The Ford government’s 19-year funding agreement guarantees the industry funding far into the future, even as crowds shrink and new betting options threaten to swamp racing, once the only legal form of gambling. 4/

But the economics of the sport have been collapsing for decades. Quietly, without much attention, a sport once funded by gambling has become dependent on subsidies by governments who fear losing rural voters. 3/

I spent time on the backstretch at Woodbine as a teenager, picking up a few shifts as a hot walker. The place has always seemed like this weird, strangely romantic pocket universe in the middle of Rexdale. 2/

A wild, enraging chart from @wencyleung.bsky.social's exclusive for @thelocal.to. Schools use unqualified non-teachers when they can't find a supply. But in the last years what was once a rare emergency measure has become a standard part of how the TDSB operates. thelocal.to/tdsb-emergen...

This chart alone is eye-opening.

In case you weren't reading features about Canadian politics over the long weekend, I went out to Durham to write about how Conservative candidate Jamil Jivani's close friendship with J.D. Vance has become an issue in Bowmanville-Oshawa North. thelocal.to/federal-elec...

Excited to be giving the UTM Public Affairs Lecture this year. I'm talking local news and democracy next week, you can RSVP here. www.utm.utoronto.ca/political-sc...

A damning portrait of the state of Ontario health care. In 2018, @alisonmotluk.bsky.social's groundbreaking reporting documented the “hallway healthcare” crisis. She revisits the subject seven years later and find things are much worse. We're in the "chair care" era now. thelocal.to/hallway-heal...

Writing about international students, and taking in all the anti-immigrant garbage from here and across the border, one thing I couldn’t stop thinking about is how out-of-step this moment is with the larger story of 21st century migration. thelocal.to/internationa...

Smart @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social piece about the growth of Bluesky with this brutal aside: www.garbageday.email/p/bluesky-s-...

Love to show my co-workers the local landmarks that are special to me