Nick Westoll

Ontario animal welfare organizations see surge in abandoned pets amid economy, housing pressures Niagara SPCA and Humane Society staff say affordability challenges in Ontario are contributing to a recent surge of abandoned cats.

As many Ontario residents continue to deal with affordability, economic and housing issues, animal welfare organizations are feeling the impacts as well. The Niagara SPCA and Humane Society recently took in 76 cats over a four-day period.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/08/13/o...

How hot, dry weather in southern Ontario is impacting nature and causing heat stress to trees Federal meteorologists say the recent weather stretch has come with noticeably less rainfall compared to the year-to-date summer average.

Federal meteorologists say rainfall in southern Ontario for the past two months has been well below average.

We’re looking at how hotter, drier weather conditions are impacting nature and causing heat stress to trees.

STORY: toronto.citynews.ca/2025/08/10/t...

The incident happened on Eglinton Avenue East just west of Pharmacy Avenue in front of Eglinton Square mall.

TTC personnel can be seen talking in front of the Eglinton Crosstown vehicle involved.

A Toronto police officers checks under the vehicle.

A Toronto police officer can be see in the operator’s area of the vehicle.

#Toronto police officers say a 64-year-old woman is in life-threatening condition after being struck by a westbound Eglinton Crosstown LRT vehicle while apparently crossing mid-block and over the dedicated right-of-way.

More on this at CityNews.ca: toronto.citynews.ca/2025/08/09/p...

Eglinton Crosstown LRT vehicle 'availability and reliability' latest issue to face line before launch Metrolinx CEO Michael Lindsay said crews are figuring out the 'maintenance profile' of the 10-year-old Eglinton Crosstown LRT vehicles.

The head of Metrolinx says getting the slowly aging Eglinton Crosstown LRT vehicles available and reliable for all-day service is the latest issue facing crews as the work to launch the beleaguered line drags on.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/08/06/e...

Many Finch West LRT glass platform walls damaged for months amid ongoing line testing CityNews travelled across the Finch West LRT corridor to check out progress on the project. Several eastern stations had damaged glass.

As the testing and commissioning of the Finch West LRT line in northwest #Toronto continues, apparent acts of vandalism along the eastern part of the corridor are raising questions about maintenance and how deficiencies are corrected.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/08/03/f...

Surge in drownings across Ontario this year underscores need to be vigilant: Lifesaving Society Ontario Provincial Police say a three-year-old near Cornwall and a 24-year-old Toronto man in Wasaga Beach both drowned on Saturday.

There has been a surge of drownings in Ontario recently, prompting pleas for extra caution on the lakes and rivers.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/27/o...

Thanks for having us!

City of Toronto staff looking for local treasures amid push for new Old City Hall museum Dubbed Toronto Treasures, City staff asked residents to bring up to a few older locally themed items to see if it could go into a new museum.

As the push to build a museum at Old City Hall dedicated to #Toronto remains ongoing, City staff and experts began reviewing items on Saturday that could enter a municipal collection or exhibit. A second Toronto Treasures event is happening on Aug. 23.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/26/t...

New TTC CEO Mandeep Lali speaks in first CityNews one-on-one interview CityNews Toronto sat down with new TTC CEO Mandeep Lali to talk about a variety of issues facing riders and how he plans to approach the job.

After being the head of Canada’s largest local transit agency for more than two weeks, new #TTC CEO Mandeep Lali says he plans to forge a bit of a different path when it comes to communications and accountability compared to his two immediate predecessors.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/24/t...

Biidaasige Park at the Toronto Port Lands opens as part of weekend-long celebration The grand opening celebration for Biidaasige Park at the Toronto Port Lands continues on Sunday (July 20) between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

As the Port Lands community in #Toronto continues to undergo a massive transformation, Biidaasige Park at the edge of the new mouth of the Don River is now officially open to the public. Lots of different zones to do things, including a small zipline.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/19/b...

Feed Scarborough community farm damaged in fire, vehicles vandalized earlier Toronto police officers tell CityNews an investigation is underway. Meanwhile, Feed Scarborough is appealing for community help.

Staff and volunteers with Feed Scarborough, a non-profit focused on addressing food insecurity in the east end of #Toronto, are looking to partially rebuild their community farm after it was damaged in a recent fire.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/15/f...

Scarborough community basketball program turns to crowdfunding to keep the doors open The Northball Athletics basketball program, run by the not-for-profit United Scarborough Initiative, faces soaring operational costs.

“Honestly, we are pretty much down to the wire."

The co-founders of the Northball Athletics basketball program are launching a crowdfunding effort and a volunteer recruitment drive to sustain the initiative at its north #Scarborough location.

#ScarbTO #Toronto

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/12/u...

