Toronto Star - 01 November 2023 - Flip eBook Pages 1-29 (2024)

ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Sections A News & Sports B Business & Culture Regular features, puzzles Bridge, B9 Marketplace, B5 Comics, B11 Opinion, A17 Crossword, B12 Scoreboard, A21 Deaths, B6 Sudoku, B12 Editorial, A16 TV listings, B9 Horoscope, A22 Weather, A22 Markets, B1 INDEX MAIN RECEPTION 416-367-2000 CIRCULATION Customer Service and Accounts Receivable: 416-367-4500 Toll-free: 1-800-268-9213 Email: [emailprotected] Manage your subscription online at thestar.com/mysubscription View terms and conditions of your subscription at thestar.com/homedeliveryterms Digital Access Customers email: [emailprotected] toll-free: 1-855- 687-5915 EDITORIAL Newsroom: 416-869-4300 News Tips: If you have a news tip for the Star, please call us at 1-800-331-8127 or e-mail us at [emailprotected]. Visit thestar.com/tips or scan this code for additional ways to send news tips, news photos or videos. 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For more information or to file a complaint go to www.mediacouncil.ca H O W T O R E A C H U S Tuesday midday Pick 2: 4 3 Pick 3:0 6 7 Pick 4: 0 9 6 8 Encore: 6463890 Keno: 7, 9, 15, 16, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 43, 46, 47, 49, 51, 54, 56, 62, 66 Numbers are unofficial. Full results at lottery.olg.ca LOTTERIES A2 | N E WS The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund GOAL $1.5 million With your gift, the Santa Claus Fund can help provide holiday gift boxes that inspire hope and joy to 50,000 financially vulnerable kids. How to donate: Online: To donate by Visa, Mastercard or Amex, scan this QR code or use our secure form at thestar.com/scf By cheque: Mail to: The Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund, 8 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON M5V 0S8 By phone:Call 647-250-8282 Tax receipts will be issued. 416-869-4847 To volunteer: Email [emailprotected] FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL: Instagram: @torontostarchildrenscharities Facebook: @thetorontostarchildrenscharities Twitter: @TStarCharities LinkedIn: The Toronto Star Children’s Charities #StarFreshAirFund The federal government will join a working group to address Toronto’s financial crisis following pressure from Mayor Olivia Chow and Premier Doug Ford. “Late last night there was a sliver of hope, a glimmer of hope,” said Chow on Tuesday, the day after she and Ford sent a letter to the Trudeau government. “They will now be at the table discussing various issues. That’s hopeful.” A federal government source confirmed the news that Finance Canada’s deputy minister, Chris Forbes, will participate in the talks that are already underway. Chow and Ford have touted “great progress” on hashing out a new deal for Toronto, with a working group of civil servants tasked with “drilling down on a lot of the details” for a report at the end of November. On Tuesday, Chow’s executive committee passed a motion calling on the federal government to open armouries and other spaces for emergency shelter accommodation. Ottawa to join talks on city’s money woes A LYS H A H H A S H A M With typical strong-armed thug- C I T Y H A L L B U R E AU gery, Premier Doug Ford is holding a knife to the throat of Toronto. Don’t like his government’s signed-sealed-and-all-but-delivered plans for a grotesque megaspa at Ontario Place? Tough luck. If push comes to shove, that bitsy tract of city-owned land that runs parallel to the Lake Ontario shoreline, which could gum up the works for Ford’s dream of a redevelopment — should the city reject a proposed land swap — why, Ford will just expropriate it. And we know how fond Ford is of expropriating swaths of land, preferably under the radar, until the whole cloak-and-dagger enterprise explodes in his face, as it did with the Greenbelt, which forced the premier into a humiliating climbdown. Maybe, if there’s enough of a public pushback against the bells-andwhistles mega-spa plan submitted by Therme Group — the Austrianbased “well-being resort firm” behind this co*ckamamie scheme, in its second time version — Ford’s vision of a hideous haven for posh people with deep pockets, embedded within the revitalization of Ontario Place — can be shot to hell too. Ominously, the province last week began erecting an enormous fence around the Ontario Place site — timber hoarding, steel bracing, concrete highway devices — purportedly to prepare it for “servicing construction activities.” Except it feels very much like jumping the gun, with social media commentators accusing the government of trying to hide the destruction of Ontario Place and decrying it