The Local is a non-profit online magazine covering urban health and social issues in Toronto.
We are unabashedly Toronto, reporting from corners of the city that are too often ignored or misunderstood, with bylines as diverse as the city itself. We aim to fill a role that traditional media neglects—turning complex policy issues into compelling narratives, and addressing problems that are systemic and ongoing, even if they don’t have a news hook.
We publish four quarterly issues a year, as well as regular one-off features and investigations tackling a range of social issues—from housing and transit to climate, education, labour, and urban health.
The Local has won 13 national awards over the last four years, including two National Magazine Awards, 10 Digital Publishing Awards, and the Press Freedom Award. Most notably, The Local has been awarded the prestigious General Excellence in Digital Publishing (Small Publication) prize three years in a row (2021, 2022, and 2023).
The Local (formally The Local TO Publishing) is a Registered Journalism Organization, and a member of Press Forward.
Masthead
Editor-in-Chief: Tai Huynh
Executive Editor: Nicholas Hune-Brown
Associate Editor: Inori Roy
Reporter: Wency Leung
Manager of Operations: Craig Madho
Board of Directors
Chair: Chris Ellis
Directors: Sagal Ali, Amirah El-Safty, David Gildiner, Nora Gorman, Laura Quinn, Michael Torres
Our History
The Local began as a hyper-local storytelling project at UHN OpenLab, a design and innovation studio, in 2017. It was spun off as an independent not-for-profit organization in 2019, with initial financial support from Wellesley Institute, United Way Greater Toronto, Toronto Foundation, and YMCA of Greater Toronto.
Our Supporters
As a non-profit, we rely on various sources of revenue to pay our staff and contributors, and to offer high-quality content that is freely accessible to everyone. Vital to keeping The Local operating as an ad- and paywall-free magazine is our growing community of financial supporters. They include philanthropic foundations and individual readers like you.
The Local makes public all sources of funding above $5,000 per year as part of our code of ethics. In addition to these major financial contributors, The Local is supported by hundreds of individual readers who have generously donated various amounts—one-time, monthly, or yearly.
Interested in supporting our work? It’s really quick and easy through our secure payment portal. The Local is a Registered Journalism Organization, which means supporters get a charitable tax receipt.
Have questions? Contact us at info@thelocal.to
The Local StoryLab
The Local StoryLab works with mission-driven organizations to help tell their stories. It uses The Local‘s journalism expertise and resources to tell in-depth, human-centred stories on issues of concern to client organizations. Stories live on those organizations’ websites and platforms, and income from The Local StoryLab helps to fund the journalism of The Local.
Interested in working with The Local StoryLab? Contact us at info@thelocal.to