Brad Hunter
Brad Hunter brings a tabloid-crime sensibility to the Toronto Sun, focusing on lurid homicides, cold cases and the criminal underworld rather than routine police blotter or courtroom process. He is the National Crime Columnist for the paper, and his coverage leans toward dramatic, character-driven stories that highlight the human and often sensational details of violent crime.
National crime columnist with a taste for the sensational
Hunter is the National Crime Columnist at the Toronto Sun, where he covers crime stories across jurisdictions rather than a single local patch. His columns track everything from gangland feuds to notorious killers and long-unsolved cases, often framed with bold headlines and a strong narrative hook. He previously worked for the New York Post, and his work has been published in multiple newspapers, which shows in his tabloid-style emphasis on pace, colour and clear villains.
Across his recent work he gravitates to emotionally charged cases with striking details: a “cold water killer” whose identity is revealed after decades, a “French ‘cannibal rapist’” who may be freed, or a “Lioness” jailhouse mother denied parole in the slaughter of her four children. He often writes in column form rather than straight news, giving him room to add context, attitude and commentary while still grounding the pieces in police statements, court records and investigative timelines. The consistent “HUNTER:” tag in his headlines positions him as a personality columnist on the crime beat rather than a byline that disappears into the story.
Violent crime, gangs and the criminal underworld
Hunter repeatedly returns to stories involving organised crime, gangs and the broader criminal underworld. He has written on “Gangbangers gone bonkers over Haitian gangster comeback,” on the “reign of Pablo Escobar Jr.,” and on feuds that read like real-world noir, such as cartel-linked killings and revenge shootings. Many of these pieces highlight nicknames, backstories and the ritualised violence around drug trades or gang hierarchies, and he gives significant space to how these subcultures operate.
Domestic murders and family violence are also central to his file. He has covered “grinning Texas sisters” accused of hacking their mother to death, a Texas model turned alleged cartel-linked killer, and parents charged or convicted in the deaths of their children. The emphasis is often on the shocking nature of the acts and the psychological or behavioural twists that make a case stand out, rather than on policy or systemic analysis. He brings a similar eye to sexual assault and exploitation cases, as in his “house of horrors” piece on a health worker who repeatedly assaulted a dementia patient.
Cold cases, missing persons and unresolved violence
Another recurring thread in Hunter’s work is unresolved or long-running cases, where he plays up the mystery and the passage of time. He has written on the identity of a notorious “cold water killer” being revealed after decades, on whether the Simon Taiwo cold case will remain a mystery, and on the disappearance of Alissa Turney with the blunt question: “Did her dad kill her?” These stories often revisit old investigations with fresh angles, public records or family perspectives, and they tend to foreground victims and their relatives alongside police efforts.
He also uses cold cases to highlight perceived gaps or frustrations in the justice system, including stalled investigations or parole decisions that reopen trauma for families. The tone in these pieces remains narrative and accessible, but the through-line is unfinished business: who did it, why they have not been fully held to account, and what new information might change that.
Crime as public drama and social friction
Hunter regularly picks up incidents where everyday settings erupt into violence, treating them as snapshots of social friction. The fatal brawl involving a 75-year-old Tim Hortons customer after an argument over an order is one example; he focuses on how routine interactions can turn “rage-fuelled” and deadly. He applies the same lens to local cases such as the killing of a father of four in the city’s east end, or a search for a “scarred” man in a neighbourhood sex assault, blending public-safety messaging with stark detail.
While his beat is crime rather than policy, his work often intersects with debates on public safety, policing and bail through the types of cases he selects and the way he frames them. The columns are geared to broad, general readers: they prioritise vivid storytelling, accessible language and clear emotional stakes over legal technicalities or statistical analysis, and they present crime as a public drama in which victims, suspects and communities all play visible roles.
4 more business journalists.
Aarjavee Raaj
Aarjavee Raaj focuses on how corporate decisions, government warnings and economic trends affect everyday Canadians, using clear, data-driven business and related news coverage. She is a CTVNews.ca journalist with experience reporting on arts, culture, business and more, and her name is pronounced Aar-Za-Vee. Her work links institutional and corporate developments to practical consequences for workers, consumers and families, including corporate losses, retail restructuring, tax schemes and compliance warnings. She reports on workplace trends, economic strain, consumer recalls and health impacts, using survey data, charity reports, regulatory notices and clinical stories to show how macroeconomic and policy issues touch daily life. A digital journalist, she keeps to tight headlines, clear summaries of official statements or data, and a steady focus on what developments mean for people who work, shop and rely on public services.
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams reports human interest stories that follow how sudden conflict, loss and long-running mysteries reshape the lives of ordinary people in everyday settings. She is a writer-reporter on PEOPLE’s Human Interest team, a role she has held since joining the brand in June 2021. Her work centers on routine days that turn into major events, giving equal weight to what happened and the human cost. She covers minor disputes and errands that end in tragedy, sudden accidents, law enforcement and public safety incidents, and missing-person cases with new developments after years of uncertainty. Her reporting is concise, event-led and built around individual lives, often framed with clear emotional cues while staying grounded in verified facts. Business and workplace contexts appear as backdrops, but the person and their circle remain at the heart of the story.
Akshay Kulkarni
Akshay Kulkarni is a data-led reporter who explains how economic, policy and social forces play out in British Columbia through concrete numbers, records and local case histories. He has worked as a journalist at CBC British Columbia since 2021, focusing on business, labour and resource developments, including tariffs, trade rules, corporate strategies and regulatory decisions. His coverage of critical minerals, Amazon’s impact on jobs and wages, and responsible investment links market shifts to the lived experience of workers, consumers and small businesses. He also reports on infrastructure, energy and land use, such as the Site C project and high-value property disputes, and on policy and social systems, including Indigenous deaths in custody, social media use in harm reduction, and mandatory inquests. His stories are built around original interviews and quantitative detail that show how systems affect communities on the ground.
Allison Stephen
Allison Stephen stands out for connecting everyday life with money, work, and the built environment through vivid local examples instead of abstract business coverage. She is a staff writer at Daily Hive, where she covers how jobs, housing, major projects, and consumer experiences shape economic reality on the ground. Housing and real estate are central to her work, including detailed, accessible stories on distinctive homes, high-end rentals, and monthly shifts in home prices and cost of living. She regularly covers employment, especially public-sector and institutional hiring, highlighting well-paid roles and urging readers to act on new opportunities. Her reporting on major civic and recreational projects explains what is being built, how much it costs, and where it stands in approvals. She also writes about local businesses, food, and attractions, using concrete numbers, specific locations, and direct calls to action.