Toronto Life April 2025

Fury Road Kate Lunau’s feature about Toronto’s irreconcilable bike lane battles unleashed a tsunami of reader responses. Comments ranged from laudatory to vitriolic. “Pro Tip: either don’t drive downtown or plan extra time for the congestion. It’s not the bike lanes that are the problem. It’s too many cars in a small area! I will never understand why people get so impatient in their cars. You have the capacity to go 100-plus kilometres per hour in your 4,000-pound metal box on wheels—relax.” —@DJBenToronto, X “Remove the bike lanes. They sit empty while there are dozens of cars crawling in traffic.” —@love_paddling, X “The article on bike lanes is the reason many of us dislike bike lanes. You make the assumption that everyone has your life. They have no kids. They…

Your Workplace Is Watching You At the upper reaches of Canadian banking, anyone who climbs high enough has to sign a contract vowing to stay on their best behaviour lest they sully the corporation’s reputation. When it works, the deal is mutually beneficial: in exchange for keeping the brand image spotless, the employee receives bonuses, stock options and other perks. When things go wrong, however, it’s an unholy mess. That’s because in the fragile world of high finance, even a whiff of bad news can be cataclysmic. Last March, a crisis arrived at RBC’s gilded downtown aerie in the form of an anonymous tip alleging that the bank’s prized CFO, Nadine Ahn, had been spotted amorously exiting the elevator at the Royal York hotel with an RBC vice-president named Ken…

“I’m going to tear up the first time I see a fan wearing my jersey” —Jade Kovacevic, p. 20 The premier is nothing if not a savvy opportunist. He shoehorned a winter election onto the agenda before the RCMP could wrap its Greenbelt investigation, before Bonnie Crombie had a chance to raise a war chest and mount a viable campaign, and before Pierre Poilievre could win at the federal level—because when Ottawa goes blue, Ontario usually votes red. And it worked. He cruised to a third-straight majority, but not because he offered dazzling solutions to the housing crisis, the health care crisis or the GTA’s crippling gridlock. He won big after promising to protect Ontario from Trump’s tariffs, and he played his Captain Canada schtick to perfection. Seven-plus years into…

Let’s start with a bit of Northern Super League 101. What is it? And more importantly, how will it succeed where so many women’s leagues have failed? The NSL is the first pro women’s soccer league in Canada, and the appetite for it isn’t new. We’ve just never had the infrastructure necessary to build viable careers for players. Most Canadian women have been forced to play in the US or in Europe—that’s what I did in 2019. At the time, there were rumours of a new national pro league. I wanted to be ready when it materialized. Why now for the NSL? We’re riding a wave, with huge crowds showing up to PWHL and WNBA games and greater investment in soccer from celebrities like Natalie Portman and Magic Johnson. Why…

Following his surprise trade from New Orleans, Brandon Ingram signs a $170-million extension with the Raptors and promises a new era of winning in Toronto. Luis-Mario Carrington, an 11-year-old transit enthusiast and author, announces that he’s writing a new book on the TTC’s subways and streetcars—and that he hopes to be a bus driver when he’s old enough. The Giller Foundation finally cuts ties with lead sponsor Scotiabank, presumably due to the bank’s investment in an Israeli arms manufacturer. Coyote attacks on pets—including several fatal encounters—spike in Liberty Village and Fort York, prompting calls from residents for relocation and humane culling. City council opposes Canada becoming the 51st American state by symbolic unanimous vote. The Four Seasons Toronto ranks as the best hotel in the country, beating out the Fairmont…

“We used to spend $2,500 a year on Uber Eats. Now it’s zero” DENNIS MATHU, 29, AND STEPH GORDON, 28 WHAT THEY DO Both are content creators covering personal finance WHAT THEY MAKE $140,000 combined WHERE THEY LIVE A one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo in Corktown REGULAR EXPENSES RENT: $1,940 a month. “We’ve been in this condo for almost seven years and have no plans to move,” says Steph. “We love the neighbourhood.” INTERNET: $73 a month with Rogers. “I always call in January to negotiate a better deal for the new year,” says Steph. GROCERIES: $640 a month. “We walk to No Frills with our little cart,” says Dennis. TRANSIT: $100 a month. “We both work from home, so we save a lot on transportation,” says Dennis. TAKEOUT: $0. “We used…