Featured Stories

In May of each year canoeists take to the Don River and paddle 10km through Toronto's urban wilderness from Don Mills to the Keating Channel. Yonge Street's videographer Darren Alexander floated along for the ride, and so can you.

Poverty and marginalization are persistent forces in the lives of Toronto's new immigrants. Carol Wilding and the Toronto Board of Trade put forward a series of strong recommendations in the 2010 local election. Where's the progress? And what still needs to be done?

Toronto's Imperial Oil Building on St. Clair is being converted into The Imperial Plaza, a residential condo project that is preserving much of the mid-century design and art elements of this iconic building. Read about what's coming and see Yonge Street photographer Tanja-Tiziana's slideshow of some of the details that are being preserved, and the last vestiges of its office days.

Launched in 2009, Ontario's Green Energy Act has seen its share of brown-outs. A World Trade Organization dispute, an inadequate infrastructure, and a vocal anti-wind lobby have all caused problems. But, even still, new green jobs are coming on stream in the GTA and elsewhere in Ontario.

Home building and renovations don't have to have a big human and ecological footprint. Kay Valley channels her creativity and passion for human rights and the environment into The Zero Point, her design centre and building supply store on Queen Street East.

A GTA-based battery manufacturer gets revved up to supply the new wave of electric cars about to hit the streets. With over 150 patents to their name, Electrovaya is poised to take a profitable role in not just e-car battery production, but lead the way with a zero emission, non-solvent and non-toxic manufacturing process.

For the first three years of its existence, the Black Daddies Club was a pilot project that aimed to build community and family in Malvern. Now, the group is moving into a new phase, with new programming, new research models, and a new neighbourhood at Jane and Finch.

The 501 streetcar line is Toronto's longest and, for many, the "Long Branch" terminating loop listed on westbound cars is a long way off, but Yonge Street's Bert Archer and Tanja-Tiziana found an up-and-coming neighbourhood changing, and poised for more change and development. Take a tour with them in words and pictures.

With its new Toronto education center, Better Place aims to convince drivers that recharging an electric vehicle is as easy as topping up your cell phone credit. It's an early step in making EVs an everyday part of Toronto and Ontario transportation options.

What do you think of as ugly? Michael McClelland and Toronto's E.R.A. Architects are challenging our assumptions about life in high-rise buildings.  Their research on tower housing questions our underlying cliches, and their conclusions and ideas are now spreading across Canada and the United States.

For too long, Mississauga has occupied the GTA's imagination as Toronto's second fiddle. But with a massive downtown revitalization afoot, much of which is centered around a world-class public square, the second city may be taking centre stage.

Toronto's hip-hop scene has scored big this year with stars like Drake and K'naan. But beyond the hype, the youth organization Manifesto are building the next generation of talent and exporting their ideas outside of Toronto and Canada.

As our population ages and the rights of disabled people are getting more attention, OCAD University has started a new Master program in inclusive design to create a brain trust of people skilled in accessible technologies from many sectors.

University of Toronto's Citizen Lab has opened its arms to the private sector, working with companies around the world on human rights issues. The lab is also tapping into the University's diverse student population to help it do its global work.

In a U of T urban studies class "service learning" get students to think about volunteering and relationship building as part of their careers. Unlike traditional internships, it's not time consuming but helps students understand how Toronto works from the ground up.