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Memoir

“I communed with the dead via a seance at Exhibition Place”

“I communed with the dead via a seance at Exhibition Place”

Yashy Murphy, a 44-year-old travel writer from downtown, recounts her eerie encounter with spirits from the beyond—or a well-produced spooky spectacle

“I did stand-up for the first time in my 40s—and now I’m hooked”

“I did stand-up for the first time in my 40s—and now I’m hooked”

After a lifetime of making people laugh offstage, Larissa Primeau, a 46-year-old writer, director and producer from the Beaches, finally took her turn under the hot lights

“I walked 200 kilometres in eight days in search of inner peace”

“I walked 200 kilometres in eight days in search of inner peace”

For Cherie Bauman, a 52-year-old cook from Guelph, the journey was more important than the destination

“For my 98th birthday, I zip-lined over Niagara Falls”

“For my 98th birthday, I zip-lined over Niagara Falls”

Joan Thomlinson, a retired taxi driver from Cambridge, raised over $2,000 for SickKids in the process

“There’s nothing like soaring through the air in a glider”

“There’s nothing like soaring through the air in a glider”

Emily Peelar, a 20-year-old student from Schomberg, shares her current obsession: flying a plane with no engine

“My job had me glued to my phone, so I quit screens cold turkey”

“My job had me glued to my phone, so I quit screens cold turkey”

A digital detox camp worked wonders for Christie Wong, a 31-year-old social media consultant from Moss Park

Inside the Latest Issue

The July issue of Toronto Life features a behind-the-curtain look at the insatiable political ambitions of Doug Ford. Plus, our obsessive coverage of everything that matters now in the city.

“As a kid, I loved going to the convenience store with my mom. Years after she died, I opened one of my own”

“As a kid, I loved going to the convenience store with my mom. Years after she died, I opened one of my own”

Chrystal Nguyen’s mom, Ly Thi Bui, passed away when Nguyen was 13. After struggling with grief and how to carve out a life for herself, Nguyen went back to her favourite childhood memories for inspiration

"My family lost everything bootlegging beer in the 1930s. I revived our legacy with Sleeman Breweries"

“My family lost everything bootlegging beer in the 1930s. I revived our legacy with Sleeman Breweries”

John Sleeman wasn’t all that interested in brewing—until he learned that his ancestors sold beer to Al Capone

"I was born in a refugee camp in Nepal. When I opened a momo restaurant in Parkdale, it became part of the community"

“I was born in a refugee camp in Nepal. When I opened a momo restaurant in Parkdale, it became part of the community”

Garab Serdok’s family fled Tibet in 1959 and sought asylum in Kathmandu. In 2005, Serdok moved to Toronto, bought a restaurant and built a mini momo empire

"I wrote a book about learning to love my body. After finding out I have terminal cancer, I’ve decided to republish it"

“I wrote a book about learning to love my body. After finding out I have terminal cancer, I’ve decided to republish it”

In her 20s, Kaleigh Trace worked at a sex shop and discovered how to live a life full of pleasure. Now, she’s learning how to hold on to that lesson while facing death

"I was adopted and spent years searching for my birth parents. Then I discovered a whole new family"

“I was adopted and spent years searching for my birth parents. Then I discovered a whole new family”

Elana Milman was adopted into a family in Israel after the Second World War and spent decades working to solve the mystery of her identity

"When I was a baby, my family fled violence in Afghanistan. I learned judo for self-defence, and now I'm competing in the Olympics"

“When I was a baby, my family fled violence in Afghanistan. I learned judo for self-defence, and now I’m competing in the Olympics”

Nigara Shaheen was harassed for training with men and fighting without a headscarf, but she never gave up on her sport

“I dropped out of high school due to ADHD and depression. Public libraries saved my life—and now I’m getting my master’s degree”

“I dropped out of high school due to ADHD and depression. Public libraries saved my life—and now I’m getting my master’s degree”

Nancy Dutra found refuge in local libraries, self-teaching her way to a GED, a bachelor’s degree and now graduate school

“How a groundbreaking gay film shot in 1960s Toronto helped heal my heartbreak”

As a university student, Chris Dupuis fell for a friend and was crushed when his feelings went unrequited. Then he encountered Winter Kept Us Warm, the first gay-themed feature film shot in Canada

"I was a struggling actor for years. Then I blew up on YouTube overnight"

“I was a struggling actor for years. Then I blew up on YouTube overnight”

Julie Nolke spent almost a decade fruitlessly auditioning for acting gigs. She worked as a customer service rep, a bartender and at a private equity association while making comedy videos on the side. Then she got her big break

"As a teenager, I lost my leg to bone cancer. Now, I'm captain of Canada's sledge hockey team"

“As a teenager, I lost my leg to bone cancer. Now, I’m captain of Canada’s sledge hockey team”

When competitive hockey player Tyler McGregor found out his leg would have to be amputated, he thought it spelled the end of his career. A decade later, he’s leading Canada’s national para hockey team

“As a kid, I had to steal to afford the sneakers I wanted. Now, I run an organization that gives them out for free”

“As a kid, I had to steal to afford the sneakers I wanted. Now, I run an organization that gives them out for free”

Jamal Burger used his childhood love of shoes as a launching pad for a successful photography career. Then he built Kickback, an organization that has distributed over 8,000 free pairs of sneakers to youth around the world

“My son was born with a tremendous musical gift. When tragedy struck, it was his path out of darkness”

“My son was born with a tremendous musical gift. When tragedy struck, it was his path out of darkness”

Following his premature birth, Dino’s childhood was marked by developmental delays—until his mother discovered his uncanny talents. Here, she shares how it helped them both overcome a family tragedy

