Anastasia Blosser

Anastasia Blosser is a journalist, writer and photographer based in Toronto. 

My Recent Work

Toronto Star •

Revue Cinema to stay open until end of October after court grants extension to injunction that halted eviction

“We are so grateful for the outpouring of community support over the past week,” Oyston wrote in an emailed statement. “It’s clear that the community cares deeply about the Revue Cinema, and overwhelmingly wants it to remain in the community, operated as a non-profit organization, with the wonderful staff and programmers we have today.”He repeatedly said there are no plans for the theatre to close, adding that his “ashes are going in the wall” of the more than 100-year-old theatre. But talks bet...
Toronto Star •

Durham police make 92 arrests, seize $600,000 in drugs in ‘Project Martini’ investigation

Nearly 100 individuals have been arrested as part of Durham police’s “Project Martini,” an investigation into drug trafficking and human trafficking in the region.In total, officers seized more than $600,000 worth of drugs including more than three kilograms of methamphetamine, over one kilogram of cocaine and close to one kilogram of fentanyl. They also seized $30,000 in cash. “These arrests and seizures have put a significant dent into the drug trafficking in Durham region,” Supt. Ryan Connoll...
Toronto Star •

Justin Trudeau says he is ‘committed’ to duties following byelection loss

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is “committed” to building a better Canada following a byelection upset that cost the Liberals a long-held seat in the riding of Toronto—St. Paul’s.On Monday, responding to a question from CBC journalist Heather Hiscox about calls from within the Liberal party for a new leader, the prime minister said he was “committed to doing the work of building a better Canada every single day.”“There’s always going to be lots of reflection after a tough loss but there’s...
Toronto Star •

Carjacking task force makes 124 arrests, as Ontario police say nearly half of suspects were out on bail at the time

Investigators say they recovered 177 stolen vehicles with an estimated value over $10 million. They also seized eight guns, ammunition, tools commonly used in auto thefts, stolen car parts, $2,000 in cash, fake IDs, money counters and ski masks and other items used to conceal identities.Though auto thefts in Toronto decreased by 28 per cent in 2024, they have contributed to an increase in home invasions, violent robberies and gun violence, according to police.He said some of the thefts posed a s...
Toronto Star •

Peel police announce largest ever gun bust, with nearly all of the 71 firearms seized coming from U.S.

Ten individuals were arrested and charged with a combined total of 185 criminal offences, Peel police said in a media conference Wednesday morning. Most of the charges were related to firearm and drug trafficking according to a media release.The investigation—named Project Chrome—began in September 2023 and looked into a local organized crime network police say is responsible for gun and drug trafficking in the region. It was completed alongside several other law enforcement agencies across the...
Toronto Star •

Pearson warns of disruptions, Porter cancels flights, Toronto hospitals say delays possible amid global CrowdStrike outage

She’d just finished a three-week French program in the city, and Umar planned to fly out to meet her — after which the two would tour New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, he told the Star. But after the cancellation, last-minute flights to Moncton from WestJet or Air Canada were three times as expensive — and wouldn’t have landed until nearly midnight.What kind of compensation can you get for a flight delay?The compensation you can receive for a delayed flight depends on if the airline is res...
Toronto Star •

Video shows cyclists, police officer in heated exchange during ‘ghost bike’ memorial

A memorial bike ride that paid tribute to a cyclist who died from her injuries after being  struck in Etobicoke last month, turned sour on Saturday as attendees were seen clashing with a Toronto police officer. In a video posted on X by Dave Shellnutt, a personal injury lawyer for cyclists and cycling advocate, an officer is seen allegedly taking Shellnutt’s bike out of his hands as he tells others standing in the road to move toward the sidewalk.Shellnutt told the Star the group had taken up tw...
Toronto Star •

Olympic flame or woman with a bob-style haircut? Here’s why you’re seeing a face in the 2024 Paris Games logo

Since the 2024 Paris Olympics started on Friday, some viewers have taken to social media to point out that the Games’ official logo of the Olympic flame resembles a woman’s face. Some X users have said the emblem looks like a hair salon logo, with a bold lip and bob-style haircut. Others said they see the face of singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige every time they look at it. Despite the online comparisons and speculation, the face inside the symbol isn’t an unintended illusion, but actually a delib...
Toronto Star •

Australian breaker breaks the internet, everything Snoop Dogg and ... the Muffin Man?: The best viral moments from the Paris Olympic Games

A co-ordinated effort to flood the Seine with human feces went viral, as did a website that told Parisians when they would need to defecate for their waste to end up in the river when Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo was scheduled for go for a swim. And despite officials’ best efforts, the triathlon — which took place in the Seine — was delayed due to high levels of bacteria in the water.