as a “crime zone.” It’s very much not a done deal, however, despite Ford and Queen’s Park holding all the cards. Asignificant step of resistance was taken on Tuesday when the city’s executive committee voted unanimously in favour of a motion by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik — she represents the area — directing city staff to put together a preliminary feasibility assessment for an alternate site: Exhibition Place, including the woefully underused Better Living Centre. An amendment including consultation with the CNE and the Royal Winter Fair. That suggestion has been a muchsupported alternative in public deputations and citizen forums, even among those who have little stomach for a gaudy 16-acre megaspa. At the least, it would be preferable, if Ford and Therme move off their Ontario Place hobby horse. Neither has thus far indicated they’d even consider it. Not all of the speakers who delivered their deputations viewed it as an acceptable option, most notably Darrell Brown, CEO of the CNE Association. “It’s wonderful to have things that are shiny and new but not at the expense of things that are tried and true,” Brown argued, insisting that conceding Exhibition Place territory to the prototype would deprive the CNE of crucial revenues that accrue from its existing facilities, particularly the Better Living Centre. Indeed, Brown said when he first heard of the CNE substitute, it was “kind of a gut punch.” He’s the CNE boss, protecting its turf is his job, although the grounds are generally a depopulated wasteland for all but the 18 days when the summer fair runs. “To lose 200,000 square feet of programmable space would have a devastating effect on our programming,” insisted Brown. “We are opposed to Theme being on-site in any way shape or form.” Even the preliminary assessment Malik championed was given short shrift because, said Brown, it “lends credibility to a concept that is defective at the outset.” When the numbers were crunched, a couple of diehard antimega-spa speakers were given pause to reconsider. “Now I’m not so sure,” admitted Julia Sasso, “if not even the CNE wants this.” Yet Sasso pivoted immediately to the ever-escalating loss of green space in the city and the harm of turning Ontario Place into an ersatz Emerald City — the toppling of trees, the ruination of green spaces and a crystal eater existing beach, which would be required. Already the waterfront is chock-ablock with development and marching towers of condominiums, “symptomatic of a citywide blight.” Reminding that millions of people visited Ontario Place before the provincial government essentially shuttered it more than a decade ago and afterward, even as the provincial park was allowed to rot, Sasso emphasized that children, in particular, need “unstructured free-roaming outdoor play,” which Ontario Place continued to offer in its straightened circ*mstances. Just the type of comment that has people like Ford rolling their eyes because they see only dollar signs. While Therme has now twice presented a blueprint for their la-laland mega-spa resort, allegedly scaled down after city staff originally balked at the sheer monstrosity of it — except not really; the revised application includes some 50 acres of free parks, public and green spaces, but the footprint hasn’t changed one bit — the deal, its particulars and the terms of the 95-year lease have never been revealed. All devised behind closed doors, between Therme and the Ministry of Infrastructure — but let’s just assume Ford was in the thick of it. “This cannot be a secret,” declared Gil Penalosa, a prominent urbanist, identified on the speakers’ list as with Organization Toronto For Everyone. “Why 95 years?” Then, answering his own question: “Because the end game is a casino. The end game is rotten. We must see the contract and make it public.” That’s not outlier paranoia. Ford has always been besotted with the idea of a casino on the Toronto Islands, though that concept mercifully bit the dust in 2018. Don’t for a minute, however, believe that Ford has abandoned the idea for all time. Ania Gorka, an architect, cautioned against such a “vanity project” as Therme has envisioned, urging an impartial third-party assessment for the CNE proposal. She too could apparently live with a mega-spa complex — just not at Ontario Place. “A little bit inland would be a better kind of wrongness.” Max Beck, who was the head of Ontario Place in the ’90s, said a resort wellness centre at Exhibition Place could turn into a White Elephant or possibly go broke if the public is disinclined to weather winter conditions to reach the site, despite a new Ontario Place subway station to be built