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Left your holiday shopping until the last minute? Don't panic, we've got a list of Toronto's best last-minute shops.

In 2025, Toronto saw the rise of a mega-stadium, new smaller venues opened, landlords did landlord things, monopoly money moved around, beloved haunts closed and spaces rebranded. My round up for @thegrindto.bsky.social: www.thegrindmag.ca/how-torontos...

NEW: How Toronto’s Concert Venue Landscape Changed in 2025 @tombeedham.bsky.social details the city's big openings, moves, ownership changes and closures.

NEW: York University Censored Exhibition at Goldfarb Gallery then Fired the Curator Artist Amy Ching-Yan Lam was forced to change her 'Acceptable Protest' animation, removing a 'Free Palestine' sign and reference to a university president character. By @rdassaly.bsky.social.

Some drama at York University's Goldfarb Gallery. An artist says the administration censored her recent exhibit, which featured pro-Palestine content. Later, the gallery's curator was abruptly fired. Now, dozens of faculty are pushing back. For @thegrindto.bsky.social

Left your holiday shopping until the last minute? Don't panic, we've got a list of Toronto's best last-minute shops.

The Grind's "Random Advice" column is back. This time, we tackle a tricky question from a reader: "One of my parents has taken to feeding the birds, but their seeds are attracting squirrels, raccoons and even rats! I don’t want to 'rat' them out to the city. What should I do?"

Playing at The Great Hall this weekend, "Big Gay Musical" is a campy, queer romp through Broadway classics like "Chicago" and "Wicked." “It’s a night of pure, unadulterated queer joy," co-creator Lauren Beatty tells The Grind.

For @thegrindto.bsky.social, spoke to one of the co-creators of 'Big Gay Musical,' a hilarious Toronto production that uses an all-queer cast to reimagines classic Broadway characters and show tunes.

Cybertrucks and ugly knees. From the latest edition of The Grind, new comics from @gabrielledrolet.bsky.social and @hausofdecline.bsky.social.

The former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation, located on Bathurst south of Bloor, is going to be turned into a city-owned shelter for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. By @dgrdon.bsky.social.

Playing at The Great Hall this weekend, "Big Gay Musical" is a campy, queer romp through Broadway classics like "Chicago" and "Wicked." “It’s a night of pure, unadulterated queer joy," co-creator Lauren Beatty tells The Grind.

The former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation, located on Bathurst south of Bloor, is going to be turned into a city-owned shelter for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. By @dgrdon.bsky.social.

The Grind has learned that the City of Toronto is the new owner of 720 Bathurst St., the former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation. The City plans to create a shelter for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. By @dgrdon.bsky.social.

The Grind has learned that the City of Toronto is the new owner of 720 Bathurst St., the former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation. The City plans to create a shelter for Indigenous people experiencing homelessness. By @dgrdon.bsky.social.

Looking for some new music to get you through the final stretch of 2025? @newfeelingcoop.bsky.social has you covered with fresh picks from Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Dambe, Shad and more.

UPDATE: Yesterday, four city councillors referred Saxe's motion for further study by city staff. The Ontario Clean Air Alliance says "'Further study' is the black hole of city decision making, especially since the Councillors attached no deadline for a response."

The Grind's "Random Advice" column is back. This time, we tackle a tricky question from a reader: "One of my parents has taken to feeding the birds, but their seeds are attracting squirrels, raccoons and even rats! I don’t want to 'rat' them out to the city. What should I do?"

Find Holiday Markets for Every Weekend Left in 2025

Find Holiday Markets for Every Weekend Left in 2025

Councillor Saxe wants council to call on Toronto Hydro to develop a plan to phase out a giant gas-fired electricity plant by the lakeshore. If her motion passes, Toronto will be on a collision course with Ontario, which wants to extend the plant's life. By @emmapaling.bsky.social.

International lawyers are calling on Canadian police to investigate and arrest two participants in tonight's Munk Debate for possible war crimes for their roles in the 2008-2009 Gaza Massacre when Israel killed over 1,100 Palestinians. By @rdassaly.bsky.social.

Human rights lawyers are urging the RCMP to investigate and arrest Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni for alleged war crimes ahead of tonight's Munk Debates in Toronto. “Canada cannot become known as a safe haven for suspected war criminals," a lawyer told me. For @thegrindto.bsky.social

Councillor Saxe wants council to call on Toronto Hydro to develop a plan to phase out a giant gas-fired electricity plant by the lakeshore. If her motion passes, Toronto will be on a collision course with Ontario, which wants to extend the plant's life. By @emmapaling.bsky.social.

