Thrilled that my @thelocal.to story from the winter about dermatologists upselling patients was reprinted by @thewalrus.ca! Read it (again!) here:

Great to see our friends at the Walrus reprint @rebeccaga0.bsky.social's story from our Cost of Care issue!

Reports of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are skyrocketing in Canada: in 2010 there were 143 recorded cases of Lyme disease; in 2025, 7,105. More from rebeccaga0.bsky.social on why there's an uptick in tick-borne diseases–and hope for a simple home test: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...

This story is the kind of work that made me want to become a journalist - to be able to bring to light an intimate, human story, something that few know about but that may in time affect all of us. I'm very grateful to my sources in this piece, who made room for me in the midst of their grief:

Canada is importing U.S. ticks for research – and they cost $10–$15 each. One Canadian scientist is fixing that by building Canada’s first tickery. By @rebeccaga0.bsky.social: www.begiant.ca/stories/peop...

The Globe reports today that online pharmacies offering easy access to weight loss drugs may be violating Canada's ad regulations for pharmaceuticals. Revisit last week's deep-dive on this booming industry in our Cost of Care issue: thelocal.to/online-pharm...

Great reporting (as per usual) on Ontario's healthcare system by the team over at @thelocal.to, with some stellar pieces by @royinori.bsky.social, @rebeccaga0.bsky.social and @wencyleung.bsky.social, among others. thelocal.to/winter-2026/

The always excellent @rebeccaga0.bsky.social tackles the blurring line between medical and commercial in the world of dermatology. What happens when your health care practition turns a medically-necessary appointment turns into a sales pitch for cosmetic procedures? thelocal.to/dermatology-...

For @thelocal.to i wrote about dermatologists upselling their patients. It’s a trend that critics warn is creating a two-tier system for dermatological care, and may foreshadow what’s to come in Ontario’s health care system more broadly: thelocal.to/dermatology-...

Getting a mole checked can takes months, but Botox appointments are readily available. @rebeccaga0.bsky.social on why dermatologists say their practice is the canary in the coal mine for privatized care. thelocal.to/dermatology-...

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

before we go cheering about canada, just as we do for the IDF, we’re providing ICE with its weapons

Big year in film for the name Agnes

Toronto has once again been named one of North America’s rattiest cities. Why is the population skyrocketing - and what can be done? Step inside the RATPOCALYPSE, from the June issue of WEpP, story by @rebeccaga0.bsky.social w illustrations by Jacqui Oakley www.westendphoenix.com/stories/insi...

📣SOURCE CALL OUT📣 Has your dermatologist tried upselling you? (Like, trying to sell a cosmetic procedure when you're in for a mole). Or, have you struggled to land an OHIP-covered appt but was able to get in fast for something not covered? I'd love to chat for a story in @thelocal.to DMs are open!

📣SOURCE CALL OUT📣 Has your dermatologist tried upselling you? (Like, trying to sell a cosmetic procedure when you're in for a mole). Or, have you struggled to land an OHIP-covered appt but was able to get in fast for something not covered? I'd love to chat for a story in @thelocal.to DMs are open!

An important story by @rebeccaga0.bsky.social in @thenarwhal.ca today

For @thenarwhal.ca I wrote about Hurricane Melissa, how immigrants in Canada organize aid for their motherlands when disaster strikes, what that means as climate change makes disasters more common and the way that diasporic communities look after each other 💜 thenarwhal.ca/hurricane-me...

Hurricane Melissa's destruction has the Jamaican diaspora mobilizing to send money and aid. The effects of climate change are hitting developing countries hardest, putting pressure on immigrants in Canada to increase the billions they already send home every year. thenarwhal.ca/hurricane-me...

Hello! The Narwhal is looking to talk to people in Canada who regularly send money home to Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti or the Bahamas and might increase it in the wake of Melissa. I am at [email protected] 💚

It's election day in Scarborough-Rouge Park. Our Candidate Tracker is the only place for fact-checked bios and platform summaries of every candidate. #TOpoli 🗳️ thelocal.to/srp2025/

In today's Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election, leading candidates run on putting Scarborough first. #TOpoli thelocal.to/scarborough-...

🧵Then head over to read @rebeccaga0.bsky.social spotlight of the frontrunners in the race! thelocal.to/scarborough-...

My latest for @thelocal.to about Scarborough-Rouge Park’s upcoming byelection. They’re looking for a candidate who, while balancing obligations to the ward and city as a whole, can finally put Scarborough first. thelocal.to/scarborough-...

And here's @rebeccaga0.bsky.social with an in-depth look at the ward. (These ward profiles always offer a better understanding of a corner of the GTA. Worth reading even if you don't live there!) thelocal.to/scarborough-...

