big stories

Blame Zoom, AI filters, TikTok. Facial alteration has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the $16-billion medical spa market. Toronto providers have never been busier, and their clients have never been younger

After Kenneth Law lost his job as a low-level cook at the Royal York hotel, he found another way to make money: peddling suicide kits on the internet. Now, he’s been linked to the deaths of over 100 people around the world—and their grieving families want justice

A semi-scientific guide to the city's 158 neighbourhoods

A semi-scientific guide to the city’s 158 neighbourhoods

He said his name was Mike Borac and that he could build homes faster and cheaper than anyone else. By the time his clients realized his promises were too good to be true, their money was gone

After nearly three decades building her restaurant empire in Toronto, Janet Zuccarini is launching an 8,000-square-foot, $7-million hotspot in LA this fall—all while mourning her husband, Robbie Robertson. Opening a restaurant in 2023 is brave. Running a dozen of them is bonkers

Robert Konashewych was a young police officer with expensive tastes, two girlfriends and a mountain of debt. Heinz Sommerfeld was recently deceased with a large unclaimed estate. Problem, meet solution

At their luxury high-rise in Vaughan, Doreen and John Di Nino endured years of harassment from their neighbour, Francesco Villi. His worst vitriol was reserved for the condo’s board, of which John was president. But no one suspected that Villi was plotting their murder

Toronto used to have one of the best transit systems in North America. Now it’s overcrowded, underfunded, unreliable and dangerous—and it costs us $2.38 billion a year

Noam Tomaschoff grew up in a tight-knit family with strong ties to Toronto’s Jewish community. After he took a DNA test on a lark, the story of his life unravelled

From a young age, Courtney Wallis Simpson had big plans, and she was ruthlessly ambitious when it came to achieving them. To finance her lifestyle, she hatched a series of property schemes that would cost her victims—more than 100 of them—millions

In 2022, the Toronto District School Board consolidated two high schools into one crumbling, crowded building. Within weeks, stressed-out students were brawling in the halls, teachers were refusing to come in to work and parents were yanking their kids out of class

Featuring multiple French bistros, a two-person-minimum omakase spot and a restaurant that identifies as a palace. The message: go big or stay home

The police traced the weapon, raided his workshop and shot him. Two people dead. No problems solved. Inside the impossible gun violence epidemic

Featuring net-zero buildings, car-free neighbourhoods, rooftop farms and smart-home everything

Inside the scandal that decimated one of the province's fastest-growing congregations

Baseball got him through a turbulent childhood, and he grew up to be a phenomenal pitcher with a heart of gold. He's a good friend to have and a fierce enemy to face. In other words, just what the Jays need right now

On a quiet country road just outside of Toronto, a charismatic martial arts teacher built a megamansion for his entourage of disciples. For 15 years, he preached peace and love. Then, one morning, the police stormed in and secrets came spilling out

Our struggle to start a family had become harrowing and expensive. Then the unthinkable happened—twice

Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett promised to lead the Toronto Star into a golden era. Instead, their big egos and clashing visions nearly tore the company apart

Nobody believed that my charming husband was secretly abusive

An oral history featuring Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, and more

Before he was the egomaniacal, influential and just plain weird owner of SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter, he was an awkward kid who built computers and chased girls at Queen’s University

The highs, the lows, the heroes and the villains: a ranking of our most popular stories of the year