The 50 Most Influential

This year’s No. 1? The powerhouse Raptors president Masai Ujiri, for delivering the city a championship season, for his visionary leadership skills, for his commitment to making the world a better place and for saying “thanks but no thanks” to some deeppocketed suitors. Plus, 49 other power-wielders who are hosting late-night TV, beating Serena Williams, dressing princesses, standing up to Saudi Arabia, building very tall towers and otherwise spreading #WeTheNorth-ness at home and around the world

if you weren’t paying close attention, you might think 2019 was a year of subtraction. Doug Ford continued his cuts to public service, hollowing out many of the things that set Toronto apart. But while Ford was doing his best Mike Harris impersonation, a crazy thing happened: the city rallied in spite of him. Take Aliénor Rougeot, the 20-year-old U of T student who was so incensed by Ford’s stance on the environment that she and some friends organized a protest that drew thousands to the streets. Other magical things occurred, too: an obscure racquet-wielding Thornhiller defeated Serena Williams, twice; Scarborough’s Lilly Singh went from YouTube to late-late night; Schitt’s Creek blew up (in a good way); Margaret Atwood somehow topped her 2018, which somehow topped her 2017; and Sidewalk Labs finally got the go-ahead, for the moment anyway, on its funky-futuristic lakeside neighbourhood, causing euphoria in some corners and migraines in others (it’s probably a good thing that pot is legal). Of course, most magically of all, the Raptors, led by Masai Ujiri, came along and stirred up emotions we almost forgot we had, taking every tot, teen, mom, dad and grandparent on a spellbinding journey to the heart of the playoffs and emerging with the most beautiful thing we’ve ever seen: the Larry O’B, as it shall forever be known. Ford tried to cut us down.

Ujiri lifted us up. For that reason, he’s our person of the year.