5 interviews with Torontonians who made headlines in 2017

This year, we felt a sea change in Toronto’s local political debate. Identity came to the forefront and things generally moved in a more progressive direction.

After five years at the head of Toronto’s planning department, Jennifer Keesmat has plenty to be proud of, including the so-far-so-good King Street pilot project. In her short time atop the urban planning heap, she pushed forward a progressive, complete streets agenda. Her positive and progressive voice will be missed down at the hall. Back in September, we talked to her as she was leaving her post about everything from NIMBYism to John Tory vs. Rob Ford.

Before everyone jumped on the bandwagon, and long before he announced his leadership candidacy, we tracked down politician Jagmeet Singh to talk about his style, his substance and whether or not he could takedown Justin Trudeau for the count.

You've probably heard of Colin Mochrie and even if you didn’t know that he lives in Leaside, surely you’re familiar with his work as a comedian. But earlier this year, we got to talk to him about becoming an accidental advocate for transgender kids when he tweeted about his experience with his daughter, Kinley.

Speaking of advocacy, 2017 was the year Desmond Cole went from writing about police carding to being on the front line of the protest movement. Shortly after he resigned from the Toronto Star, Cole sat down with us to discuss his passionate commitment to his cause and what gives him hope for the future.

In July, we spoke with extraordinary indigenous rights activist and scholar Dr. Pam Palmater to talk about how she thinks Canadians should celebrate Canada Day.

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