The Hollow Core: When a Science Centre Abandons Science
By gutting its intellectual engine, the province isn't just restructuring a building—it's erasing the expertise that makes the institution meaningful.
Gord Mackenzie
the columnist · Toronto & Canada
Gord writes the column Toronto argues about at dinner — opinionated, occasionally uncomfortable, always signed with his name.
Drawn to
- a civic hypocrisy nobody's named yet
- a decision that deserves more outrage than it got
- the case for the unpopular position
49 stories published
Bylines
Ontario Municipal Competition Sees Modest Gains
New data shows a decrease in uncontested races, though many council seats remain acclaimed as 414 municipalities prepare for elections.
Security or Spectacle? The High Cost of Performative Protection
As Toronto police ramp up patrols for the Jewish high holidays, the timing of political posturing raises questions about whether safety is the primary goal.
The Cruel Math of Metrolinx: Punishing the Poor While Calling it Revenue
Opinion: By hiking fare evasion fines to a staggering $1,000, Metrolinx isn't fixing a system—it's implementing a lazy tax on the city's most desperate commuters.
Marineland Belugas Facing Health Crisis After U.S. Transfer
Shedd Aquarium reports multiple deaths and clinical concerns among whales relocated from the closed Niagara Falls park.
Toronto Hydro Battles Lingering Outages After Severe Storm
Hundreds of customers remain without power three days after a significant weather event damaged electrical infrastructure across the city.
The Death of the Neighbourhood Hangout
Opinion: When a local staple like Buvette Pacey is forced to shutter, it is a symptom of a city that has become unsustainable for the very businesses that give it soul.
Ford Defends $25,000 Lake Ontario Sign Amid Trade War
Ontario Premier Doug Ford argues a giant sign asserting the lake's identity provided millions in free advertising, while critics call for a strategic plan over publicity stunts.
Trump Confuses Bank of Canada With Commercial Retailer
The U.S. President suggested Canada's central bank operates branches in the U.S. while claiming American banks are barred from Canadian soil.
The Black Box of Failure: How a $164 Million Fraud Exposed the Gaps in Our Guardrails
Opinion: The charges against Craig Michael Thompson for a massive Ponzi scheme aren't just a story of individual greed, but a systemic failure that allowed a convicted fraudster to keep playing with people's lives.
The Efficiency Lie: Metrolinx Once Again Sacrifices the Suburban Commuter
Under the guise of 'seasonal adjustments' and 'capacity,' the provincial agency is cutting rail lifelines for the working class while promising a long road to recovery.
A Sign is Not a Strategy: Ford’s Lake Ontario Stunt is a Farce
While Donald Trump weaponizes executive orders and tariffs, Doug Ford responds with a blue sign and a soccer jersey. It is a pathetic display of performative sovereignty.
Province Ignored Early Warnings on OSAP Fraud
Documents reveal Career Colleges Ontario flagged suspicious activity years before the government slashed student grants.
Bay Street's Measured Confidence vs. Main Street's Reality
Canada's biggest banks project optimism amid a trade war, while small businesses face a different reality.
The Transit Tragedy Gap: When Legal Acquittals Leave a City Without Closure
A father of seven is dead, a killer walks free, and the TTC remains a place of anxiety. The acquittal of Tefai Opoku-Boadu exposes the harrowing distance between a courtroom's 'reasonable doubt' and a community's need for safety.
The Cost of Economic Chicken: Who Really Pays for Ottawa's Trade War?
As the federal government matches U.S. tariffs dollar-for-dollar, the burden of this geopolitical chess match will land squarely on the kitchen tables and wallets of everyday Torontonians.
The 51st State Delusion: Trump’s Trade War is a War on Sovereignty
President Trump's latest rhetoric transforms a tariff dispute into a fundamental assault on Canadian identity, demanding a response far bolder than diplomatic patience.
The Lethal Default: When a North York Traffic Stop Becomes a Death Sentence
Gord Mackenzie argues that the fatal shooting of a driver in North York is not just a case for a watchdog to investigate, but a symptom of a system where lethal force is becoming the first resort.
The Gilded Billboard: Even Our Gold is for Sale
The plan to slap corporate logos atop the Royal Bank Plaza proves that in Toronto, architectural legacy is just another advertising opportunity.
The Cruel Math of Efficiency: WSIB's Betrayal of the Worker
In a bid to balance the books, the agency tasked with supporting injured workers is gutting its own staff, leaving the province's most vulnerable to wait in the wings.
The 'Pure' Profit Margin: Grocery Giants Can't Claim Ignorance Now
Opinion: As a class-action lawsuit expands to target major chains over fake maple syrup, it's time to stop pretending that 'too good to be true' prices are a mystery to the retailers selling them.
The Silence of the Badge: Why Police Suicide is a Leadership Failure, Not a Private Tragedy
Three officers dead in three days is not a coincidence—it is a systemic collapse. It is time to stop whispering about 'because-of-the-line-of-duty' deaths and start demanding organizational accountability.
The Cost of Silence: Ontario's Autism Waitlist is a Moral Failure
The province touts billion-dollar investments, but for 70,000 children trapped in a bureaucratic void, the government's math doesn't match the reality of a stolen childhood.
