Hover graph for story links and stats 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 New Year's twins born in different years January 1 — 528,918 views Toronto man finds Elizabeth Gallagher for free trip Nov. 3, Dec. 17 — 418,867 views Toronto Public Library asked to pull 'Hop on 'Pop' April 29 — 140,764 views 'Ice quake' cracks Southern Ontario January 3 — 103,988 views Spat over bus seat goes viral September 25 — 102,489 views Snowstorm causes 96-vehicle collision February 27 — 92,118 views Photo captures raw emotion of fathers with newborn July 4 — 88,583 views Woman stuck in Cuba fears she'll miss son's funeral February 5 — 82,486 views Images capture moments Niagara Falls froze over January 9 — 76,525 views UFO in Toronto? Strange lights confound sky-gazers July 27 — 73,815 views

Twins born separate years

Jan 1: 528,918 views

Toronto Public Library asked to ban 'Hop on Pop'

April 29: 140,764 views

Toronto man seeks Elizabeth Gallagher for free trip

Dec 17: 419,867 views

Ice quake rattles southern Ontario

Jan 3: 103,988 views

Spat over bus seat goes viral

Sept 25: 102,489 views

Snowstorm on Highway 400 causes 96-car pileup

Feb 27: 92,188 views

Toronto dads hold baby for first time

July 4: 88,583 views

Woman detained in Cuba worried she'll miss son's funeral

Feb 5: 82,486 views

Niagara Falls freezes over

Jan 9: 76,525 views

UFO over Toronto?

Jul 27: 73,815 views

From a woman who stood up to another bus passenger for seating justice, to a firefighter who used his body as a ladder, Toronto residents were most interested in stories about their neighbours – not about politics or scandal.

Our most popular story was published on the first day of the year. It was about two baby girls who were born in different years – 2013 and 2014. Though the twins were born only minutes apart, Gabriela and Sophia were born just before and just after midnight.

Another birth story made the top 10, six months later, when a photo of two fathers bonding with their newborn for the first time went viral. Though there were some negative comments about the emotional photo, one of the fathers said the positive responses have by far outweighed the negative. "We are so lucky to live in a place like Toronto," he said.

It was another busy year for Rob Ford headlines, which dominated in 2013. Early in 2014 he was filmed several times in embarrassing situations. By April he’d checked himself into a rehab facility and interest in the mayor spiked around this time, then faded as the year progressed.

Ford returned to politics in July, and began his campaign for re-election. That campaign ended when he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in September. Interest in Ford spiked again around the time of the diagnosis, but slowed as he decided to run for city council while undergoing chemotherapy.

But Toronto residents seemed more interested in weather than politics in 2014. The Greater Toronto Area recovered from a polar vortex that brought Niagara Falls to an icy standstill. A snowstorm north of the city caused a 96-car pileup, and streets and basements flooded in Burlington after a heavy storm passed through southern Ontario.

The chart above highlights the top 10 stories of 2014 that had the had the highest number of views, starting from the most popular. If you want to dig deeper, below is a more complete list of 25:

 

  1. Twins born separate years 
  2. Are you Elizabeth Gallagher? 
  3. Toronto Public Library asked to ban 'Hop on Pop'  
  4. Ice quake rattles southern Ontario 
  5. Spat over bus seat goes viral 
  6. Snow storm on Highway 400 causes 96-car pileup 
  7. Toronto dads hold baby for first time 
  8. Woman detained in Cuba worried she'll miss son's funeral 
  9. Niagara Falls freezes over 
  10. UFO over Toronto? Flashing lights spotted by sky-watchers 
  11. James Reimer's wife attacked on Twitter 
  12. Woman live-tweets being trapped in the Bay
  13. Video shows Rob Ford stumbling, swearing outside City Hall 
  14. Sunwing flight to Cuba forced back to Toronto 
  15. Leafs snub fans by skipping traditional salute 
  16. Rob Ford diagnosed with abdominal tumour 
  17. Man stabbed in the heart after bumping in to stranger 
  18. Truck driver faces impaired driving charges in Burlington Skyway collision
  19. Stabbing suspect about to be fired when he attacked co-workers: police
  20. Roads closed, homes flooded in Burlington
  21. Toronto fire captain uses body as ladder to save colleagues 
  22. Woman wakes up to find snake on bathroom floor 
  23. Justin Bieber surrenders to Toronto police 
  24. Caught on camera: Dog survives elevator hanging 
  25. Fire hydrant a $290,000 cash cow