From Etobicoke to Moss Park, condo developers are putting their ambitious plans on ice as the market crashes. These shopping malls, social services, and half-finished construction sites are left in their place. www.thegrindmag.ca/toronto-cond...

Umar Zameer was acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer more than 18 months ago. But the investigation into whether three of the officer’s colleagues coordinated their testimony during the trial remains unresolved. Story by @xavierrichervis.bsky.social

Check out The Grind for an exclusive Haus of Decline Comedy drawing

Cybertrucks and ugly knees. From the latest edition of The Grind, new comics from @gabrielledrolet.bsky.social and @hausofdecline.bsky.social.

Looking to stave off the winter blues with some theatre? Here are 9 local plays to check out in the coming weeks, as picked by The Grind's theatre critic Robyn Grant-Moran.

Grateful to Phillip Dwight Morgan and @thegrindto.bsky.social for giving me space to write about AS THE EARTH DREAMS, edited by Terese Pierre; TO PLACE A RABBIT by Madhur Anand; and THE BOOK OF RECORDS by Madeleine Thien. Check out Phill & Jody Chan's recs too!: www.thegrindmag.ca/our-favourit...

Umar Zameer was acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer more than 18 months ago. But the investigation into whether three of the officer’s colleagues coordinated their testimony during the trial remains unresolved. Story by @xavierrichervis.bsky.social

From Etobicoke to Moss Park, condo developers are putting their ambitious plans on ice as the market crashes. These shopping malls, social services, and half-finished construction sites are left in their place. www.thegrindmag.ca/toronto-cond...

Julie Sinden's boiled-wool mittens have been selling “like gangbusters” at Toronto craft fairs for 20 years. From The Grind's holiday gift guide:

For your thirsty friends and loved ones, The Grind has compiled a list of the tastiest local beer, wine, seltzer and non-alcoholic drinks to gift this holiday season.

“This year it’s measles and syphilis, next year it could be polio and whooping cough." This morning, unionized frontline workers warned that provincial cuts are plunging Ontario's public health into a state of crisis.

“The olive tree symbolizes resistance and freedom,” says Christina Chaaya, co-founder of Toronto-based TOON. Known for its olive oil, TOON sources small-batch produce from family farms and cooperatives from the south of Lebanon. From our gift guide:

It's not just measles. Ontario has also seen a rapid spread of syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia in recent years. This morning, frontline workers warned that provincial funding cuts are plunging Ontario's public health into crisis. For @thegrindto.bsky.social

“This year it’s measles and syphilis, next year it could be polio and whooping cough." This morning, unionized frontline workers warned that provincial cuts are plunging Ontario's public health into a state of crisis.

In "The Veil," Byron Abalos plays a power-hungry lawyer who makes an unholy deal with an otherworldly entity. It's a tale as old as time, but this play from Keith Barker and Thomas Morgan Jones works as a gripping bit of nightmare fuel. Our review:

Toronto city council has long opposed extending the life of the polluting Portlands gas electricity plant on the waterfront. A new Ontario report suggests keeping it open indefinitely. Community groups are urging council to reject that plan and instead invest in renewables.

Looking for some new music to get you through the final stretch of 2025? @newfeelingcoop.bsky.social has you covered with fresh picks from Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Dambe, Shad and more.

Bill 60 could pass as early as today, stripping renters of significant rights and making it much easier for landlords to evict tenants.

Bill 60 "creates this slippery slope towards [water] privatization" in Ontario, a water campaigner tells @pressprogress.ca.

Toronto parents have spent years pushing to make TDSB schools safer, more equitable and more supportive. Since the Ford government's takeover of the board, their efforts have disappeared, @emmapaling.bsky.social reports. www.thegrindmag.ca/parents-scre...

Find holiday markets for every weekend left in 2025.

After strong positive response last issue, we've also sent the new issue out into these boxes. There are 170 of them within the old city of Toronto area (not Scarborough, Etobicoke or North York, maybe next time). Copies also go in the TTC and to 300 shops this weekend and early next week.

A suspicious pitch from a freelancer led editor @nickhunebrown.bsky.social to investigate their past work. In the end, four publications, including The Guardian and Dwell, removed articles from their sites. thelocal.to/investigatin...

toronno! there's a new issue of @thegrindto.bsky.social out, which means more music coverage from us, including show listings, contributions to the annual gift guide, and "what we're listening to"! check it out online and across the city. www.thegrindmag.ca

Once a fringe activity, cultural boycotts of Israel and have gone mainstream, especially in the Canadian arts. "We are gaining momentum and it’s not the time to slow down,” one organizer tells @rdassaly.bsky.social.