nearby. “Clearly there’s a better place to put it in the city,” said Beck, while acknowledging that “the Ex had made a good case for not putting it there.” But why downtown anyway? Why not Woodbine? Why not the former Playdium Park in Mississauga, now occupied by an interactive entertainment venue? Downtown Toronto is bulging with entertainment options while its green spaces have been decimated. And if, as Ford has repeatedly claimed, Ontario Place is a provincial park, not just a trifle for Toronto, then the facility — and the Ontario Science Centre that will be shoehorned into the site, relocated from its current location and downsized considerably — then the hordes of tourists allegedly descending on the place, parking their cars in the much-maligned massive underground parking garage (that’s on Ford, not Therme, who have nothing to do with it) won’t give a toss if headed for the waterfront or the suburbs. As legacies go, mutilated Ontario Place, a nu plus ultra mega-spa resort that just about nobody wants, will be an ever-after blight on this government: Doug Ford Was Here. TWITTER: @RDIMANNO. Ford’s push for Ontario Place ROSIE DIMANNO OPINION The province’s move to build a fence around the Ontario Place site last week feels very much like jumping the gun, with social media commentators accusing the government of trying to hide the destruction of the site and decrying it as a “crime zone,” Rosie DiManno writes. TORONTO STAR We know how fond Ford is of expropriating swaths of land, preferably under the radar, until the whole cloak-anddagger enterprise explodes in his face, as it did with the Greenbelt An Oct. 31 story about an investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct against TTC CEO Rick Leary incorrectly stated that a former member of the transit enforcement unit is suing the TTC and Leary for wrongful dismissal. In fact, only the TTC is named as a defendant. CORRECTION

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WASHER HOSES WHEN YOUR BUY ANY LAUNDRY PAIR MORE AT BADBOY.CA NOVEMBER 1 -7 ONLY NEW LAUNCH Website DAILY DEALS BRAND PROUDLY CANADIAN SINCE 1955 I S R A E L - H A M A S C O N F L I C T Dozens of journalists, most of them Palestinian, are among thousands of civilians who have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict within the span of three weeks. Reporters in the Gaza Strip face especially dire risks. Since Hamas’s Oct. 7 rampage, which killed some 1,400 people in Israel and claimed 240 hostages, according to the Israeli government, Israel has unleashed daily bombardments on Gaza. Israel says it only targets Hamas. Nonetheless, Palestinians have said it’s mostly civilians who are dying, including thousands of children. Israel has accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. Last week, the Israeli military told Reuters and Agence France-Presse that it cannot guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Palestinian territory. Here’s what has been reported about journalist deaths and injuries. At least 26 Palestinian journalists, four Israeli journalists and one Lebanese journalist have been killed since Oct. 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The non-profit press freedom organization said the names it has compiled in its count include those based on information obtained from its sources in the region and media reports. “Journalists across the region are making great sacrifices to cover this heartbreaking conflict,” said Sherif Mansour, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program co-ordinator. “Those in Gaza, in particular, have paid, and continue to pay, an unprecedented toll and face exponential threats. Many have lost colleagues, families and media facilities, and have fled seeking safety when there is no safe haven or exit.” The 26 Palestinian journalists were reported as having died in Gaza, while the four Israeli journalists were reported as having died in the Hamas attacks. Beirut-based Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah was killed near the Lebanon border. