Looking back at 2016: Our favourite stories

Covering Fort McMurray wildfires from makeshift, mobile newsroom

The devastating wildfires in Alberta wasn’t just a story of sorrow and loss but of the strength, courage and inspiring community of the people of Fort McMurray. Reporter Avery Haines converted a truck into a newsroom and told those stories.

Dad remembers daughter, innocent victim of a double shooting

In May, hundreds of people gathered in Scarborough at a candlelight vigil for Cynthia Mullapudi. Police said the 24-year-old woman was an innocent victim in a double shooting. Reporter Faiza Amin describes Mullapudi’s dad reading a letter he wrote for his daughter.

Meeting Syrian refugees who are already helping other Syrian refugees

A year after Canada made a promise to resettle thousands of Syrian refugees, their stories still ring out as they rebuild their lives in their new country. Reporter Roger Petersen met a refugee who has become a translator for refugees still arriving to Canada and asks her to describe what it was like for her to arrive.

Santa Claus lives in Scarborough

Ordinary people do extraordinary things and reporter Audra Brown gets the chance to tell those stories. Her favourite this year was about a man who took the time to decorate all his neighbours’ front lawns at Christmas. Now we know Santa Claus is real!

Can you pick Kyle Lowry out of a lineup?

“I’m the last person who should cover sports! Until this year, I couldn’t pick Kyle Lowry out of a lineup.” But then came the Raptors successes. Reporter Ginella Masa did her research and ended up getting wrapped up in the Raptors fan frenzy.

Helpful clowns bring twinkle to seniors’ eyes

These certainly weren’t the scary clowns that made headlines earlier this year. “Elder clowns” was “oddly heartwarming,” reporter Amanda Ferguson recalls. She explains how the clowns work with patients with Dementia and Alzheimer’s to “bring them back from the fog.”

Nonna’s good luck charm helped Raptors (for a while)

Reporter Stella Acquisto’s Italian nonna took centre stage on our show for a while, bringing luck to the Raptors with her good-luck charm and removing the evil eye from the team.

Owners and pets reunited after dog walker’s van stolen

It was every pet owner’s worst nightmare as a dog walker’s van, filled with 16 dogs, was stolen from the Fort York area. Reporter Adrian Ghobrial said this story stood out for him because it was a story that had a little bit of everything – including a happy ending.

Seniors die in TCH fire and a transgender life-saving love story

For reporter Cynthia Mulligan, two stories stood out in 2016 – one filled with tragedy and the other filled with hope. In February fire broke out in a TCH apartment building killing three seniors – 90-year-old Charles Roberts, his 72-year-old wife Hyacinth and 86-year-old Azeema Safraj.

In November, Cynthia traveled to Thailand to tell the story of Danica Rain, a Ontario transgender woman who underwent gender reassignment surgery.

Const. James Forcillo found guilty of in Sammy Yatim death

It was a murder trial that captured the attention of the entire city. Reporter Tammie Sutherland talks about the impact of the trial of Const. James Forcillo in the death of Sammy Yatim and the verdict – guilty of attempted murder.

Gord Downie and the Man Machine Poem tour

The news of Gord Downie’s terminal brain cancer knocked the wind out of the entire country and it was a mix of cheers and tears as the band crossed Canada for the Man Machine Poem tour. “So many people had their own stories of sick loved ones and so many were just so inspired by Gord Downie,” reporter Shauna Hunt recalls as she spoke with fans outside the Air Canada Centre during the band’s three stops in Toronto.

The ongoing Syrian refugee crisis

It was a crisis brought to the international stage with the photo of a young boy laying dead on a beach. This year the death toll for fleeing refugees is set to spiral to 1 in 88 people. “It is a tale of danger and desperation that, I think, has actually been under told,” reporter Pam Seatle says.