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What it's like to be transgender in Toronto

What it’s like to be transgender in Toronto

A growing number of transgender people are now living openly, but the struggle for equality is far from over. Violence, harassment and discrimination are regularly part of their lives. Here, five Torontonians tell their stories

"I'm very paycheque to paycheque": how much a sales director makes, and how she spends it

“I’m very paycheque to paycheque”: how much a sales director makes, and how she spends it

How far does $35,000 a year go in Toronto?

"I don't think homeownership is something I can realize": How a midwife lives on $65,000 a year

“I don’t think homeownership is something I can realize”: How a midwife lives on $65,000 a year

A 32-year-old midwife talks about what she makes, and how she spends it

What Black Creek would look like if it became a watery High Line for the west end

What Black Creek would look like if it became a watery High Line for the west end

A dream makeover for Toronto's saddest body of water

"I don't collect things; I accumulate them": a 47-year-old artist and DJ's life on an unpredictable income

“I don’t collect things; I accumulate them”: a 47-year-old artist and DJ’s life on an unpredictable income

Who: Ulysses Castellanos, 47 What he does: A multi-disciplinary artist who also works as a DJ and an actor. What he makes: Last...

"I'll probably take the first real vacation of my adult life this year": how a 27-year-old PR rep lives on around $54,000 a year

“I’ll probably take the first real vacation of my adult life this year”: how a 27-year-old PR rep lives on around $54,000 a year

Who: Danielle Morgan, 27 What she does: A freelance public relations representative who specializes in the arts. What she makes:...

Inside the Latest Issue

The June issue of Toronto Life features our annual ranking of the best new restaurants. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.

"There's not a lot of places you can rehearse with 18 people": how a musician lives on $21,000 a year

“There’s not a lot of places you can rehearse with 18 people”: how a musician lives on $21,000 a year

Who: Chelsea McBride, 23 What she does: A musician who performs with several jazz and pop bands . She also teaches music and takes...

"I'm one of the only people I know who owns a house": how a digital marketing manager lives on $68,500 a year

“I’m one of the only people I know who owns a house”: how a digital marketing manager lives on $68,500 a year

Who: Christina Dong, 29 What she does: A manager at a boutique advertising firm, where she handles accounts and helps clients with...

The Bay Street Tinder Diaries: Dating in the age of the Internet hookup

The Bay Street Tinder Diaries: Dating in the age of the Internet hookup

Valerie met “The Suit” on Tinder. She called him that because he was the quintessential 30-something Bay Street...

"I'm a little stretched at the moment": how an IT help desk worker lives on around $70,000 a year

“I’m a little stretched at the moment”: how an IT help desk worker lives on around $70,000 a year

Who: Khôi Hồ, 40 What he does: IT support at a management consulting firm. "If my company's consultants have problems with...

The Skin I’m In: I've been interrogated by police more than 50 times—all because I'm black

The Skin I’m In: I’ve been interrogated by police more than 50 times—all because I’m black

The summer I was nine, my teenage cousin Sana came from England to visit my family in Oshawa. He was tall, handsome and...

"I was interrogated by police more than 50 times—all because I'm black"

From the archives

“I was interrogated by police more than 50 times—all because I’m black”

From our 2015 piece about police carding: A memoir about being black in Toronto

"Going to a coffee shop is my indulgence": how Valentina Leucona, a student and recent immigrant, lives on $1,200 a month

“Going to a coffee shop is my indulgence”: how Valentina Leucona, a student and recent immigrant, lives on $1,200 a month

Who: Valentina Leucona, 26, who moved to Toronto from Venezuela in August. What she does: Advertising account management student...

The Wattpad Cult: why Toronto's buzziest tech start-up is a self-publishing app beloved by teen girls

The Wattpad Cult: why Toronto’s buzziest tech start-up is a self-publishing app beloved by teen girls

Wattpad occupies three floors of a handsome Greek Revival building on the touristy stretch of Wellington East. The office, if you...

The Bank of Mom and Dad: confessions of a propped up generation

The Bank of Mom and Dad: confessions of a propped up generation

It seems like every 30-something couple has an embarrassing financial secret: their boomer parents are covering their mortgages, child-care costs and other expenses

Hailo is leaving North America—but maybe not Toronto

Hailo , the taxi-hailing app that has been ingratiating its way onto Toronto's smartphones since its local launch in 2012, is...

10 apps you might not know about that make living in Toronto better

10 apps you might not know about that make living in Toronto better

There are some things in life that never stop being annoying: getting rained on, or forgetting to pack your lunch again, or that...

Stuck in Condoland

Stuck in Condoland

In a city where space is at a premium, tiny condos are the new family home. Learning to survive in 700 square feet

My Cheating Heart: Lessons from my year on Ashley Madison

My Cheating Heart: Lessons from my year on Ashley Madison

Everything you’re about to read is true. I’m withholding my name to protect my marriage, but the people, the places and the...

A Life Interrupted: Hassan Rasouli’s journey from an earache to a high-stakes battle over end-of-life decisions

A Life Interrupted: Hassan Rasouli’s journey from an earache to a high-stakes battle over end-of-life decisions

Early in the summer of 2010, Hassan Rasouli, a 59-year-old engineer, had a problem with his right ear. He noticed sounds were...

