Ben Cohen

Journalist @TorontoStar | [email protected]

[Matina Stevis-Gridneff @MatinaStevis]

Absolutely thrilled to welcome @MarkColley to our ranks! Mark joins the @nytimes Canada team as our new -first!- Express reporter. He'll be based in Vancouver. A loss for @TorontoStar where he has been much loved, a gain for us.
https://t.co/8zOhwrbXrv

[David Rider @dmrider]

Why Chow confounded pollsters & campaign critics to handily beat Bradford, from @TorontoStar's mighty city hall bureau. “The water issue was too hot, it boiled over. He couldn’t handle it or figure out how to turn down the temp. We were relentless with it" https://t.co/1tHntvFpW3

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

From me, @bcohenn and @mahdishabibinia: Olivia Chow won Toronto’s election. Here are five turning points that shaped the race https://t.co/Xm80ZnUkHv

[Dan Seljak @anotherglassbox]

This is a very unusual and touching portrait of Braeden Chow, the young man who might've caused some ballot confusion and who ran the majority of his campaign unhoused. Gift link here: https://t.co/2RkCDW3aeJ

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

My colleague @bcohenn and I are doing a Q&A about the Toronto election at 12 p.m. today on the Star site. If you have a question for us, drop it in the comments here: https://t.co/G1g2QDaOLG

[Toronto Star @TorontoStar]

City hall reporters Ben Cohen and Ben Spurr answer reader questions on the results of Toronto’s election and what comes next. https://t.co/F9RedSD58M

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

It's election day in Toronto! You can follow all the live updates throughout the day at the Star. https://t.co/jwnXbl5mSB

[Mahdis Habibinia @mahdishabibinia]

You can check this @TorontoStar page for live results of the 2026 Toronto municipal election once polls close at 8 p.m. today: https://t.co/QqM33lEUwP

[Mahdis Habibinia @mahdishabibinia]

It's election day and @TorontoStar has spent the last month profiling key battleground races, offering intimate portraits of the candidates and the issues moving voters. A 🧵compiling the coverage ICYMI:

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

@mahdishabibinia And here's @bcohenn with a look at the fascinating race in York-South Weston, where longtime incumbent Frances Nunziata is fighting for one last term https://t.co/R2xn0bOag9

[Mahdis Habibinia @mahdishabibinia]

In the battle for Scarborough North, a rookie councillor defends his record — as two political veterans enter the ring https://t.co/9hGgS9Vmud From @bcohenn @BenSpurr and I via @TorontoStar

[Mahdis Habibinia @mahdishabibinia]

Before dropping out of the Toronto mayoral race Chris Alexander sat down for a wide-ranging interview with @bcohenn on why he returned to the public stage. https://t.co/qERto3mcI2 via @TorontoStar

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

From @mahdishabibinia, @bcohenn and me: Olivia Chow and Brad Bradford each faced Star questions for an hour straight. Here’s how they answered the tough ones https://t.co/X8ZTXrytN5

[Mahdis Habibinia @mahdishabibinia]

How the incumbent-vs-challenger dynamic is framing the mayor's race as Brad Bradford's big — and sometimes controversial — campaign swings have overshadowed Olivia Chow's more modest proposals. https://t.co/5IjBX2s8HX From @bcohenn @dmrider via @TorontoStar

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

Breaking, from @bcohenn: Chris Alexander drops out of Toronto mayor's race https://t.co/iRDumS2nfR

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

From @bcohenn and me: Advance voting starts today - how the next six days could help decide Toronto's mayoral election https://t.co/OdaoNrNDlH

[Isaac Callan @isaaccallan]

The mayors of Ontario's big cities have a group chat.

@bcohenn got a copy of the chat's transcript after a protracted freedom of information battle and he's included the entire chat at the bottom of the story if you're curious. #ToPoli #OnPoli
https://t.co/ILYwDquqJ9

[Ben Spurr @BenSpurr]

Great story from @bcohenn: Ontario Big City Mayors spent two years fighting disclosure of a WhatsApp group chat among municipal leaders. Once you see the contents you've got to wonder: why the secrecy? https://t.co/9A9Y8sh5T4

[Ben Cohen @bcohenn]

This is what we found:
https://t.co/XVC1lNvd0Y

[Ben Cohen @bcohenn]

Nearly two years ago, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request for correspondence between mayors of Ontario's largest cities. The mayors consented -- they knew this was public record -- but the Ontario Big City Mayors organization fought us with lawyers. In the end, we won