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TWEETED: police nab a metre-long snake in a Scarborough school yard

Constable Stephane St. George tweeted this snapshot of a metre-long bull constrictor, which was found coiled on a bench at...

Quoted: Rob Ford finally admits to doing drugs

—Mayor Rob Ford, confessing to reporters yesterday that he’s used marijuana in the past. It wasn’t a particularly risky...

Q&A: U of T’s cyber-espionage savant on surveillance, anarchists and Facebook hacking

Q&A: U of T’s cyber-espionage savant on surveillance, anarchists and Facebook hacking

U of T’s Internet vigilante-in-residence, Ron Deibert, stalks the world’s most dangerous cybercriminals As the director of the...

Dear Urban Diplomat: Is it weird to hit a nude beach without going naked?

Dear Urban Diplomat: Is it weird to hit a nude beach without going naked?

Dear Urban Diplomat, Some of my U of T law classmates invited me to Hanlan’s Point on the Island for some European-style...

Better than Weed: the latest drug craze is a fake version of pot that might even be legal

Better than Weed: the latest drug craze is a fake version of pot that might even be legal

Last January 19, around 10:15 p.m., a man walked into the Love Shop, an erotica store in downtown Hamilton. He approached the...

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.

Five things you didn’t know about Margaret Atwood, whose apocalyptic new novel is out August 27

Five things you didn’t know about Margaret Atwood, whose apocalyptic new novel is out August 27

1 | She eats bugs “My dad was an entomologist, so I have nothing against eating insects. Giant locusts are delicious toasted.”...

Billionaire octogenarian Frank Stronach tries to win over Austrian voters by showing off his body

Billionaire octogenarian Frank Stronach tries to win over Austrian voters by showing off his body

A month away from the general election in his native Austria, auto-parts billionaire turned political leader Frank Stronach is...

The Real World: How Toronto is cashing in on the reality TV boom

The Real World: How Toronto is cashing in on the reality TV boom

Reality television is booming in Toronto; nearly 100 shows are made here every year—some of them drawing more viewers than (gasp) hockey. Call it an affront to good taste or appointment TV, it’s the future of Canadian entertainment

Police, columnists and Sammy Yatim’s family respond to the murder charge against officer James Forcillo

Police, columnists and Sammy Yatim’s family respond to the murder charge against officer James Forcillo

Constable James Forcillo, the officer involved in the shooting death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim, has been charged with...

The list of Rob Ford’s sketchy friends keeps growing

The list of Rob Ford’s sketchy friends keeps growing

The Star published a lengthy investigative piece over the weekend alleging police are investigating the efforts of Rob Ford’ s...

Editor’s Letter (September 2013): what makes a great neighbourhood?

Editor’s Letter (September 2013): what makes a great neighbourhood?

Almost two years ago, one of my neighbours proposed we have a block party. We’d close the road to traffic and all hang out...

A Cultural Revolution: the AGO’s Ai Weiwei exhibition proves why the Chinese artist is such a threat

A Cultural Revolution: the AGO’s Ai Weiwei exhibition proves why the Chinese artist is such a threat

Ai Weiwei is the most famous artist on the planet, and like many who have held the title before (van Gogh, Picasso), his personal...

A primer on Rob Ford’s latest troubles, from nocturnal wanderings to a jailhouse visit

A primer on Rob Ford’s latest troubles, from nocturnal wanderings to a jailhouse visit

Just when we thought Rob Ford’ s public relations problems were petering out, there’s a spate of new allegations, each...

Memoir: what I learned from working the graveyard shift at the Rogers Centre

Memoir: what I learned from working the graveyard shift at the Rogers Centre

On my first night, I picked up a beer-soaked five-dollar bill and shoved it into my pocket. Some of my co-workers were high; some...

Best of the City 2013: a league for urban lumberjacks yearning to throw axes

Best of the City 2013: a league for urban lumberjacks yearning to throw axes

The quirkiest tenant on Sterling Road’s warehouse row is the Backyard Axe-Throwing League, which has become a heraldic...

The List: 10 things Eb Zeidler, the influential architect behind the Eaton Centre, can’t live without

The List: 10 things Eb Zeidler, the influential architect behind the Eaton Centre, can’t live without

1 | My hats The summer straw hat has become my signature, but I have one for every season—a black wool hat with a peacock band...

Last Holyday: the highs and lows of Doug Holyday’s career in city politics

Last Holyday: the highs and lows of Doug Holyday’s career in city politics

City hall will be a different place without Doug Holyday. After 28 years in municipal politics, the deputy mayor joins the...

Dear Urban Diplomat: My neighbour holds a yard sale every weekend. Is there anything I can do?

Dear Urban Diplomat: My neighbour holds a yard sale every weekend. Is there anything I can do?

Dear Urban Diplomat, My neighbour holds a yard sale every weekend. She prices everything way too high and won’t negotiate, like...

Doug Holyday beats out fellow city councillor Peter Milczyn to win a seat at Queen’s Park

Doug Holyday beats out fellow city councillor Peter Milczyn to win a seat at Queen’s Park

Following a campaign full of petty swipes and arguments over photo ops, deputy mayor Doug Holyday triumphed over Liberal candidate...

Spotlight: Dion Johnstone is an Othello you don’t want to mess with

Spotlight: Dion Johnstone is an Othello you don’t want to mess with

Six years ago, while Dion Johnstone was rehearsing a duel for a production of King Lear, the show’s fight choreographer told him...

The Toronto Star names the man who tried to hock the Rob Ford crack video

The Toronto Star names the man who tried to hock the Rob Ford crack video

The Rob Ford crack scandal is all but dead. Gawker has given up on buying the video; Ford has replaced all his departed...

Dear Urban Diplomat: How should I respond to overzealous street fundraisers?

Dear Urban Diplomat: How should I respond to overzealous street fundraisers?

Dear Urban Diplomat, I was shopping on Queen West recently and was accosted in three separate instances by those relentlessly...

Best of the City: our indispensable list of all that’s excellent in 2013

Best of the City: our indispensable list of all that’s excellent in 2013

City hall is a circus, our roads are chronically clogged and the Stanley Cup continues to elude us, but our economy is booming...

The Constant Travellers: six local jet-setters give their tips for New York, Bangkok, St. Petersburg and more

The Constant Travellers: six local jet-setters give their tips for New York, Bangkok, St. Petersburg and more

We rounded up a group of the city’s brightest artists, entrepreneurs and professional tourists and asked them for insider intel...

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