Journalist - Housing (Full-time)

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Toronto Star is seeking a skilled journalist to join its Business and Housing team on a one-year contract, covering the housing beat across the GTA and Ontario.

You will report on zoning, development, tenants, and policy, using data, public records, and original sources to produce agenda-setting, accurate journalism for a broad readership.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a journalist at a daily news organization.
• Knowledge of housing, real estate, urban affairs, or related beats.
• Strong news judgment, writing, and the ability to tell complex stories clearly.
• Strong source-building skills across government, industry, advocacy groups.
• Experience with data journalism, public records research, and FOI requests.
• Ability to generate original, ambitious story ideas from pitch to publication.

Responsibilities

• Break and develop housing news across topics such as affordability, development, tenant rights.
• Generate original story ideas rooted in sourcing and data literacy.
• Build and maintain a deep network of sources including city planners and politicians.
• Collaborate with Business and Housing team and visuals/multimedia teams.
• Produce a mix of daily news and longer enterprise and feature work with deadline accuracy.
• Think beyond text—contribute ideas for video, audio, and digital formats.
• Use data, public records and FOIA requests to deepen reporting.
• Maintain Toronto Star's rigorous journalistic standards.

Skills

Journalism experience

Housing/real estate knowledge

Data journalism

Source-building

Digital storytelling

CP style familiarity

Job description

Torstar Corporationis a progressive media organization with a long, proud history in newspapers and a passion for capitalizing on the fluid world of digital and mobile media. Torstar’s vision for success is driven bya deep customer-centric obsession, continued journalistic excellence, advanced data-driven competency and a culture that is selfless, focused, agile, collaborative and results driven.The successful candidate will bea champion of those priorities whilekeeping the customer at the heart of all the creative work that they will be doing.

Our Commitment to Diversity
We strive to be a leader in building and cultivating an employee community framed around fairness, support and opportunity. We believe thatwhat makes us different, makes a difference. And as a team, the diversity of our backgrounds, interests and experiences is what enriches our work, and our workplaces. We welcome all, and we strive for an inclusive culture that allows individual growth and shared success.

Job Description

The Toronto Star is seeking a skilled and driven journalist to join its Business and Housing team on a one-year contract, covering the housing beat. Housing is one of the most urgent and consequential stories in Canada right now — touching affordability, development, tenant rights, municipal policy and the everyday lives of millions of Ontarians — and this reporter will be at the centre of it.

The successful candidate will cover housing in all its dimensions: the politics of zoning and intensification, the struggles of renters and first‑time buyers, the decisions of developers and city planners, the impact of interest rates and immigration on supply and demand, and the human stories behind the numbers. They will work closely with colleagues on the Business and Housing team and across the newsroom to produce journalism that is agenda‑setting, accurate and deeply connected to the lives of Star readers in the GTA and beyond.

This role sits within the Journalist classification in the Star's Editorial Department. While the initial assignment is to the housing beat within the Business and Housing team, journalists may be assigned across a variety of newsroom roles in the future. The position reports to the Senior Editor, Business and Housing.

What you will do

• Break and develop housing news across a broad range of topics — affordability, development, tenant rights, municipal policy, the rental market, real estate trends and the intersection of housing with broader economic and social issues.
• Generate original story ideas rooted in strong sourcing, data literacy and a genuine understanding of how housing issues affect real people across the GTA and Ontario.
• Build and maintain a deep network of sources — including city planners, developers, tenant advocates, municipal politicians, real estate economists, renters, buyers and industry insiders.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues on the Business and Housing team, as well as the visuals, multimedia and audience teams, to produce ambitious multi‑platform storytelling.
• Produce a mix of daily news and longer‑form enterprise and feature work, with strong written copy delivered accurately on deadline.
• Think beyond text — contributing ideas and content for video, audio and digital formats in collaboration with multimedia colleagues.
• Use data, public records and access‑to‑information requests to deepen and differentiate reporting.
• Maintain the Toronto Star's rigorous journalistic standards in all coverage.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a journalist at a daily news organization, with a track record of strong, original reporting.
• Demonstrated knowledge of or experience covering housing, real estate, urban affairs, municipal politics or related beats — or a clear and compelling case for how your reporting experience translates.
• Exceptional news judgment, writing skills and the ability to tell complex stories in ways that are clear, compelling and relevant to a broad readership.
• Strong source‑building skills and the ability to work contacts across government, industry, advocacy groups and affected communities.
• Experience with data journalism, public records research and access‑to‑information requests — or a willingness to develop these skills.
• The ability to generate a steady stream of original, ambitious story ideas and see them through from pitch to publication.
• A self‑starter mentality — able to manage multiple stories simultaneously, work independently and meet deadlines in a fast‑paced newsroom.
• Comfort with digital storytelling and an understanding of how audiences consume journalism across platforms.
• Familiarity with CP style and a commitment to accuracy and fairness.
• A deep understanding of the GTA, its communities and the issues that matter most to people who live and work here.
• A demonstrated commitment to the Torstar values of collaboration, focus, selflessness, agility and results.

Additional Information

This is a notice of vacancy under Article 8 of the collective agreement between Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and Unifor Local 87M.

The hours of work for this position will vary according to the assignment but will all conform to a standard 35-hour work week as described under the collective agreement.

This position will be in Toronto.

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this program; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted within three weeks after the application deadline.

AODA

AODA
We are committed to providing an inclusive and barrier‑free recruitment process ensuring equal access to employment opportunities for candidates, including persons with disabilities. In compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Ontario Human Rights Code we will endeavour to provide accommodation to persons with disabilities in the recruitment process upon request. If you are selected for an interview and you require accommodation due to a disability during the recruitment process, please notify the hiring manager upon scheduling the interview of your requirements.