Dear readers,
 
In a region that's changing so dramatically day by day, it's inevitable that a publication like Yonge Street, dedicated to covering the GTA's evolution and growth, is bound to experience some changes of its own. After 16 months as Yonge Street's managing editor, I am handing over the reins.
 
I joined Yonge Street as a contributor soon after it was launched by founding managing editor Shawn Micallef. From the very beginning, I was impressed by the stories Yonge Street was uncovering and continues to uncover.
 
Everyone who has taken a look at Toronto's skyline or walked down one of its commercial strips knows Toronto is going through a growth spurt. There are lots of publications dedicated to telling us where to shop, where to eat and what to buy—how to take advantage of all these new developments. But Yonge Street has been asking different questions. What's fueling this growth? How is it transforming the city? Who are the people making this happen and what's driving them? How exactly are they doing what they're doing? Yonge Street has been dedicated to showcasing the smart people working across many sectors—design, healthcare, academia, research, city-building, the digital economy, the arts, social innovation, sustainability, biodiversity, the list goes on and on—who are making Toronto a better place to live and an example for the world.
 
It's been a privilege to meet and talk with so many of these folks, to see what where they're coming from, what drives them and what they draw from the city itself. I hope to continue to talk and report about these leaders. But I'll be doing so as a writer and reporter, rather than as managing editor of Yonge Street. Everybody needs a change and this is an exciting one for me.
 
Luckily, I'm leaving Yonge Street in good hands. Starting with our first issue of the new year—Wednesday, January 9, 2013—Sheena Lyonnais will be assume the ME role.

A Toronto-based writer  who has focused on education, technology, sustainability and gender issues, Sheena has written for The Grid, Women of Influence magazine, Exclaim!, Chart and This Magazine. She was also a business and technology editor for The Toronto Standard. She's got a great energy and has exciting plans for Yonge Street. I look forward to seeing where she takes the publication and I hope you do, too.
 
One of the things that will be hard to give up is working with Yonge Street's talented and dedicated editorial team: Photo Editor Tanja-Tiziana Burdi, Development Editor Bert Archer, Innovation and Job News Editor Hamutal Dotan and Civic Impact Editor Katia Snukal. Not to mention the many regular contributors who have been a pleasure to work with. Thanks for all your hard work, folks.
 
And to our readers—thanks for reading!
 
Happy New Year,
Paul Gallant