After 15 years of construction, the Eglinton Crosstown is finally open! My life has been consumed by Crosstown coverage over the past few months, (as I assume yours has been, too) so here's a quick recap of my work for the Toronto Star:

I love Toronto. ❤️

First impression of Eglinton Crosstown is that it feels more “LRT” than Finch West. On the western arm which is underground, it’s max speed is 56 km/h although it’s capable of much faster.

Maybe I'm biased, but this one-of-a-kind visual guide brought to life by @wencyleung.bsky.social and Michael DeForge might be the most entertaining thing you read this weekend. Don't miss it:

😂

Corporate pressure to earn more $$ is driving pharmacists away, at a time when Ontarians are relying on pharmacists to take on a greater share of health care. Excellent reporting by @kunalchaudhary.bsky.social in @thelocal.to thelocal.to/shoppers-dru...

This is brilliant. Data Illustration by Michael DeForge with text by Wency Leung click through and be amazed!!! (the comparison to diamond studded Rolex watches alone. I can't even.....) Understanding the Eglinton Crosstown in Seven Illustrations - thelocal.to/understandin...

Some spots drawn for thelocal.to, illustrating some of the many delays that led up to the completion of the Eglinton LRT

The tunnelling rate of a mole, Kardashian career-spans, Jamaican patties-per-capita—we had to pull out unorthodox units of measurement to understand the Eglinton Crosstown. Amazing art by the great @michaeldeforge.bsky.social. thelocal.to/understandin...

"Out of 25 transit projects that started in 2011 around the world, from Beijing to Instanbul to Moscow, the Crosstown is the last to open." Also lol at the Jamaican patty cost estimates.

Something fun in advance of tomorrow’s looooooooooooong-awaited opening. thelocal.to/understandin...

7 illustrations to understand the Eglinton Crosstown. I'm aiming to ride it tmrw. The closest station is Oakwood, 500 m north of me. Enjoy local journalism via The Local which created this clever feature @wencyleung.bsky.social #TOpoli #transit #toronto #EglintonLRT #ttc thelocal.to/understandin...

@thelocal.to worked with the brilliant Toronto artist Michael DeForge to create this data illustration to mark the opening of the Eglinton Crosstown thelocal.to/understandin...

Hallway health care metric one of several 'to be retired' from health agency’s public report One emergency physician calling it ‘utter malpractice’ to not release the data publicly www.thetrillium.ca/news/health/... #onpoli

Ontario's corporate pharmacies, like Shoppers Drug Mart, have faced allegations of overworking their pharmacists and setting high targets for medically unnecessary tasks to bolster profits. The resulting burnout, @kunalchaudhary.bsky.social writes, is an impending crisis. thelocal.to/shoppers-dru...

@thelocal.to's Cost of Care issue, publishing through last month and this one, offers deep-dives on the intersection of profit and health care. The shared theme of many of these stories is the modern question of a patient as a customer, or a consumer. The issue so far: thelocal.to/winter-2026/

We're thrilled to introduce Gabrielle McMann, our yearlong early career fellow in partnership with @thephilanthropist.ca! Over the course of this year, Gabrielle will be working together with the Local team, learning the craft of magazine-style community journalism. thelocal.to/gabrielle-mc...

For deep dives into what's happening to health care in Ontario, check out @thelocal.to's The Cost of Care issue, with more stories to come! thelocal.to/winter-2026/

Here's the latest great story from @royinori.bsky.social , explaining the industry behind all those ED and weight-loss drug ads you see on the TTC #ozempic #wegovy thelocal.to/online-pharm...

I had a lot of questions about the millions of online pharmacy ads that have popped up in recent years, hawking hair loss treatment and ED medication and weight loss drugs. @royinori.bsky.social answered them! thelocal.to/online-pharm...

How Privatized Cataract Surgery Helped Ontario’s Wealthiest—and Left Others Behind thelocal.to/cataract-sur...

A booming new industry delivers erectile dysfunction, hair loss, and weight loss drugs straight to your door. @royinori.bsky.social asks: what happens when profit incentives and the convenience of the internet meet the consumer desire for a quick fix to what ails them? thelocal.to/online-pharm...

"It’s a certainty there will be active cancer somewhere in her body—in her brain, in her liver, in her bones—for the rest of her life, however long that may be." @wencyleung.bsky.social @thelocal.to thelocal.to/cost-of-canc...

