20th anniversary issue

We usually tell other people’s stories, but this anniversary issue is a chance to tell our own story, to look back and celebrate our two decades of existence. It’s also a chance to have some fun, as we have in past anniversary issues, with features like imagined covers from a century of Spacing.

This issue starts introspectively, with the magazine itself – our origins and evolution, and some of the impact we’ve had. Then we pull out to get some outside perspectives on Spacing. Finally, we look at the broader landscape, taking the opportunity to be positive, such as what has changed in the city for the better, and profiling some of the people we’ve worked with and admired.

Looking back to our foundation, we were filled with a spirit of optimism, which is recalled and captured in some of the pieces in this issue. Even at our tenth anniversary, in the midst of Rob Ford madness, that positive spirit persisted to some extent. Multiple crises may have undermined our city’s spirit in recent years. But we’re here, in part, to sustain the optimism we launched with. Now, as in 2003, Toronto has big problems, but also enormous potential. We plan to continue influencing the discussion and helping to realize that potential.

cover mural by Emily May Rose