Private School Guide

The Private and Independent School Directory Spring 2025

The Private and Independent School Directory Spring 2025

Big Stories

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2025

These are Toronto’s best new restaurants of 2025

This year’s list includes a Korean Ecuadorian diner, a supper club that showcases regional Chinese dishes tweaked with seasonal Canadian ingredients and a Parkdale chaat house that makes a mean Pakistani Sloppy Joe. It’s official: fusion is in

Inside the rise and fall of the Vaulter Bandit, the 21st century’s most notorious bank robber

Inside the rise and fall of the Vaulter Bandit, the 21st century’s most notorious bank robber

To fellow tourists he met around the world, Jeffery Shuman was a semi-retired developer with a bright smile, an even tan and a fat wallet. In truth, he was a legendary bank robber on the run from the Toronto police and the US Marshals

Anchor Man: Fox News host John Roberts on Trump, the trade war and the American psyche

Anchor Man: Fox News host John Roberts on Trump, the trade war and the American psyche

If Fox News seems an unlikely landing spot for a guy who got his start pumping out Platinum Blonde on MuchMusic, you probably haven’t heard his thoughts about joining the notorious network, the Canada–US relationship and what he misses most about Toronto

Trump's Loss, Toronto's Gain: Meet the artists, professors, scientists and other luminaries ditching the US and moving north

Trump’s Loss, Toronto’s Gain: Meet the artists, professors, scientists and other luminaries ditching the US and moving north

They’re coming from Big Law, the Ivy League, arts institutes and beyond, brimming with smarts and energy and united by a common cause: avoiding the carnage of Donald Trump. True tales from the brain gain

Dancing Queens: Patrons, staff and performers share their wildest memories of Crews and Tangos, Toronto’s most storied drag bar

Dancing Queens: Patrons, staff and performers share their wildest memories of Crews and Tangos, Toronto’s most storied drag bar

Crews and Tangos has been enforcing the rules of the Village for more than 30 years: wear what you want, kiss who you want, but don’t forget to tip the drag queens. With a condo development looming, we asked around for tales from the iconic spot

The Joy of Sex with Strangers: A Toronto hotwife’s adventures in ethical non-monogamy

The Joy of Sex with Strangers: A Toronto hotwife’s adventures in ethical non-monogamy

Three months ago, I was a suburban mom in a monogamous relationship. Now I’m sleeping with people I meet online—with my husband’s blessing—and we’ve never been happier. Don’t judge us until you’ve read our story

The Scandal, the Firing and the Fallout: Anatomy of a Bay Street fiasco at RBC

The Scandal, the Firing and the Fallout: Anatomy of a Bay Street fiasco at RBC

Nadine Ahn was a high-ranking executive at the bank. Ken Mason, her subordinate, was rapidly promoted. Then someone claimed to see them canoodling at the Royal York, tipped off HR and triggered an inquisition

Edward the Conqueror: The unlikely ascent of Canada’s telecom king

Edward the Conqueror: The unlikely ascent of Canada’s telecom king

Edward Rogers was dismissed as a meddling nepo baby—until he muscled out his siblings, acquired his competitors, cornered the telecom market and became the dominant force in Canadian sports

Lady Parts: Inside Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen’s new show, Small Achievable Goals

Lady Parts: Inside Meredith MacNeill and Jennifer Whalen’s new show, Small Achievable Goals

The Baroness von Sketch Show alumnae have elevated joking about women’s issues to an art. Their new show takes aim at menopause. How funny is that?

Murder in the Blue Mountains: The story behind the killing of Ashley Schwalm

Murder in the Blue Mountains: The story behind the killing of Ashley Schwalm

Ashley and James Schwalm had what seemed like a fairy tale life—two wonderful children, fulfilling careers and a gorgeous home close to the private ski club where they’d fallen in love. Then Ashley’s remains turned up in a burned-out car at the bottom of a ditch, and all signs pointed to her husband

Dark Horse: Inside the fall of Eric Lamaze, Canada’s most famous equestrian

Dark Horse: Inside the fall of Eric Lamaze, Canada’s most famous equestrian

For years, Lamaze was the world’s top-ranked show jumper, living an enviable life filled with fancy cars, international travel and adoring fans—the kind of life a person might do anything to protect

Dividing Line: How the Bloor Street bike lane turned the city into a battlefield

Dividing Line: How the Bloor Street bike lane turned the city into a battlefield

A few kilometres along Bloor has become Toronto’s most contested strip of concrete, igniting fights over congestion, safety and the future of downtown

The Chosen One: At just 23, Scottie Barnes is the new face of the Raptors—and the team’s best chance of salvation

The Chosen One: At just 23, Scottie Barnes is the new face of the Raptors—and the team’s best chance of salvation

Barnes is shouldering the weight of an impatient, basketball-mad city, a hit-and-miss team, and his own colossal ambitions. Does he look worried?

Almost Famous: Inside the Beaches’ rise to rock stardom

Almost Famous: Inside the Beaches’ rise to rock stardom

A viral earworm about a breakup turned the Beaches into Toronto’s hottest export. Now, the panty-throwing, stage-diving, all-girl rock band is seducing fans around the world

Buy Canadian

"We felt disconnected from the outdoors before": What St. Lawrence Market North vendors think of their new home

“We felt disconnected from the outdoors before”: What St. Lawrence Market North vendors think of their new home

And what locally made and grown goods they’re selling

Sort-of Secret: Amelia’s Market, a Geary Avenue grocer selling local goods and light lunches

Sort-of Secret: Amelia’s Market, a Geary Avenue grocer selling local goods and light lunches

Like lovely cheese plates paired with glasses of Ontario-made wine

“There’s more attention now on shopping close to home”: How Broadfork Produce is connecting Toronto’s top chefs with Ontario farmers

“There’s more attention now on shopping close to home”: How Broadfork Produce is connecting Toronto’s top chefs with Ontario farmers

And the west-end supplier is opening to the public soon

The US tariffs are coming for your espresso martini

The US tariffs are coming for your espresso martini

With Kahlúa no longer available at the LCBO, Toronto bartenders are getting creative