A co-ordinated effort to flood the Seine with human feces went viral, as did a website that told Parisians when the...
Toronto Star •

Man dead after early morning shooting near after-hours club in Little Jamaica

Toronto police were called to the area of Times Road and Eglinton Avenue West shortly after 6:15 a.m. and they found the victim, Triston McNally, with gunshot wounds in an alleyway.He was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries where he died, paramedics said. Police originally said the man had been stabbed but later confirmed he was shot. Around noon on Sunday, a forensic identification truck and several police cruisers were parked on Times Road near the 350-metre alley where the victi...
Toronto Star •

Toronto After Dark film festival postpones next month’s event until next year

Originally scheduled to begin next month, the programming has now been pushed to the week of Oct. 15, 2025 and will be held at the Scotiabank Theatre in downtown Toronto. The primary reason behind the postponement is the festival’s founder and director’s ongoing battle with cancer, according to a statement on the festival’s website. Adam Lopez said the festival has been “a source of immense joy” for him since he started it in 2006, but had to make the difficult decision to postpone this year’s f...
Toronto Star •

16-year-old grazed in head by gunfire in targeted shooting outside Agincourt schools

When officers arrived on scene they located a 16-year-old in a parking lot who was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Police later told the Star the teen was grazed in the head by gunfire.There was no sign of police at the school by 4 p.m., and the parking lot south of the school had mostly emptied out. A bus driver who was not affiliated with the school said he had seen a police presence there earlier in the day.Ian Parker, who lives nearby, was walking through a field behind the school aft...
Toronto Star •

‘It was hard to process’: Brampton residents stunned after bus tears through backyards

Stunned Brampton residents are waiting for help from the city after a public transit bus drove through several backyards in the middle of the night.Peel paramedics responded to the crash but said no one was taken to hospital. They confirmed that a bus and car had collided and driven through multiple backyards and fences. The bus and car had no passengers besides the drivers. Paramedics also said the bus driver was awake and responsive at the scene.Ata Ul Haye Ahmad, a high school student who liv...
Toronto Star •

Toronto Waterfront Marathon takes over city’s downtown core for annual race

This year’s race was one of the largest in the marathon’s history, with an estimated 30,000 participants from over 70 countries according to a proclamation from Mayor Olivia Chow. This year’s full marathon has also set a record for the highest number of women ever registered to run the event and over 100,000 spectators are estimated to watch the running from the streets.In 2022, the marathon was recognized with the Evergreen Certification from the Council for Responsible Sport, making it the mos...
Toronto Star •

Drake takes shots at old friend DeMar DeRozan on Raptors broadcast

DeRozan was in town with the Sacramento Kings to play against his former team on Saturday night, when the Raptors also honoured franchise legend Vince Carter by retiring his jersey.Rapper Drake was in attendance and made an appearance on TSN’s broadcast, where he took shots at DeRozan.“If you ever put up a DeRozan banner, I’ll go up there and pull it down myself,” the Raptors global ambassador said, unprompted. At another point, he called DeRozan a “goof.”After the game, DeRozan was asked about...
Toronto Star •

Two Toronto car dealership employees linked to $2.18-million worth of stolen vehicle sales, police say

Two suspects, employed at a “branded” dealership in Toronto, allegedly used their position to “acquire and sell stolen motor vehicles to unsuspecting buyers and pass them off as legitimate,” according to Det. Jason Kraehling, who led Project Warden. Kraehling said the vehicles would be purchased using funds from the dealership from various companies, some of which were owned by the accused themselves. One of the suspects would then allegedly create fake sales agreements using fraudulent Vehicle...
Toronto Star •