What will it take for America’s richest to feel ashamed? #Opinion from @lizrenzetti.bsky.social

Through Rhea, I saw how Torontonians show up for each other. “You can’t complain about there not being community if you’re not trying to build the community.” thelocal.to/cost-of-canc...

Photographer Laura Proctor and I worked on this story. Felt important to tell it. #cancer #financialtoxicity

Bravo to @revmichaelcoren.bsky.social for this sharing this unflinchingly honest piece

My latest for @torontostar.bsky.social www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Ontario’s public service employees are back in the office as of January 2026, a change from a pandemic-era policy that offered flexible workday structures. @fatimabsyed.bsky.social explains:

So much going on, but make time for this piece by @wencyleung.bsky.social. A gorgeous, surprisingly uplifting story that tackles an enormous subject, really the biggest subject, and tells is with such careful intimacy. thelocal.to/cost-of-canc... #longreads

Toronto!

When Gautham Krishnaraj first came to the pediatrics unit as an idealistic medical student, he was immediately confronted with a piece of hospital equipment he’d never expected to see—a credit card processor. thelocal.to/uninsured-bi...

In 2020, Ontario began pushing some of its publicly funded cataract surgeries into private, for-profit clinics. Why what happened next, writes @alisonmotluk.bsky.social, offers a window into the possible future of care in this province. thelocal.to/cataract-sur...

Today we're launching our latest issue, The Cost of Care. Over January and February, we're publishing stories from the corners of Ontario’s health care system where entrepreneurs and corporate Canada have set up shop, and asking what happens when patients become customers. thelocal.to/winter-2026/

In 2020-2021, the Ontario Ministry of Education approved just 159 non-ECEs (early childhood educators) to work in ECE-designated roles. In 2024-2025, it granted 1,997, a 1,156% jump. thelocal.to/ontarios-day...

The rise in under-qualified hires at childcare centres has shot up more than 1000% in 5 years. Rather than addressing the ECE shortage by improving wages and working conditions, the Ontario government is choosing to "paper over the crisis," advocates say. My latest: thelocal.to/ontarios-day...

Increasingly, the people working in early childhood educator (ECE) roles are not, in fact, ECEs, writes @wendyglauser.bsky.social. New data shows approvals for non-ECEs working in ECE-designated roles jumped more than 1,000 percent in the last 5 years. thelocal.to/ontarios-day...

David launched dozens of careers and mentored many more, helping Indigenous journalists find a voice in an industry that had rarely welcomed them. Story by @karynpugliese.bsky.social

Tremendous work from Warnica. Read this

New from me today for @nationalobserver.com. I submitted an FOI request, which revealed the province’s ad campaign budget for the Ring of Fire. One budget line lists nearly $60,000 for “additional costs as a result of eliminating shoe scene from TV spot.” WHAT IS A SHOE SCENE

Liz White wasn’t chasing power. She was chasing change. For decades, the Animal Protection Party leader ran knowing victory wouldn’t come—because some fights aren’t about winning, but about refusing to quit. thewalrus.ca/why-people-set-o...

We’re celebrating a year of visual firsts at The Local, including @chloeellingson.bsky.social joining our team as Visuals Editor! From cormorants, to near-alien landscapes, to up-close moments from local storytelling, here are some of our favourite photos from 2025:

In 2025, The Local published more stories than ever, with a higher readership than ever. Here are our most-read stories of the year. thelocal.to/the-locals-m...

I adore this team.

For @nationalobserver.com. One funding stream for free AC units in Toronto is failing the people it’s meant to protect. Just 25 recipients in 2 years. One case: an 85-year-old with multiple chronic illnesses denied for having $700 in his bank account.

Great to see our investigation into investigation into "Victoria Goldiee," the freelancer who was not what she seemed, make it into this New Yorker roundup of five things that changed the media in 2025. www.newyorker.com/news/fault-l...

Only now getting around to posting about this— photojournalist Duane Cole and I rode the new Finch West LRT on its opening day Sunday to learn what locals think of the new line. Take a visually immersive trip with us, across the northwest Toronto neighbourhoods waiting decades for rapid transit:

I love everything about this post by @thelocal.to on the opening of the Finch West LRT - local reporting, talking to the people whose lives have been and are affected by this transit project, and their hopeful skepticism that just seems so Toronto thelocal.to/finch-west-l...

Worth going back to read @thelocal.to's Finch West issue if you didn't catch it when it came out: Fall 2023 | The Local share.google/RcT3xhMHHAAp...