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‘I am deeply troubled’: Head of Ontario law society speaks out after Star/IJB investigation into sexual harassment among lawyers
The head of Ontario’s law society says she is “deeply troubled” by the level of sexual harassment, violence and discrimination within the profession. Jacqueline Horvat said many colleagues reached out to her “expressing their concerns” in the wake of an investigation by the Toronto Star and the Investigative Journalism Bureau, which shone a light on how… Read more
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Your lawyer could be under investigation for sexual misconduct against clients. Why won’t Ontario’s law society tell you?
Shannon needed a lawyer. The Toronto hairstylist was facing a slew of charges, including assault, threatening death, and breaking and entering. As she stood in the courthouse one August 2012 day, she saw a list of lawyers posted in the bail program office. She picked Toomas Ounapuu. That choice began a years-long ordeal during which… Read more
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Growing number of Canadian households contain deadly levels of radon gas, national study finds
Exposure to deadly radon gas in Canadian homes continues to grow, according to a nationwide study conducted by University of Calgary researchers. Nearly 18 per cent of Canadian homes contain radon levels at or above Health Canada’s action guideline of 200 becquerels per cubic metre (Bq/m³) for the carcinogenic gas, according to the national study.… Read more
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Are Canada’s clinical trials in need of reform? Experts weigh in
A recent investigation by the IJB published in the Toronto Star found that private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often financially desperate test subjects each year to participate in clinical trials. The question remains – if we want to ensure safer studies for participants and improve critical research, what is the best way… Read more
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Behind the Reporting: Ontario First Nations sue feds over alleged deadly underfunding of fire protection services
There are moments in reporting stories that make your bones rattle, moments that stay with you. I was on a telephone interview with Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, getting his thoughts on the shocking number of fire deaths and injuries on First Nations – a problem he and other Indigenous leaders have… Read more
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Behind the Reporting: IJB Exposes Exploitative Cracks in the Clinical Trial Industry
I started working on this story as a 21-year-old IJB intern who knew nothing about clinical trials other than the ads I saw on the subway on my way to class. I’d be lying if I said I was never tempted by the cash offered for what seemed like an innocuous sacrifice of my body in the service… Read more
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Inside Canada’s ‘exploitative’ clinical trial industry, where study participants say they’re incentivized to lie — even about medications’ side effects
Seized with anxiety after days of painful cramps and bloody stool, Franco answered a call from the research company that had been dosing him with an experimental medication in exchange for money. A staffer told him their tests showed one of his organs was inflamed and that a doctor needed to examine him. “Is this… Read more
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Ontario First Nations sue the federal government over alleged deadly underfunding of fire protection on reserves
The federal government’s “discriminatory” underfunding of fire protection on First Nation reserves is responsible for Indigenous people perishing in blazes at dramatically higher rates than other Canadians, a lawsuit filed by two Ontario First Nations alleges. Oneida Nation of the Thames, near London, and Sandy Lake First Nation, 600 km northwest of Thunder Bay, allege… Read more
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Celebrating Our Collaborative Success at the IJB & IRE Cross-Border Conference
When I first pondered the idea of hosting an international investigative journalism conference in Toronto, I dismissed it as momentary mental instability. It was the fall of 2023, just three years into the launch of our small non-profit newsroom. We’d made a significant impact with our reporting—shaping policies, changing attitudes, and raising awareness on a… Read more
