West End Phoenix

Logo for West End Phoenix, a community heritage organization nominated for the 2021 Heritage Toronto Awards. Illustration by Robyn Colangelo.

Image of a girl wearing a baseball glove and standing looking at the camera. There is a red background with the words "West End Phoenix" on the top.

The Sports Issue, Issue 13, May 2019, West End Phoenix, a community heritage organization nominated for the 2021 Heritage Toronto Awards. Image by Javier Lovera.

A colourful rainbow graphic with the words "Love In Action." There is an image of a person holding a camera taking a picture. There are leaves, apples, and hands in the graphic.

Love In Action Issue, June 2021, West End Phoenix, a community heritage organization nominated for the 2021 Heritage Toronto Awards. Cover Illustration by Simone Heath.

Colour graphic of a futuristic city illustration. There is a train track, a bike path, a city garden, and lots of trees. There is a person flying with a jetpack over the city.

The ‘Future’ of Toronto, Issue 9, November 2018, West End Phoenix, a community heritage organization nominated for the 2021 Heritage Toronto Awards. Cover Illustration by Michael Byers.

Founded in 2017 by a group of Toronto artists living in the west end of the city, West End Phoenix (WEP) is a periodical community newspaper focused on sharing the stories of Toronto. WEP aims to provide a platform and voice for photographers, illustrators, and writers throughout Toronto, and over its four-year history has published a number of issues focused on Black and Indigenous communities. The stories and illustrations in each issue share a variety of perspectives on Toronto’s cultural heritage. They also touch on issues of environmental heritage and include stories about the structure and structures of the city – both literally and figuratively.

Originally produced for Toronto’s west end, the paper has grown a readership of 12,000. It is hand-delivered across Toronto by a team of volunteers, and hundred of copies are mailed to national and international readers.