We believe local journalism is essential to local democracy. Candidate Tracker 2025 is thanks to the work of @aliceboyle.bsky.social, @rebeccaga0.bsky.social, @filipouris.bsky.social, @emmapaling.bsky.social. If you like our work and want to see it continue, consider donating! thelocal.to/support/

It's a crowded field for Scarborough-Rouge Park's upcoming by-election. In a ward that feels distant from City Hall and left out of some of its decisions, many of the candidates are campaigning on a platform of putting Scarborough first, writes @rebeccaga0.bsky.social. thelocal.to/scarborough-...

Southern Ontario's primarily hardwood forest doesn't offer great fuel for wildfires, but the density of the population and all the infrastructure that comes with it means fires that do spark are closely watched. Here's @rebeccaga0.bsky.social's look at how fires here compare to the boreal's blazes:

All summer, Ontarians experienced the impact of wildfires from the west. But now, with fires blazing closer to home (in areas that don't often experience wildfires), we're wondering: how are wildfires in southern Ontario different? My latest for @thenarwhal.ca here: thenarwhal.ca/southern-ont...

A wildfire burning in southern Ontario — as many did this summer — is a far different beast than a blaze in the boreal forest, but it’s still something to take seriously. Here’s @rebeccaga0.bsky.social with the reasons. thenarwhal.ca/southern-ont...

With Premier Doug Ford announcing today that construction is set to start on Ontario’s Highway 413, here's a look at our story on where the controversial project stands in light of Bill 5 and a federal government also set on fast-tracking development: thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...

As many of you know, I’m a member of Canadian Journalists for Justice in Palestine. We have a new call to action for the Canadian government. To go with this call to action, I’ve got new details to share with you about Canada’s complicity in arming this genocide. Please listen:

SOURCE CALLOUT: looking for voters in Scarborough-Rouge Park that have thoughts on the upcoming byelection. Would loooove to speak with you for a story I’m working on!

SOURCE CALLOUT: looking for voters in Scarborough-Rouge Park that have thoughts on the upcoming byelection. Would loooove to speak with you for a story I’m working on!

Solutions need to be as multi-faceted as risk factors: everything from climate-resilient, affordable housing to public education about healthy relationships. Dig into this important feature by @rebeccaga0.bsky.social, with art and graphs by @shawnparkinson.bsky.social. thenarwhal.ca/heat-domesti...

In Canada and around the world, police forces, anti-violence experts and climate researchers have all recorded an increase in reports of intimate partner violence when temperatures are hottest. The latest data from Statistics Canada shows that the trend continues.

Extreme heat stresses the human body. From headaches and thirst to reduced concentration, the physical and cognitive symptoms can cause frustration, irritability — and aggression. That leads to a rise in reports of violence, including domestic violence. thenarwhal.ca/heat-domesti...

An important story. So important I made 6 illustrations and 5 graphs for it. Go read!

For @thenarwhal.ca I looked into the connection between heat and intimate partner violence, how little we prepare for this effect of climate change and what we can do to mitigate violence as extreme heat and other climate change impacts becomes even more common. thenarwhal.ca/heat-domesti...

Across Canada, extreme heat causes physical and mental stresses that lead to a documented rise in violence. That includes intimate partner violence, @rebeccaga0.bsky.social reports, which threatens women, girls and vulnerable communities the most. thenarwhal.ca/heat-domesti...

Toronto's city council will be meeting soon to discuss their "rat response plan". Read all about Toronto's big rat problem (and what it might take to solve it) in the latest issue of @westendphoenix.bsky.social and online here www.westendphoenix.com/stories/insi...

INSIDE THE RATPOCALYPSE 🐀 Toronto has been named one of North America’s rattiest cities. Why is the rodent population skyrocketing – and what can be done? @rebeccaga0.bsky.social gets to the bottom of our rodent problem in the latest WEP. www.westendphoenix.com/stories/insi...

Toronto has been named one of North America’s rattiest cities. Why is the population skyrocketing - and what can be done? Step inside the RATPOCALYPSE, only in the pages of the latest WEP, story by @rebeccaga0.bsky.social with illustrations by Jacqui Oakley www.westendphoenix.com/subscription...

Land expropriations and early work are underway on Highway 413. With Ontario passing Bill 5, and the federal government's tone on the highway project seemingly shifting, here's what we know about the Ford government's prized road project: thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...

Docs obtained by @thenarwhal.ca show federal reps on a Highway 413 working group, last year, said, "Our role is not a project delivery role.” A lot has changed since then, from Ontario's Bill 5 to the feds push for development. via @rebeccaga0.bsky.social thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...

Also new from me today for @theglobeandmail.com, a fun and fascinating look into the gender wars playing out in Pilates studios www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-...

My latest for @thenarwhal.ca all about what’s going on with Highway 413 👀

Last night The Local was honoured to win the prestigious CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism for our stories on life expectancy in Toronto. Congratulations to our staff, led by @taimhuynh.bsky.social, and to contributors @rebeccaga0.bsky.social and Chris Luna. 🎉

"My name is Greta Thunberg and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel."

So honoured and excited to be a part of this amazing @thelocal.to package that is a finalist for the CJF Jackman Excellence Award!!!!!