Featured Stories

Farewell from Yonge Street Media

Ritu Bhardwaj Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Yonge Street Media is closed as of June 1, 2016.

Toronto's Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat

Toronto's city builders: Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat on building streetscapes, lives.

Sarah B Hood Wednesday, May 25, 2016

“A city is what we make it,” says Jennifer Keesmaat. From a single tree to a sidewalk café or a multi-block development, she says, “I don’t actually believe anything just happens; there’s always intent. You can always trace it back to a person who had an idea. The outcomes we see in the city are the result of significant, concerted, tenacious effort.”

Toronto's city builders: President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto William Fleissig takes a long view

Sarah B Hood Wednesday, May 25, 2016

In this special series of interviews, YongeStreet sits down for a chat to get to know some of the most prominent city builders whose work, vision and passion for the city help shape Toronto’s present and future. From his office, a generous light-filled corner space, William Fleissig commands an enviable view over Lake Ontario, the islands and the towers of the ever-expanding residential and business district south of Union Station. Fittingly, because as the new President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto, this is his domain.

A Closer Look At The Next 36

Vibhu Garola Wednesday, May 25, 2016

“There is a rumour,” says Peter Carrescia with a straight face. “One of the co-founders had taught a class on entrepreneurship at U of T; rumour has it that the class only held 36 people.” But then, the managing director of The Next 36 smiles. “The truth is, with the kind of intimate mentorship we provide, this simply isn’t a program that can scale to hundreds of people.” Six years since its inception, Canada’s foremost incubator program for budding entrepreneurs is boasting a record number of 22 ventures in its current batch.

Toronto's city builders: New Luminato CEO Anthony Sargent says yes to a bolder Toronto

Sarah B Hood Tuesday, May 24, 2016

In this special series of interviews, YongeStreet sits down for a chat to get to know some of the most prominent city builders whose work, vision and passion for the city help shape Toronto's present and future. Anthony Sargent of Luminato thinks it’s time Toronto stopped being so shy about its accomplishments and say yes to being bold.

Arts and Culture, City Building

Where to learn coding in Toronto

Vibhu Garola Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Learning to code is the skill of the hour for young professionals the world over, and Toronto is no slouch when it comes to choices in where to learn. From quick-hit, drop-in classes to full-time coursework that eats up around two months, there is a variety of options for anyone either interested in coding or forced to learn it thanks to the changing nature of the economy. To help you decide which class best suits your needs, we rounded up some of the best options in town and did the homework for you.

Toronto's city builders: Turning the ROM inside out with Joshua Basseches

Sarah B. Hood Wednesday, May 18, 2016

In this special series of interviews, YongeStreet sits down for a chat to get to know some of the most prominent city builders whose work, vision and passion for the city help shape Toronto’s present and future. First up, the ROM's new Director and CEO, Joshua Basseches.

Toronto's city builders: Incoming Ryerson University president Dr. Mohamed Lachemi on partnerships

Sarah B. Hood Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Most people would name great buildings, perhaps arts and culture, a thriving economy. Probably fewer would name science and technology. But Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, newly appointed president of Ryerson University, sees them as a vital ingredient in the urban mix.

Toronto's city builders: Democratizing Contemporary Art with Chantal Pontbriand, MOCA CEO

Sarah B. Hood Wednesday, May 18, 2016

In this special series of interviews, YongeStreet sits down for a chat to get to know some of the most prominent city builders whose work, vision and passion for the city help shape Toronto’s present and future. CEO of MOCA Chantal Pontbriand talks about her plans for the Museum, Demo-Graphics and Toronto’s growing reputation in the art world

The podcasts and the city: Really Awful Movies, Invisible City, and more

Vibhu Gairola Wednesday, May 11, 2016

This week, we've rounded up some of the podcasts made in Toronto and threw a couple of our favourites produced elsewhere, for good measure, so you are bound to find something new and interesting.

Startup City: Bringing startup culture to City Hall

Elena Yunusov Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Diverse, innovative and liveable, Toronto attracts entrepreneurs who chose to start and grow their businesses here. The City of Toronto consistently ranks as one of the best city in the world, in which to live and work. However, embracing entrepreneurship can be a tough challenge for the City Hall, given the bureaucracy which stifles innovation and stalls important projects.

Beyond 150 Collaboration for Change: laura j. turnbull wins the challenge

Elena Yunusov Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Among the competing big ideas on Aboriginal advancement, economic transformation, or optimism for the future of Canada, one stands out and wins Deloitte’s Beyond 150 graduate student challenge. This is the last edition of the four-part series produced in partnership with Deloitte. The winner — laura j. turnbull — received a special invitation from Deloitte to join the upcoming Deloitte National Leadership Conference.

What would Jane Jacobs do?

Sarah B. Hood Wednesday, May 11, 2016

In this year, which marks the centennial of her birth, a project has sprung up in a very Jane Jacobs-like way (evolving naturally out of an open community meeting in an old building) to honour her ongoing influence on Toronto and the world. Called Jane100, it is a year-long celebration of her life and legacy made up of contributions by many people and organizations.

Death by traffic: What data tells us about Toronto's roads

Phillip Mendon�a-Vieira Wednesday, May 04, 2016

No matter how you get around in the city, Toronto’s roads are working against you. We’re all beset by congestion, unsafe driving conditions and needlessly high injury and fatality rates. In fact, traffic fatalities are currently at their highest level in five years. As our city continues to grow, we must make our transportation options more accommodating, and safer for everyone.

The Humans of Jane's Walk: Skate the financial district with Ariel Stagni

Elena Yunusov Wednesday, April 27, 2016

"Skateboarding is a tactile exploration of the urban environment. Youth can participate in the 'adult' conversation about important places by explaining what and why they do the things they do," says Ariel Stagni, Walk Leader, Skateboarding in the Financial District: A Wheeled Perspective.