Canada has officially lost its #measles elimination status. Earlier this year, The Local found Toronto Catholic school students were opting out of the measles vaccine at twice the rate of other public school students. Revisit the story #LocalArchives: thelocal.to/toronto-cath...

In the backlash to the Me Too movement, some undergrads are now entering university with fundamental beliefs “that blame women and the women’s movement…for the challenges that young men are experiencing in today’s society,” one violence prevention advocate warns.

To compensate for low occupancy levels among their members, fraternities have become de facto landlords...but renters say they don’t always abide by the provincial rules and responsibilities that come with that role.

"For my fellow graduate students and faculty, it felt absurd to be spending hundreds of millions on a shiny new building so far from the city when we were learning and teaching in crowded classrooms in buildings that felt like they were falling apart."

"It feels like for most of us born in the 2000s, the odds were rigged from the start. Yet lately, as I’ve been speaking with many of my peers to try to get a sense of what they’re thinking about the future, a different picture has emerged."

Among Chinese international students in Canada, overseas surveillance and intimidation by the Chinese government has led to an atmosphere of fear and repression, chilling free and open discourse.

The last decade of student activism—from trans rights and racial justice to student encampments in support of Palestine—has triggered a wave of conservative backlash not only in Ontario, but across Canada and the U.S. Now, that backlash is being enshrined in policy.

Nearly two decades of stagnant provincial funding, a seven-year freeze on domestic tuition, and federal cuts to international student visas have left many of Ontario's colleges and universities in dire financial straits.

"I’ve never known a time when the humanities weren’t in crisis," writes Simon Lewsen. "The crisis is real. But is it existential?"

The Local wrapped its higher education issue yesterday. From the threat of a right-wing crackdown on campuses, to the realities of being a tenant at a frat house, to deep-dives on crises at York and the University of Toronto, revisit the issue:

Catch up on the final story of The Local's Higher Education issue: "Experts and advocates The Local spoke with say schools seem increasingly concerned about saving money, and reluctant to devote resources to sexual violence response, especially at Ontario universities."

And at @thelocal.to, here in Toronto, we have one, too! A new, part-time, flexible fellowship for Black and/or Indigenous journalists thelocal.to/early-career...

In the years after the Me Too movement, it seemed like there was finally an open forum to have urgent discussions on the prevalence of sexual violence on university campuses. But that momentum has faded with the pandemic, austerity, and rising conservatism.

Sexual violence survivors at the University of Toronto turn to the school to investigate their cases, hoping for closure or for consequences. Instead, they describe experiencing years-long wait times, retraumatizing processes, and gaps in safety measures.

In our final Higher Education story, Olivia Bowden checks in on campus sexual violence prevention and response services eight years on from the Me Too movement. Survivors and advocates say progress has been hindered by austerity and growing conservatism on campuses: thelocal.to/university-o...

Applications for our Early-Career Journalism Fellowship are now open! The fellowship, a joint undertaking with @thephilanthropist.ca, provides one Black and/or Indigenous journalist an opportunity to write about issues that matter to their community and civil society. thelocal.to/early-career...

When fraternity brothers and non-student renters live under the same roof, things can get messy—especially with a lack of regulation and oversight. thelocal.to/fraternities...

Your weekend #longread: Desperate for cheap rent, some Toronto residents are living in frat houses. But their rental arrangements can come with risks, including unorthodox requirements, threats of eviction, invasions of privacy, and dismal—even squalid—living conditions.

Have you caught up on this week's big stories from The Local? Our higher education issue continues, first with a deep-dive into the deteriorating relationship between York University and its community: thelocal.to/york-univers...

“This will either be the best decision or the worst decision of my life,” thought William Vinall on the day he decided to rent a room in a frat house. It did not go well.

In the midst of a housing crisis, some frats have become de facto landlords, renting out rooms to members of the public. But a long disputed loophole in Toronto’s city bylaws means they aren’t regulated in the same way as other forms of rental housing.

In the spring, student journalist Ella MacCormack came to us with an intriguing story: Toronto frats, starved for members, had become de facto landlords, renting rooms in their houses to desperate renters. We teamed her up with The Local's @wencyleung.bsky.social and the result is this wild story.

Without enough brothers to fill their houses, some fraternities have begun renting rooms to non-students desperate for cheap rent. Ella MacCormack and @wencyleung.bsky.social on what happens when your landlord is a frat. thelocal.to/fraternities...

“It’s not as if people don’t understand that there’s a financial crisis… But as students, staff, faculty, sessional instructors, we would want to be participating in the decision-making process about what the future looks like.” thelocal.to/york-univers...

