As Toronto prepares for the upcoming municipal election, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) student journalists at the campus newspaper, On The Record, are launching a dedicated TikTok campaign to bridge the gap in youth civic participation. The local journalism initiative, supported by Toronto Foundation, will enhance hands-on student journalism training while also filling gaps in local news coverage.
TMU student-run newsroom On The Record is produced by upper-year journalism students and covers hyper-local Toronto news, civic affairs and campus culture with a commitment to rigorous, public-interest reporting. Student journalists will produce short-form TikTok content explaining candidate platforms as they relate to key youth issues and share voting information and tips.
TMU's School of Journalism Professor Angela Misri is leading the campaign to address low youth voter turnout. According to Elections Canada, just 55.9 per cent of eligible voters aged 18-24 voted in the 2025 federal election, compared to 77.6 per cent of voters aged 65-74. Voter turnout in local municipal races remains even lower.
Municipal decisions directly affect many of the issues that shape young Torontonians' daily lives, from transit and housing to public space and city services, but traditional election coverage does not always reach them. The project is designed to meet young Torontonians where they are: using the formats, language and platform conventions they already engage with to make municipal election issues more accessible, relevant and useful.
The initiative comes at a time when local journalism across Canada is facing significant challenges, even as growing evidence points to its importance in building connected and engaged communities. Studies have linked the loss of local news to lower voter turnout and other signs of weakening civic life.
Early data from Toronto Foundation's upcoming Toronto's Vital Signs® report, to be released mid-November, shows people who regularly consume local news are also more likely to volunteer, participate in community organizations, feel a strong sense of belonging and believe residents working together can make a difference in solving local problems.
To address the disconnect and empower young people, the student-led campaign will meet young voters on the platform where they actively consume information. The initiative builds on broader efforts to address local news contraction and declining voter turnouts by empowering emerging journalists to report on their own communities.
Throughout the fall, TMU students will produce field interviews, candidate platform checks, and explanatory policy videos, serving as a peer-to-peer bridge to civic engagement.
The campaign will run across On The Record's digital channels throughout the municipal election cycle. To view the coverage or follow the TikTok campaign, visit @ontherecordnews or ontherecordnews.ca.
QUOTES:
"From housing, transit and jobs, municipal decisions directly shape daily life for young Torontonians; yet a major disconnect remains at the ballot box. By meeting youth on the platforms they use every day, we're equipping emerging journalists to bridge that gap and turn online engagement into civic action."
Angela Misri, Journalism Professor at TMU's School of Journalism, GenAI Teaching Fellow, and a co-director of the Local News Research Project
"Young people care about their communities. Sometimes the challenge is knowing where the opportunities are to shape them and how to get involved. Local journalism can help make those connections -- and we're excited to see young journalists finding new ways to bring more people in."
Sharon Avery, President & CEO, Toronto Foundation
