The Year in Covers
2022 was the year the world opened up again. A month-by-month look at what mattered when
We had plenty to celebrate as the city emerged from its lockdown cocoon. Homegrown superstars Bilal Baig, Mae Martin and Iman Vellani dazzled as the new Hollywood North. Marvel hero Simu Liu showed us how he used his superpowers for good. Cottage-goers scored deals on summer spots exactly when everybody needed a breezy vacation. People who fled Toronto during the height of the pandemic returned in droves—lured back by the city’s newly re-opened venues, bustling streets and general good vibes. Still, Covid left its mark. This year upended pre-pandemic wisdom and prompted questions about everything from office life to toxic restaurant culture. We also saw the city’s richest families duke it out over their fortunes, took an in-depth look at the messy $11-billion subway war and waded into the crypto world to investigate one bitcoin hacker who stole $46 million. Here, the year’s cover stories mark the highs and lows of a city brought back to life.
January: A Winter-Hater’s Guide to Loving Winter
Winter doesn’t have to suck. We searched the city and beyond to find fancy getaways, snow yoga (with alpacas), ice wine in an ice lounge and other cool and unusual ways to unleash a little joy and make the most of the frosty weeks to come
February: The $11-Billion Subway War
The Ontario Line will zip across the core and up to Eglinton, easing gridlock and alleviating TTC misery. It will also plow through peaceful Toronto neighbourhoods, displacing homes, businesses and everything else in its path. That is, unless the residents have anything to say about it
March: Four Sons. Four Billion Dollars. One Fallen Empire
Teodor Libfeld arrived in Toronto with nothing and built a multibillion-dollar real estate company. When he died, his four sons took over and destroyed the empire he created
April: The Office of the Future
What should a post-pandemic workplace look like? The city’s most innovative companies are leading the way with shorter work weeks, VR meetups, wellness stipends, office-wide quiet time and other productivity-enhancing, morale-boosting perks
May: Reasons to Love Toronto
Twenty-five things that make us deliriously happy to live here in 2022, including the new and improved Massey Hall, gelato tasting tours, cool new cocktail bars, life-saving drones and phenomenal homegrown soccer stars
June: Where to Eat Now
After two-plus years of stop-start lockdowns, rain-soaked patio meals and more takeout than we’d consumed in our entire pre-2020 lives, it feels like an existential boost to have indoor dining back. This year’s best restaurants package celebrated the city’s new and remarkable dining spots
July: How to Steal $46 Million
One minute, Josh Jones had a fortune. The next, it was gone. Three months later, the FBI had a suspect: a reclusive Fortnite-playing hacker kid from the GTA. The untold story of a historic crypto heist
August: More Cottage, Less Money
Is it possible to score a reasonably priced cottage within a few hours’ drive of the city? We swept the province in search of bargains and found recently purchased gems in overlooked places. Where to get a piece of paradise for less
September: The New Hollywood North
Whatever the genre, network or streaming service, it’s impossible to avoid the surge of film and TV stars flowing from the GTA, wowing critics and enchanting audiences. The actors, directors, showrunners, producers and other Toronto talent making waves right now
October: No, Chef
The restaurant industry is broken: staff are overworked and underpaid, costs are soaring, kitchen culture is toxic, and burnout is rampant. We talked to 27 industry insiders about how to fix everything
November: The Big Return
They traded city life for more square footage elsewhere. Then what? In a nutshell, they hated it—and they’re moving back. Five families tell their stories
December: The Most Influential Torontonians of 2022
The most important Torontonians of 2022 were deal makers, risk takers, policy shapers and all those who represented the city on the world stage: a Jeopardy!-winning whiz kid, a brilliant Pixar animator, a dream team of soccer phenoms and, in our number one spot, a certain actor who’s redefining what it means to be a superstar
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