At nearly 46%, our recent municipal election marked Toronto’s highest voter participation rate in 12 years, reversing a decline that peaked with a historic low just four years ago. 

Of the headlines from this past week, that’s the one that made my heart swell the most. And I can’t help but think The Green Line (not to mention other local news outlets) had something to do with it. 

By now, you’re likely familiar with the research that says there’s a direct link between the health of local media and voter turnout, and that the inverse happens when communities lose their local source of information. So, it’s hard not to draw the conclusion that the emergence of new outlets across the GTA and the growth of existing ones like TGL played a role in bolstering voter turnout at home, particularly among Gen Zs and Millennials who make up three-quarters of our audience.  

Though I launched The Green Line 4.5 years ago, I began planting the seeds of this organization at the height of COVID — or basically, at the height of mass disconnection and isolation. Since then, our mission to deliver information that’s actually useful and trustworthy, fun to consume, and easier to access for people has only gotten more urgent.

During a time when democracy is under threat globally, and affordability is a widespread crisis in many major cities (Toronto very much included), people here at home trust each other less, 

can’t afford to go out and generally are just feeling blah. Young Torontonians, in particular, are struggling more than older generations, with a recent survey revealing that 81% “say a young person starting out today cannot afford to build a good life in Toronto.”

It’s why the work we do at The Green Line — crowdsourcing community solutions to hyperlocal problems, hosting neighbourhood events to spark connections and friendships, producing service journalism that’s practical and based on audience feedback — has resonated so much with our city’s twenty- and thirty-somethings (and beyond).

In a short amount of time and with a tiny bootstrapped budget, TGL’s small but mighty team has made a real impact on the lives of thousands of Torontonians across dozens of neighbourhoods and communities. We aren’t just passive observers and reporters; every single person on our team is right there with you, part of your neighbourhoods and your communities. Can you imagine what we could do with more funding and resources? 

The Green Line fiercely believes in our mission, and we hope you do, too — enough to make a donation, sign up to become a paying member or even register for a free account. 

By becoming a Green Liner, you’ll be directly helping yourself and others like you live better lives, and frankly, just have more fun here…because we can always use more of that.