Toronto Coldplay concerts offer lessons on GO Transit service, AI responses: observers CityNews spoke with transit advocates and experts after GO Transit Barrie line customers voiced frustration over service and responses.

We explored this a bit more on CityNews today with insights from @femwriter.bsky.social, @moretransitso.bsky.social and Liberal MPP Rob Cerjanec. All say there are lessons to be learned here.

#Toronto #Ontario #GOTransit #TOpoli #ONpoli

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/10/g...

Update: Metrolinx staff have confirmed a "contact centre vendor" used to help staff respond to the inquiries received by GO drafted a response using AI. A spokesperson apologized for "any confusion this might have caused" for riders. Also, they confirmed no changes yet for Barrie line service.

Frustrations raised over GO Transit train service for Coldplay concerts at Rogers Stadium Questions were also raised about whether AI was used to reply to at least one GO Transit customer's complaint about Barrie line trains.

GO Transit riders are sharing frustrations online about Barrie line train service for Coldplay’s concerts at Rogers Stadium.

Meanwhile, a curious (and now-deleted) post about a service concern raises questions if AI was used to respond to a rider. #ONpoli

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/09/g...

Today on ‘The Big Story’ podcast, we’re talking about all of this above.

www.seekyoursounds.com/podcasts/__p...

Ontario jury duty service: The state of the system and the big push for reforms In the final part of CityNews Toronto's series on Ontario jury duty service, justice advocates outline what they'd like to see changed.

In the final part of this series, we’re looking at the state of the jury duty system in #Ontario and the push for reforms. #ONpoli

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/05/o...

Ontario jury duty service: Why it matters to the accused, the victims, and the justice system In part two of CityNews Toronto's look at Ontario jury duty service, we're taking a closer look at how juries matter to different stakeholders

In part two of our three-part series, we’re looking at how juries affect different stakeholders and the requirements for being a juror. The final story tomorrow will take a closer look at the current state of jury duty in Ontario and the strong calls for reforms.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/04/o...

Thank you for reading!

Feature: How Ontario jury duty was so much more than I expected CityNews Toronto reporter Nick Westoll recently completed Ontario jury duty service and looks at the experience as part of an in-depth series.

Sharing a different kind of story

I recently was called upon to do one of the most important civic duties a citizen can do: jury duty.

However, going into it I didn’t see many personal accounts of what it was like. I wrote about jury duty to try to help others.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/03/w...

While automated speed cameras keep getting chopped down and replaced in #Toronto, I spotted a different approach in York region while out and about yesterday.

This one on Main Street in Stouffville (and similar ones elsewhere) is mounted onto a hydro pole much higher above the ground.

You too!

LOL that’s fair.

Is this a bad time to say I wasn’t born when this happened?

Canada marks 40th anniversary since first cellphone call made in the country CityNews speaks with former Toronto mayor Art Eggleton about the July 1, 1985, event and what it meant for Canada.

Chances are you’re seeing this on your cellphone. This July 1 will mark 40 years since the first call was made on a cellular telephone in #Canada. We’re looking back at the notable Canada Day event in #Toronto as well as the early days of cellphones. toronto.citynews.ca/2025/06/27/c...

Scarborough subway extension tunnelling quietly resumes as budget forecast tops $10B The updates on the Scarborough subway extension are set to be reviewed by the Metrolinx board at its June 26, 2025, meeting.

As new Metrolinx figures reveal the overall budget for the Scarborough subway extension project has now topped $10 billion, the tunnel-boring machine stalled for many months at Highway 401 appears to be on the move finally.

#TOpoli #ONpoli #Toronto #ScarbTO

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/06/24/s...

Light at the end of the tunnel for one of Canada's most expensive transit projects While it's expected the Eglington LRT will start in September, there is no firm opening date. However, it has reached a critical milestone.

Joined ‘The Big Story’ podcast to talk all things Eglinton Crosstown LRT amid the most recent update from interim Metrolinx president and CEO Michael Lindsay.

toronto.citynews.ca/2025/06/18/e...

American designer Joe Doucet has developed a pigment that changes color, depending on the temperature. It could be a game changer for people living in the world's temperate zones. cnn.it/4dRBStY

Fewer foreign tourists are visiting NYC. The city’s businesses are feeling the pinch | CNN New York City tourism officials say they expect to host 2 million fewer international travelers this year than in 2024. Some tour operators in the city say they can already see the difference.

New York City is the most popular port of entry for international visitors to the US. And more people historically visit the US from Canada than from any other country. But there’s recent evidence that some Canadians are boycotting the US: cnn.it/45LUhGy

While things could be a lot better on the transit front locally, there are wholesome reminders of good. Bumped into a group of Amish teens today on Line 1 at Union Station. They were so amazed by the subway and surprised they didn’t have to ring a bell to get the train to stop.