“I left a career in politics to open a music venue in Kensington Market”

“I left a career in politics to open a music venue in Kensington Market”

Shaunt Raffi co-owns Tapestry with his brother, Raz Tchakmak. They’re about to host their biggest performance yet

Toronto Life ’s most popular memoirs of 2023

Toronto Life’s most popular memoirs of 2023

Including the story behind Craig’s Cookies, a shocking DNA test and a fertility tale with a joyful ending

“After I was paralyzed, I thought I’d never be a chef. Now, I own a successful restaurant and food truck”

“After I was paralyzed, I thought I’d never be a chef. Now, I own a successful restaurant and food truck”

Aleem Syed worked with top-tier restaurateurs like Susur Lee, Matty Matheson and Didier Leroy before he was shot and paralyzed from the waist down. He thought his career was over—until he opened The Holy Grill food truck

"My band, The Kitchen Party, is known for its revelrous live shows. After a brain aneurysm, I didn't think I'd ever perform again"

“My band, The Kitchen Party, is known for its revelrous live shows. After a brain aneurysm, I didn’t think I’d ever perform again”

Freeman Dre, a long-time Toronto musician, performed solo and with his folk band at venues across the city. After he collapsed in his apartment one afternoon, his community rallied to help him get back on his feet

“I almost died in a fire. It inspired me to pursue my dream of making pizza for a living”

“I almost died in a fire. It inspired me to pursue my dream of making pizza for a living”

Adam Ward and his fiancée narrowly survived the fire that destroyed their apartment. Ward was despairing until he remembered the one thing that always brought him joy: pizza

“I started growing hard-to-find Chinese vegetables in 1950s Toronto and helped shape Chinatown into what it is today”

“I started growing hard-to-find Chinese vegetables in 1950s Toronto and helped shape Chinatown into what it is today”

When Wing Fung Chong came to Toronto from China as a young man, Chinese produce was scarce. So he saved up, bought a farm and started importing and cultivating fruits and vegetables to supply the city’s growing Chinese population

Best New Restaurants

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

Big Stories

Save Me From My Screen: How smartphone addiction is ruining our lives

Save Me From My Screen: How smartphone addiction is ruining our lives

Despite the do-not-disturb settings, time-spent reminders and ritual purging of apps, we’re still hopelessly obsessed with our devices. Dispatches from the digital minimalist movement

The $4-Million Girlfriend Experience: The thief, the cam girl and their whirlwind fraudulent romance

The $4-Million Girlfriend Experience: The thief, the cam girl and their whirlwind fraudulent romance

Stephanie Sahler was a cam girl. Ralph Puglisi was a man willing to pay anything for her doting attention. It was the perfect arrangement—until she realized that every penny he sent her was stolen

Dr. Ozempic: Inside the medical discovery that revolutionized weight loss

Dr. Ozempic: Inside the medical discovery that revolutionized weight loss

I was just a baby scientist when I discovered the hormone that made Ozempic possible. I had no idea how life-changing—and world-changing—that breakthrough would be

A behind-the-curtain look at the insatiable political ambitions of Doug Ford

A behind-the-curtain look at the insatiable political ambitions of Doug Ford

Is Ontario’s pugnacious premier charting a course for Ottawa? He definitely isn’t not considering a run for prime minister. A long, hard look at the populist’s playbook

Sex worker and Anora consultant Andrea Werhun’s journey from strip clubs to Hollywood

Sex worker and Anora consultant Andrea Werhun’s journey from strip clubs to Hollywood

Andrea Werhun’s dream was to be a writer, but there was a lot more money in sex work. She told herself she’d quit soon, then spent years working as a stripper. In 2022, Sean Baker hired her as a consultant on his Oscar-sweeping film. Now she’s stepping into her own spotlight

Game Over: Inside fallen Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter’s sports betting scandal

Game Over: Inside fallen Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter’s sports betting scandal

As the pivotal member of a notorious betting ring, Porter was playing for another team. The story of a cheater, his bookmakers and the wager that brought them all down

Megan Savard for the Defence: Meet the lawyer representing a player at the centre of the Hockey Canada trial

Megan Savard for the Defence: Meet the lawyer representing a player at the centre of the Hockey Canada trial

She’s fierce, shrewd and relentless. And she doesn’t just want to win—she wants to dismantle the prison system altogether

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

The Magic Lab: How chemist and computer scientist Alán Aspuru-Guzik brought self-driving laboratories from Harvard to Toronto

The Magic Lab: How chemist and computer scientist Alán Aspuru-Guzik brought self-driving laboratories from Harvard to Toronto

Aspuru-Guzik and his multinational team of mad scientists are combining chemistry, robotics and AI to fight climate change, streamline organ transplants and supercharge the scientific method. How did their lab end up at the University of Toronto? In a word: Trump

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

Just Listed

For Sale: 25 North Drive

For Sale: 25 North Drive

Leave the city in the city

For Sale: 25 Strathgowan Crescent

For Sale: 25 Strathgowan Crescent

This Grande Dame of Lawrence Park is an absolute treasure

For Sale: 9 Audubon Court

For Sale: 9 Audubon Court

Welcome to 9 Audubon Court, a Mid-Century Modern retreat among the treetops

For Sale: 500 Wellington St W PH1001

For Sale: 500 Wellington St W PH1001

Experience unparalleled luxury in this breathtaking 6,200 sq. ft. penthouse, designed to perfection including a private 2,000 sq. ft. rooftop terrace, complete with a raised glass pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen, and unobstructed panoramic city views.

For Sale: 1445 Islington Avenue

For Sale: 1445 Islington Avenue

Welcome to 1445 Islington, a stunning property located in highly sought-after Edenbridge-Humber Valley