How one Toronto charity is stepping up to help fight the L.A. fires

The group responds to disasters on a national and international scale, often raising funds, distributing aid to regions in need, donating equipment or even sending volunteers to train fire departments abroad. The majority of their efforts are funded by donations with some small government grants awarded.“I personally drove those four units to the airport and I handed them over to Air Canada to send on the plane,” said Adrian Award, a firefighter with Whitby Fire and Emergency Services and a volu...
Toronto Star •

Woodside Cinemas in Scarborough shot at twice within hours, no injuries reported, Toronto police say

The theatre was shot at again hours later around 5:45 a.m. Sunday, police said, but no one was injured or inside the cinema at the time because it was closed. Staff inside were sweeping up broken glass. The doors were locked and the growing crowd outside started to worry the movie was cancelled. But then the staff swung the doors open and people started filing in, many of them parents and grandparents with young children.Inside, there were divots in the purple walls near the box office, where bu...
Toronto Star •

Ontario yanking U.S. alcohol from LCBO shelves ‘indefinitely’ in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs

The removal will roll out Tuesday and will also prohibit Ontario-based restaurants and businesses from restocking and ordering American beer, wine and spirits since the LCBO is the only alcohol wholesaler in the province. She said the order extends to sales of U.S. products to LCBO wholesale customers, and no new wholesale orders or deliveries to restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and other retail channels will be processed.“LCBO is the importer of record for all U.S. alcohol products into Ontar...
Toronto Star •

‘I don’t want to open the door — blood is the first thing I see’: Building residents horrified as 16-year-old killed in Etobicoke apartment shooting

Shaking and crying, she peered through the peephole, hoping it was a prank, recounted an Etobicoke resident, describing events in the late afternoon Tuesday that left a 16-year-old dead from gunshot wounds and another youth with serious injuries.“I looked out the peephole and saw a shooter in a ski mask, I was panicking,” said the woman who did not want to be named over fears for her safety.She grabbed her four-year-old son and their coats and rushed onto their balcony hoping to buy time if some...
Toronto Star •

‘Please be patient’: Toronto grinds to a halt after second storm in less than a week, cleanup begins

Since Wednesday’s storm — which, before Sunday, marked the most snowfall the city had seen since a storm in January 2022 — the city has experienced over half a metre of snow in less than a week.“Please be patient as this is a lot of snow and Toronto is a big city and clearing takes time,” wrote the city in posts on its various social media accounts, adding multiple rounds of plowing on streets and sidewalks had already been completed by Sunday night.In an emailed statement to the Star, the city...
Toronto Star •

Plane crash in Toronto: 18 passengers sent to hospital after Delta flight with 80 on board crashes at Pearson; Cause still under investigation; Delays at airport expected for days

Flights have resumed at Pearson after being suspended for a period of time2 runways are still closed and delays are expected for days22 people on the flight were Canadians and the rest were international

Flights have resumed at Pearson after being suspended for a period of time

2 runways are still closed and delays are expected for days

22 people on the flight were Canadians and the rest were international
Toronto Star •

Snow, thundersnow, sleet and then rain swamp Toronto on Wednesday afternoon

The afternoon’s sleet was expected to transition to rain overnight, said Environment Canada, with up to 75 millimetres of rainfall possible in some areas. A freezing rain warning for Toronto was lifted Wednesday evening, though a rainfall warning remained in place through to Thursday morning. Temperatures were forecast to climb through the night to a high of 19 C on Thursday.Without an umbrella or a jacket, 26-year-old Jayden Wright sought shelter Wednesday amidst rush hour at the corner of Bay...
Toronto Star •

‘I’ve never seen anything like this’: More than 230,000 without power after weekend ice storm — and it could be days before it’s restored

The Ontario government has also sent workers and support resources to provide assistance to areas hardest hit by the ice storm. The Ontario Corps, composed of skilled professionals and volunteers, have been sent by the province to conduct wellness checks and distribute meals and hygiene kits to those without power, according to a news release by the province on Wednesday.

The Ontario government has also sent workers and support resources to provide assistance to areas hardest hit by the ice sto...
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