“The Markham Campus saga is emblematic of relations between senior administration and the York University community: major decisions are made despite outcry from students, faculty, and staff, and it is them who are left to bear the consequences—or leave altogether.” thelocal.to/york-univers...

This is a really interesting and thorough article. A lot of what I’ve heard from people who work at and consult for York is made clear here. Great reporting.

“The problems faced by York University, like many other universities in Ontario, should be understood first and foremost as a failure of successive provincial governments to invest in post-secondary education.” thelocal.to/york-univers...

Wrote about the dire straits of York University, which like many in Ontario is cutting its programming and employee ranks down to the bone. For decades, York has brought higher education to some of the most disadvantaged communities in the GTA -- the loss of this would be incalculable.

Excellent reporting and writing. As a TMU alumna, I always heard from students about York U being the bastion of humanities, art, critical thought and social sciences. So, reading this story was really eye-opening. I knew York U had several issues but I had no idea about the depths of it all.

After program closures, questionable major capital projects, and increasingly fractious labour relations, what is the future of York University? thelocal.to/york-univers...

“We could no longer work things out.” Our Higher Education series continues with Sabika Zaidi and @kunalchaudhary.bsky.social on how York University lost the trust of its community. thelocal.to/york-univers...

From the #LocalArchives: The Annex is shrinking. The towers of Crescent Town are exploding. @simonlewsen.bsky.social on a tale of two cities, and how the uneven, illogical densification pattern of the last 50 years created today’s Toronto. thelocal.to/density-the-...

Love to see my @thelocal.to story on Ontario horse racing make the @longreads.com weekly Top 5!

1. “ Breakdown at the Racetrack” @nickhunebrown.bsky.social "Given that Ontario props up racing because wagering alone is not enough to fund purses, the spate of carnage raises hard questions about precisely what the government is subsidizing." thelocal.to/breakdown-at...

In light of the encampment clearings at Dufferin Grove Park, it's worth revising this stellar piece by @brendoherty.bsky.social and Nick Kozak in @thelocal.to thelocal.to/toronto-enca...

A fascinating breakdown of horseracing and gambling in Toronto/Ontario from @thelocal. CW: Animal deaths https://thelocal.to/breakdown-at-the-racetrack/ #toronto

TDSB chair and former councillor Neethan Shan wins by-election in Scarborough-Rouge Park. thelocal.to/neethan-shan...

With all polls now reporting, TDSB chair and former councillor Neethan Shan has won the Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election with 26.86 percent of the vote. #TOpoli thelocal.to/live-results...

With 15 of 37 polls reporting, TDSB chair and former councillor Neethan Shan leads with 24% of the vote. Fellow trustee Anu Sriskandarajah is at 17% and businessman Shawn Allen is at 16%. #TOPoli thelocal.to/live-results...

Early results for the Scarborough–Rouge Park by-election are in. With 3 of 37 polls reporting Neethan Shan has 27% of the vote to Anu Sriskandarajah’s 18%. #TOpoli thelocal.to/live-results...

Scarborough-Rouge Park residents, you may have seen our flyers for The Local's by-election candidate tracker at your local library! Stay tuned for tonight's live coverage of the election results in just a few hours. thelocal.to/live-results...

"Speight Rasees collapsed on Nov. 28. The next day, during the first race, two-year-old Mad Chatter had to be euthanized." @nickhunebrown.bsky.social 📸: @chloeellingson.bsky.social @thelocal.to thelocal.to/breakdown-at...

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

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/

“Each day at the track, hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money are paid out to the owners of racehorses, a large percentage of which is government subsidy. Races are run out of contractual obligation, not because there is demand from the public.”

Scarborough-Rouge Park is headed to the polls in just two days. Check out our newly updated Candidate Tracker, the only place to find researched and fact-checked bios and platforms for every candidate running in the by-election:

The Local is tabling at Word On the Street festival at David Pecaut square this weekend! Come find us at booth A2 to say hi and grab a pin or buy a tote!

"The universe of the track was fascinating, filled with characters that seemed like they’d stepped out of another time." If you're searching for a weekend #longread, look no further than @nickhunebrown.bsky.social's deep-dive into the world of horse racing. thelocal.to/breakdown-at...

Most of us Ontarians know nothing about horse racing. But we are subsidizing horse racing. I recommend reading this article in @thelocal.to. I learned a lot about the industry and its financial dependence on Ontario government handouts. @nickhunebrown.bsky.social

I admire all of @thelocal.to reporting, and this piece on Woodbine racetrack is a banger. I love horse racing, even though it's a pretty dark sport. @nickhunebrown.bsky.social confronts the darkness, the economics, and the doomy shadow over the backstretch. Great writing too!