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s attacks on the territory have killed at least 34 Palestinian journalists. WITH FILES FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Journalists among the many civilian casualties M A N U E L A V EG A STA F F R E P O RT E R KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA STRIP A barrage of Israeli airstrikes levelled apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City on Tuesday, and footage showed rescuers pulling men, women and children out of the rubble. Israel said the strike destroyed a Hamas command centre set up in civilian houses and a network of tunnels underneath. The toll from the strikes in Jabaliya camp was not immediately known. The Israeli military said a large number of Hamas militants were killed, including the commander overseeing their operations in northern Gaza. The director of the nearby hospital where casualties were taken, Dr. Atef Al-Kahlot, said hundreds were wounded or killed, but he did not provide exact figures. Neither side’s account could be independently confirmed. Palestinian health officials said at least 50 people were killed, Reuters reported. The strike underlined the anticipated surge in casualties on both sides as Israeli troops battling Hamas militants advance deeper into the northern Gaza Strip toward dense, residential neighbourhoods. Israel has vowed to crush Hamas’ ability to govern Gaza or threaten Israel following its bloody Oct. 7 rampage, which ignited the war. Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Gaza, the first military deaths it reported since the ground offensive into the tiny Mediterranean territory accelerated late last week. Several hundred thousand Palestinians remain in northern Gaza in the path of the ground assault. They have crowded into homes or are packed by the thousands in hospitals, already overwhelmed with patients and running low on supplies. In the Jabaliya refugee camp — a densely built-up area of small streets on Gaza City’s outskirts — footage of the scene from Al Jazeera TV showed at least four large craters where buildings once stood, amid a large swath of rubble surrounded by partially collapsed structures. Dozens of rescue workers and bystanders dug through the wreckage, searching for survivors beneath the pancaked buildings. Young men carried the limp forms of two children from the upper floors of a damaged apartment block’s crumbling frame while helping down another child and woman. It was unclear whether the children were alive or dead. The Israeli military said it carried out a wide-scale strike in Jabaliya on Hamas infrastructure “that had taken over civilian buildings.” Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari said an underground Hamas installation beneath a targeted building collapsed, toppling other nearby buildings. He said the commander killed in the strike, Ibrahim Biari, had played a role in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Also on Tuesday, the Israeli military said ground troops took control of a Hamas military stronghold in west Jabaliya, killing 50 militants. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem denied the military’s claim, saying it was trying to justify “its heinous crime” against civilians. The Israeli military said it struck some 300 militant targets over the past day, including compounds inside tunnels, and that troops had engaged in several battles with militants armed with anti-tank missiles and machine guns. Gaza’s humanitarian crisis continued to worsen. The World Health Organization said two hospitals have been damaged and an ambulance destroyed in Gaza over the past two days. It said all 13 hospitals operating in the north have received Israeli evacuation orders in recent days. Medics have refused such orders, saying it would be a death sentence for patients on life support. Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, the largest in the territory, is on the verge of running out fuel, the Health Ministry said. There has been no central electricity in Gaza for weeks, and Israel has barred the entry of fuel needed to power generators for hospitals and homes, saying it wants to prevent it from falling into Hamas’ hands. It has allowed a limited amount of food, water, medicine and other supplies to enter from Egypt, though far less than what is needed, relief groups say. A convoy of 59 aid trucks entered through the Rafah Crossing with Egypt on Tuesday — the largest yet — bringing the total that have entered since Oct. 22 to 216, according to Wael Abu Omar, Hamas’ spokesperson for the crossing. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, says 64 of its staff have been killed since the start of the war, including a man killed alongside his wife and eight children in a strike late Monday. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Military operation pushes toward residential areas Thousands of Palestinians in path of ground assault N A J I B J O B A I N , JAC K J E F F R E Y A N D L E E K E AT H Palestinians are shown outside their home Tuesday after Israeli airstrikes hit Nusseirat refugee camp south of Gaza City. DOAA ALBAZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SCAN THIS CODE TO LISTEN TO ALTHIA RAJ AND “IT’S POLITICAL,” LOOKING AT THE WAR THROUGH A CANADIAN LENS.

