of Thrones –ish ice wall in Ancaster

Secrets to a Happy Toronto Winter: #1. There’s a Game of Thrones–ish ice wall in Ancaster

Stable rock formations and the sheer volume of frozen water make Ancaster’s 21-metre Tiffany Falls the only scaleable waterfall...

Some things that will definitely happen in Toronto in 2015

Some things that will definitely happen in Toronto in 2015

January 2 At 4:35 pm, Mr. Earl Mitchell, of Pape and Gerrard, becomes the last person to successfully hold to his New Year’s...

The 16 biggest, happiest, most infuriating Toronto moments of 2014

Editor's note: the photos for the 2014 year-end feature that appeared in this space were licensed for a limited time only, which...

Toronto Life's most popular longform features of 2014

Toronto Life’s most popular longform features of 2014

A private school kid gone bad, the night Sammy Yatim died, and how tiny condos became the new family home—here are our most-read...

Ten things Anna Silk can’t live without

Ten things Anna Silk can’t live without

The city’s most famous succubus began her final season on the hit Showcase series Lost Girl this month. Here, the 10 things she...

Dear Urban Diplomat: was I wrong to show my new doctor neighbour my rash?

Dear Urban Diplomat: was I wrong to show my new doctor neighbour my rash?

Dear Urban Diplomat, My husband and I just moved to the Beach. We had our neighbours over—he’s a banker, she’s a family...

The best way to fix city council's diversity problem? More money.

The best way to fix city council’s diversity problem? More money.

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve had brief conversations with black candidates who, like me, ran in the last election. We’re a...

Toronto had way more potholes than usual this year

—The number of potholes that city workers had filled in 2014 as of Monday, according to figures reported by CP24 . That's about...

Q&A: Nick Kouvalis, the kingmaker behind both Rob Ford and John Tory's mayoral wins

Q&A: Nick Kouvalis, the kingmaker behind both Rob Ford and John Tory’s mayoral wins

If you’re planning on becoming mayor of Toronto at some point, you might want to call up Nick Kouvalis. As an architect of Rob...

Foreign investment may not be as big a factor in Toronto’s condo market as we all thought it was

—The percentage of Toronto condos that are owned by foreign investors, according to a new report from the Canada Mortgage and...

Uber Toronto general manager Ian Black on why the city hates his company, and why John Tory doesn't

Uber Toronto general manager Ian Black on why the city hates his company, and why John Tory doesn’t

Everyone has heard of Uber, but not everyone’s sure what it is. Help us out. It’s a smartphone app: click a button and a car...

Q&A: Mike McCormack, Toronto cops' biggest defender

Q&A: Mike McCormack, Toronto cops’ biggest defender

Mike McCormack is the head of the Toronto Police Association , the labour union that represents over 8,000 civilian and uniformed...

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