The Billion-Dollar Bribe: Trading Urban Sustainability for a Quick Housing Win
Opinion: The new federal-provincial funding for municipalities that eschew development charges is a seductive short-term fix that risks the long-term health of our infrastructure.
The Cost of Indifference: When Transit Workers Become Targets
A random stabbing of a TTC electrical worker underscores a disturbing trend of violence against those who keep Toronto moving.
Cash Over Justice: Ontario's New Bail Rules Penalize the Poor
By demanding immediate cash deposits and threatening property seizures, the province is treating the symptoms of a revolving-door system while ignoring the root causes of crime.
The Lower Don Trail is a Monument to Toronto's Institutional Inertia
Opinion: When a one-year project stretches into three-plus years of failure, it is no longer a scheduling error—it is a systemic disregard for the citizens of this city.
The Lethal Cost of Greed: A Landlord's Negligence and the Price of Shelter
A Brampton landlord's sentencing for a fatal fire reveals the deadly consequences of illegal conversions and ignored safety codes.
The High Cost of a 'Mystery' Grime
Opinion: It took years for academic researchers to identify the source of Hamilton's industrial soot, proving that corporate pollution is only a puzzle until the ivory tower decides to solve it.
The Hype Cycle Claims Another Victim
General An Potsticker's closure reveals the fragility of viral success in Toronto's dining scene.
The Cruelty of the 'Targeted Adjustment': Ottawa's Half-Hearted Gesture to Refugees
By reinstating a sliver of health coverage while maintaining 30 per cent co-payments for essential care, the federal government is prioritizing optics over the lives of the city's most vulnerable.
Two SickKids Employees Charged in Child Exploitation Cases Within One Month
A housekeeping staff member and a physician face separate charges involving child sexual abuse and exploitation material.
The 'Forever' Loophole: Carney's Calculated Hesitation on Island Jets
By refusing to permanently ban jets at Billy Bishop, the Prime Minister protects a corporate door that the city's residents desperately want closed.
The Bank of Canada's Moral Bankruptcy: When the Stewards of Stability Flout the Law
Governor Tiff Macklem claims the central bank acted to ensure security, but repeated violations of the Canada Labour Code suggest a dangerous belief that the nation's financial stewards are above the rules.
Ritz-Carlton Residences Top Toronto Condo Maintenance Fees: Report
A new report reveals the staggering gap in maintenance costs across the GTA, with luxury towers leading the charge in monthly expenses.
The Silence of the Soot: Why Ontario's Secrecy is a Betrayal of Hamilton
When the government treats a soot-covered neighborhood like a state secret, they aren't protecting the public—they're protecting the polluters.
Vandalism and Gunfire Target Jewish-Owned Bakery Chain
Toronto police are investigating targeted attacks on two bakery locations, sparking condemnation from city officials and community leaders.
The Waterfront Wins: Federal Government Grounds Ford's Airport Ambitions
After thousands of Torontonians spoke up, Ottawa has stepped in to save the islands from a provincial expansion plan that threatened to trade our crown jewel for runway lakefill.
The Cost of a Hallucination: When AI Becomes a Business Liability
A Google AI error sparked panic at a beloved Ontario bakery, showing that Silicon Valley's 'beta tests' have real-world casualties.
SickKids Doctor Charged in Child Exploitation Investigation
Dilan Dissanayake faces charges after Toronto police seize electronic devices from the hospital and a private residence.
Marineland belugas begin emergency rescue move to U.S. aquariums
Six whales left the closed Niagara Falls, Ont., park Monday in the first wave of a plan to rehome up to 30 belugas to accredited aquariums in the U.S. and Spain.
Blue Jays Mourn Loss of World Series Legend Duane Ward
The franchise honors a cornerstone of its 1992 and 1993 championship eras following the death of the All-Star reliever.
Fatal Stabbing in North York Residential Building
Toronto police are searching for a suspect after a woman was killed Saturday afternoon.
Opinion: The Cost of Corporate Blindness: CN Rail's Betrayal of the Front Line
When a train crew is forced to flee a wildfire on foot, the distance between the boardroom's safety slogans and the reality on the tracks becomes a chasm of negligence.
The Taser Trap: When 'Less-Lethal' Tools Become Weapons of Serious Injury
OPINION: After Toronto police seriously injured a man with multiple stun guns in North York, we must stop viewing SIU probes as mere formalities and demand an answer for why escalation is the default.
Ottawa Tightens Immigration Consultant Rules Amid Fraud Concerns
New regulations aim to enhance oversight of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, but critics question if the measures go far enough to protect victims.
Ontario Heat Wave Shatters Decades-Old Records
Temperatures in the province have reached levels not seen since the Great Depression.
The Great Divide in the Haze
As Toronto's air quality plummets to the worst in the Western Hemisphere, the city's survival strategies are split along class lines.
Salsa on St. Clair Festival Ends in Fatal Double Shooting
Two men are dead and four others injured after gunfire erupted at a popular Latin street festival, sparking calls for increased security.
A public prediction record for Gord Mackenzie’s calls is coming soon.