A4 | N E WS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Meanwhile, in response to the global humanitarian crises due to wars and natural disasters, Miller said he will also create a global incident response team to work closely with foreign affairs and national defence officials to “better anticipate, assess and manage emerging crises.” “All this work won’t be done overnight, but the work is underway,” Miller said. Critics, however, say Miller’s plan has simply reiterated promises — investment in foreign credential recognition, services for immigration applicants and targeting newcomers who have in-demand skills, among others — that had been made previously but not been delivered upon. “These are principles and promises, many of which have already been made. This is not an actual plan,” said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance, a national advocacy group for migrants’ rights. “Let’s get to work. We don’t need another high-level principles announcement. We need the brass tacks and the policy.” The government has been under immense pressure to respond to concerns over raising the annual immigration target to about 500,000 permanent residents amid an affordable-housing crisis and surging cost of living in Canada. Two national opinion polls this week pointed to a continuing decline in Canadians’ support for immigration. That’s despite the fact immigration is a tenet of Canada’s population and economic growth in the face of an aging population and low birth rates. Miller’s report said welcoming immigrants is not just about the number of people Canada ushers in, but must take into account supports and services required by both newcomers and Canadians alike, including housing and health care. While the federal government has jurisdiction over how many new permanent residents Canada will welcome, provinces and municipalities are the ones that provide these services to newcomers and deal with the on-the-ground consequences of immigration. The Immigration Department will explore options to develop a more integrated plan, Miller said. Despite the chorus of critics calling for a cap on the admission of temporary foreign workers and international students, Miller’s statement made no mention of specific plans to rein in the number of these temporary residents, now estimated to be at two million and rising. “There is an increasing need to have a plan that reflects newcomers with both permanent and temporary resident status and takes into account the supports required to welcome them into our communities,” said the report. The plan said officials will continue to invest in initiatives that improve services in mid-size, rural and northern areas; increase access to digital settlement services; and expand services for francophone newcomers to enhance regional immigration outside of the big urban centres. Miller said his department is assessing several options in bringing in more immigrants with a background in trades and health-care services to align newcomers’ skill sets with industries and professions that are needed in Canada. He will create a new position called the chief international talent officer to oversee department policies to make sure they are in sync with Canada’s long-term skills and labour strategy, by sector and considering regional needs. Miller said it’s important to continue to build social consensus among Canadians around immigration, a defining feature of Canada. “We need immigration,” he said. “Not looking on immigrants as a drain on the system is a key.” ‘We need the brass tacks and the policy’ IMMIGRATION FROM A1 Ryan Albom, 22, was standing just outside the student centre of York University’s Keele Street campus watching a pro-Palestinian rally last Monday when one of his friends pulled out an Israeli flag — and held it up. At first, no one seemed to notice. Or care, says Albom, a student president of Hillel York, the Jewish students union. But, as the rally drew to a close and the crowd disbursed and thinned, one of the protesters turned around, he said, and called Albom and his friend “terrorists.” “We just stood there,” Albom said. “It was scary and we just didn’t feel comfortable saying anything.” Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Jewish students at universities across Ontario have become targets of hate. “Each and every day, they’re being subjected to antisemitism,” said Jay Solomon, chief advancement officer of Hillel Ontario, the umbrella organization that represents Jewish student unions at nine universities across the province. Hillel Ontario has been tracking antisemitic and anti-Zionist incidents at the nine universities it represents, including York, TMU, U of T, the Universities of Guelph, Waterloo, McMaster, Western, Queen’s and Laurier, for about five years, Solomon said. But, over the past few weeks, there’s been a “significant uptick in incidents.” And not just from students, he said, but also their parents, university staff and even faculty. The war, and its civilian