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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine
@thelocal.to
6.9K followers 230 following 340 posts
In-depth, non-profit journalism from corners of Toronto too often overlooked. Read: https://thelocal.to/ Subscribe: http://thelocal.to/subscribe/ Tips: http://thelocal.to/tips/
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The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 2d
From the #LocalArchives: The Annex is shrinking. The towers of Crescent Town are exploding. @simonlewsen.bsky.social on a tale of two cities, and how the uneven, illogical densification pattern of the last 50 years created today’s Toronto. thelocal.to/density-the-...
In the Annex and Crescent Town, Two Sides to a Density Dilemma | The Local
The Annex had fewer residents in 2021 than 1971. The towers of Crescent Town had far more. How the uneven, illogical densification pattern of the last 50 years created today’s Toronto.
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
nickhunebrown.bsky.social
Nick Hune-Brown @nickhunebrown.bsky.social · 5d
Love to see my @thelocal.to story on Ontario horse racing make the @longreads.com weekly Top 5!
longreads.com
Longreads @longreads.com · 5d
In our Weekly Top 5:

* Subsidizing carnage @thelocal.to
* “Best” American poetry @defector.com
* Frail fibers @theguardian.com
* A crabby savior @theamscho.bsky.social
* Feline fealty @thesunmagazine.bsky.social

longreads.com/2025/10/03/t...
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week - Longreads
Showcasing stories from Nicholas Hune-Brown, Nick Sturm, Samanth Subramanian, Kristin Idaszak, and Sy Safransky.
longreads.com
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
longreads.com
Longreads @longreads.com · 5d
1. “ Breakdown at the Racetrack” @nickhunebrown.bsky.social

"Given that Ontario props up racing because wagering alone is not enough to fund purses, the spate of carnage raises hard questions about precisely what the government is subsidizing."

thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
wencyleung.bsky.social
Wency Leung @wencyleung.bsky.social · 6d
In light of the encampment clearings at Dufferin Grove Park, it's worth revising this stellar piece by @brendoherty.bsky.social and Nick Kozak in @thelocal.to thelocal.to/toronto-enca...
Another Year, Another Encampment, Another Eviction | The Local
For years, unhoused people like Davit Sesisheili have gone from park to park, moving when the City evicts them. With new data, and reporting and photography that spans years, this is the most comprehe...
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
mayintoronto.beige.party.ap.brid.gy
Spooky May Likes Toronto 🎃 @mayintoronto.beige.party.ap.brid.gy · 7d
A fascinating breakdown of horseracing and gambling in Toronto/Ontario from @thelocal.

CW: Animal deaths
https://thelocal.to/breakdown-at-the-racetrack/

#toronto
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of fatal horse injuries at Woodbine raises questions about the future of the sport.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
TDSB chair and former councillor Neethan Shan wins by-election in Scarborough-Rouge Park. thelocal.to/neethan-shan...
Neethan Shan Wins Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election | The Local
In a crowded field, the longtime local politician was elected back to city council on a call to put Scarborough first.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
With all polls now reporting, TDSB chair and former councillor Neethan Shan has won the Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election with 26.86 percent of the vote. #TOpoli thelocal.to/live-results...
Live Results From the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election | The Local
Real-time results from election night, starting at 8 p.m. on September 29, 2025.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
With 15 of 37 polls reporting, TDSB chair and former councillor Neethan Shan leads with 24% of the vote. Fellow trustee Anu Sriskandarajah is at 17% and businessman Shawn Allen is at 16%. #TOPoli thelocal.to/live-results...
Live Results From the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election | The Local
Real-time results from election night, starting at 8 p.m. on September 29, 2025.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
Early results for the Scarborough–Rouge Park by-election are in. With 3 of 37 polls reporting Neethan Shan has 27% of the vote to Anu Sriskandarajah’s 18%. #TOpoli thelocal.to/live-results...
Live Results From the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election | The Local
Real-time results from election night, starting at 8 p.m. on September 29, 2025.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
Scarborough-Rouge Park residents, you may have seen our flyers for The Local's by-election candidate tracker at your local library! Stay tuned for tonight's live coverage of the election results in just a few hours. thelocal.to/live-results...
Live Results From the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election | The Local
Real-time results from election night, starting at 8 p.m. on September 29, 2025.
thelocal.to
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
longreads.com
Longreads @longreads.com · 9d
"Speight Rasees collapsed on Nov. 28. The next day, during the first race, two-year-old Mad Chatter had to be euthanized." @nickhunebrown.bsky.social 📸: @chloeellingson.bsky.social @thelocal.to

thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
In today's Scarborough-Rouge Park by-election, leading candidates run on putting Scarborough first. #TOpoli thelocal.to/scarborough-...
In the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election, Candidates Promise to Put Scarborough First | The Local
In a crowded by-election in Toronto’s most eastern ward, is focusing on hyper-local issues the way into City Hall?
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 9d
It's election day in Scarborough-Rouge Park. Our Candidate Tracker is the only place for fact-checked bios and platform summaries of every candidate. #TOpoli 🗳️ thelocal.to/srp2025/
Here Are the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election Candidates | The Local
The only place to find fact-checked biographies and election platform summaries for every candidate running for Ward 25—Scarborough–Rouge Park in the September 29, 2025 by-election.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 10d
“Each day at the track, hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money are paid out to the owners of racehorses, a large percentage of which is government subsidy. Races are run out of contractual obligation, not because there is demand from the public.”
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of…
thelocal.to
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 11d
Scarborough-Rouge Park is headed to the polls in just two days. Check out our newly updated Candidate Tracker, the only place to find researched and fact-checked bios and platforms for every candidate running in the by-election:
Here Are the Scarborough–Rouge Park By-Election Candidates | The Local
The only place to find fact-checked biographies and election platform summaries for every candidate running for Ward 25—Scarborough–Rouge Park in the September 29, 2025 by-election.
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 11d
The Local is tabling at Word On the Street festival at David Pecaut square this weekend! Come find us at booth A2 to say hi and grab a pin or buy a tote!
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 11d
"The universe of the track was fascinating, filled with characters that seemed like they’d stepped out of another time." If you're searching for a weekend #longread, look no further than @nickhunebrown.bsky.social's deep-dive into the world of horse racing. thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
jayfitz.bsky.social
Jay Fitzsimmons @jayfitz.bsky.social · 12d
Most of us Ontarians know nothing about horse racing.
But we are subsidizing horse racing.

I recommend reading this article in @thelocal.to. I learned a lot about the industry and its financial dependence on Ontario government handouts. @nickhunebrown.bsky.social
nickhunebrown.bsky.social
Nick Hune-Brown @nickhunebrown.bsky.social · 12d
A quick 🧵 on my @thelocal.to feature on Woodbine Racetrack, the economics of horse racing, and how to think about racehorses as ideas about animal-human relations shift. #longreads 1/ thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
lizrenzetti.bsky.social
Liz Renzetti @lizrenzetti.bsky.social · 12d
I admire all of @thelocal.to reporting, and this piece on Woodbine racetrack is a banger. I love horse racing, even though it's a pretty dark sport. @nickhunebrown.bsky.social confronts the darkness, the economics, and the doomy shadow over the backstretch. Great writing too!
nickhunebrown.bsky.social
Nick Hune-Brown @nickhunebrown.bsky.social · 12d
A quick 🧵 on my @thelocal.to feature on Woodbine Racetrack, the economics of horse racing, and how to think about racehorses as ideas about animal-human relations shift. #longreads 1/ thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
2 7 10
Reposted by The Local Magazine
nickhunebrown.bsky.social
Nick Hune-Brown @nickhunebrown.bsky.social · 12d
A quick 🧵 on my @thelocal.to feature on Woodbine Racetrack, the economics of horse racing, and how to think about racehorses as ideas about animal-human relations shift. #longreads 1/ thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 12d
This summer, local politicians and Woodbine executives gathered to announce the first step in what they promise will be a city-within-a-city built on Woodbine’s 684 acres of land. Can a massive development save a struggling sport?
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of…
thelocal.to
1 1
thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 12d
A string of horse fatalities at Woodbine last fall brought attention to a sport that often exists in its own bubble. @nickhunebrown.bsky.social and photographer @chloeellingson.bsky.social go to the backstretch and come back with a portrait of a troubled industry.
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of…
thelocal.to
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thelocal.to
The Local Magazine @thelocal.to · 13d
“Gambling on horse racing was once a vice that the authorities reluctantly put up with, not least because of the tax revenues it brought in. Today it is the opposite: a failing form of gambling supported by government subsidy.” thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
3 3
Reposted by The Local Magazine
memargrit.bsky.social
Dr. Margrit Talpalaru @memargrit.bsky.social · 14d
“I wonder if the emerging threat of AI is restoring a sense of vitality to the humanistic mission... the humanities enable people to feel whole within themselves...[they] help us form coherent narratives…out of the contradictions, challenges, and terrors of daily life. thelocal.to/humanities-i...
The Humanities Aren't Dead Yet | The Local
Enrollment in the liberal arts has been in freefall for years. But despite apocalyptic declarations about the end of the humanities, in my own classroom I see signs of life.
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Reposted by The Local Magazine
taimhuynh.bsky.social
Tai Huynh @taimhuynh.bsky.social · 13d
"Each day at the track, hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money are paid out to the owners of racehorses, a large percentage of which is government subsidy. Races are run out of contractual obligation, not because there is demand from the public."

Why the hell?

thelocal.to/breakdown-at...
Breakdown at the Racetrack | The Local
Once a lucrative gambling business, Ontario's horse racing industry is now heavily subsidized by the government. As gamblers turn to online gaming, and ideas about animal welfare shift, a cluster of f...
thelocal.to
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