Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 17/09/2026@vinaymenon.bsky.social killed it with this column on Canada breaking up with Trump to date the EU. www.thestar.com/entertainmen...thestar.com 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Could a gondola throught the city solve Oshawa's traffic problem? 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 30/06/2026Is this really such a terrible idea? Could gondolas be the answer to traffic congestion in Oshawa? @thestar.com www.thestar.com/news/gta/osh...thestar.comOshawa has a lofty plan to ease its traffic congestion. Why one councillor is trying to ground what he calls the ‘dumbest suggestion’ he’s ever heardThe extraordinary traffic jams that snarl Simcoe Street has led to some extraordinary proposed solutions. 242
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 22/05/2026It's probably not the oddest job in the world. But it's up there. www.thestar.com/news/gta/beh...thestar.comA crew on Centre Island is using slingshots to save it from becoming a guano wastelandThe cormorants are so far unable to nest. But it’s not clear how battle will go with the birds who destroy trees, and vomit fish as a defensive tactic. 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 19/05/2026Just another day in the life of a reporter @thestar.com 120
Reposted by Francine KopunToronto Star @thestar.com · 21/04/2026Toronto hospitals are scrapping in-person prenatal classes, and new parents are upset by the loss of a rite of passage. New from @kopunf.bsky.social:thestar.comToronto hospitals are scrapping a rite of passage for new parentsSunnybrook becomes the latest hospital to end the classes. Parents and experts fear the loss of knowledge, and all-important connections. 0102
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 13/04/2026Excellent reporting in this story today by @benspurr.bsky.social for @thestar.com www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...thestar.comToronto was just days away from defaulting on troubled St. Lawrence Market project, documents revealDocuments obtained by the Star through a freedom of information show a senior manager privately acknowledging that city staff’s handling of the project could give the city a black eye. 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Vinay Menon makes me laugh out loud. @thestar.com www.thestar.com/entertainmen...thestar.comThis McDonald's taste test video went viral for all the wrong reasonsDoes this guy even know how to eat a hamburger? 041
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 03/03/2026ICYMI, because I did. The CEO who refused to have anything to do with Epstein. www.reuters.com/business/ret...reuters.comHermes CEO says Epstein was 'financial predator' who targeted him during LVMH battleHermes CEO Axel Dumas said on Thursday he had resisted repeated attempts by Jeffrey Epstein to meet with him, describing the financier as a "financial predator" who had targeted him during a corporate... 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 05/01/2026Toronto gets so much flak for being ugly. But 2025 was a great year for architecture, from the extraordinary Biidaasige Park to CIBC Square, and the new Anishnawbe Health Centre on Cherry Street -- we had to cap it at seven. What would you nominate for 2026? www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...thestar.comToronto has a reputation for being ugly. Here are seven beautiful new buildings that have bucked the trend — and are getting noticedThere’s room for hope in many of the new projects that came online in 2025. The Star consulted with experts to produce a list of the seven best. 021
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 02/11/2025They didn’t lose. They played like heroes. #bluejays #worldseries #toronto @torontobluejays.bsky.social 020
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 29/10/2025What should we name the new electric ferries in Toronto? When NYC asked second-graders to pick names for their ferries, they came up with Tooth Ferry, because: "Losing teeth is one of the exciting things that happen to 2nd graders." www.thestar.com/news/gta/wha...thestar.comWhat would you name Toronto’s new electric ferries? Why the city may come askingA new report suggests asking the public to help name the two new vessels — and updates when they are due to arrive. 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 28/10/2025"Worse than the 1990s." www.thestar.com/real-estate/...thestar.com‘It’s worse than the 1990s:’ Just 28 new condos sold in city of Toronto in September, new data showsThe industry group says prices in September were flat compared to last year while sales continued to drop over 2024 numbers. 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 24/06/2025www.thestar.com/entertainmen...thestar.comVinay Menon: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez’s top-secret, multimillion dollar ‘wedding of the century’ is a filthy obscenityHere's my question: Why can't billionaires read the room? 010
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 11/06/2025This Brian Wilson obit, by Hillel Atalie of Associated Press, is excellent. www.thestar.com/entertainmen...thestar.comBrian Wilson, Beach Boys visionary leader and summer’s poet laureate, dies at 82Brian Wilson, one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82. 010
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 16/04/2025This piece, about Ontario Place and the spa company that won the right to redevelop the property, is a must-read. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/w...nytimes.comEuropean Spa Company Therme Misrepresented Itself in an Effort to Expand Into CanadaA Times investigation shows Therme, a European firm, exaggerated its track record in securing a deal with Ontario, and government auditors found that the process had been unfair and opaque. 020
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 16/04/2025This is the kind of journalism we need to make informed decisions on election day. 👏 to @moirawelsh.bsky.social www.thestar.com/politics/fed...thestar.comI fact checked what Pierre Poilievre said for a week this election campaign. He has a flair for the dramatic — but here’s how many false claims he madeWhile Poilievre is right on some, not all points fit his overarching campaign premise that Canada went to hell during the “Lost Liberal Decade.” 100
Reposted by Francine KopunDean Beeby @deanbeeby.bsky.social · 17/02/2025What happened on a Toronto ferry the night it hit Billy Bishop airport property. Based on more than 500 pages of documents released under Ontario FOI legislation. By @kopunf.bsky.social thestar.com/news/gta/wha... #cdnfoi #ontfoi #ontpolithestar.comWhat happened on a Toronto ferry the night it hit Billy Bishop airport propertyThe City of Toronto tried to downplay an accident April 30 that involved the Thomas Rennie ferry hitting Billy Bishop airport near the runway. Documents obtained under Freedom of Information 033
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 12/02/2025@steverussell.bsky.social worked flat-out for three days to capture Canadian snowbirds in Trump’s America, for @thestar.com My favourite is the sign pointing to the Gulf of Mexico, referring to it as the Gulf of America. A slice of life in Trump country. 000
Francine Kopun @kopunf.bsky.social · 22/01/2025Some good news: Toronto is hoping to spend more on parks in 2025. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...thestar.comMatt Elliott: Mayor Olivia Chow is spending big to make sure you notice Toronto’s parks are improving. But there’s one thing that won’t changeToronto’s proposed 2025 budget contains an ambitious spending plan for parks, giving voters a metric for measuring the mayor’s tax-and-invest strategy. 021