casualties in Israel and the Palestinian territories have led to an outpouring of concern, but have also fuelled hate aimed at both groups. Hate crimes against Jews, who make up a fraction of the city’s population and are already the most targeted religious group, have been on the rise since the war began. So have crimes against Muslims, also a most targeted religious group. “It’s fair to say that, when there are flare-ups in the Middle East,” Solomon said, “Jews on campus become a convenient scapegoat.” Although campuses across the province are experiencing a rise in antisemitism, York University has long been a local flashpoint for proIsraeli and pro-Palestinian tensions. Days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, a statement issued by three student unions at York University, including its biggest, York’s Federation of Students, called the massacre “a strong act of resistance.” Despite York’s swift condemnation and its demands for the unions’ executives to step down, they issued another statement last week, affirming its stance and calling the university’s actions an attack on student autonomy. None of the three unions responded to the Star’s repeated requests for comment. Last week, personal injury law firm Diamond & Diamond launched a $15-million class-action lawsuit against the university drawing attention to what it describes as a“well-documented history of antisemitic sentiments on the York University campuses.” It calls for an order mandating York to address “antisemitic behaviour on campus” as well as provide aclear, concise and easily accessible grievance mechanism to Jewish students. One incident highlighted in the lawsuit dates back to February 2009. After an on-campus meeting between two Jewish groups broke down one evening that month — they’d been debating how to diffuse tensions over anti-Israel sentiment at York — the lawsuit said they were greeted by more than 100 students chanting “Zionism equals racism” and “Racists off campus.” Daniel Ferman was the president of Hillel York at the time and part of that meeting. While he is not part of the current lawsuit, he says he was among the students who ran into the Hillel offices for protection as protesters screamed: “Die, Jew, get the hell off campus.” “It was very scary,” he said. “We were held hostage. I was called a f--ing Jew, a dirty Jew.” Looking at what’s happening right now at his alma mater, Ferman said it’s a shame that 15 years later the campus is still awash in “divisive politics.” Sandra Zisckind, Diamond & Diamond’s managing partner, said her firm launched the lawsuit after one of the most horrific tragedies against the Jews since the Holocaust, because “students have a right to go to school and not feel discriminated against.” “We are not suggesting it’s not OK to have a political discourse,” she said. “But they are being antisemitic under the guise of criticizing Israel and it is unacceptable.” In response to the claim and the ongoing situation on campus, York spokesperson Yanni Dagonas wrote to the Star “the University would like to affirm that we unequivocally condemn all forms of discrimination and hate, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.” Dean Lavi, director of Hillel York, said this time the university is behind its Jewish students, supporting them through its commitment to due process against the three unions. Still, he said, Jewish students on campus feel voiceless and intimidated. Hillel York is working to help them feel safe, he said, hiring dedicated security guards and keeping Hillel’s space open earlier and later each day. But, he said, school safety also falls, in part, to York’s Federation of Students. The YFS takes levies from each student each year and with it, Lavi said, is supposed to represent the interests of all 55,000 students, including York’s roughly 1,500 Jewish students. But, right now, he said, “they don’t feel it’s doing its job.” Jacob Burman, 21, a fourth-year student in human rights and equity studies, said that, over the past month, he’s felt targeted because of his faith, especially when he sees other students holding up signs comparing Gaza to the Warsaw Ghetto, a concentration camp where millions of Jews perished in the Second World War. At the rally last Monday, he said, he felt it when the crowd chanted “Viva intefadeh.” And, just days ago, he said, yet again when a friend from class called him out for being a “Zionist,” before calling him “disgusting” and spitting on the ground, at his feet. “I was hurt,” he said. “Just because we’re Jewish, people assume we support everything happening in the Middle East.” Dean Lavi, left, and Sydney Jacobs lead a march at York University this week. Some Jewish students at the school are feeling apprehensive and threatened by proPalestian rallies and antisemitic incidents. R.J. JOHNSTON TORONTO STAR Students call out antisemitism Jewish youth at Ontario universities see rise in hate since Hamas attack “ I was hurt. Just because we’re Jewish, people assume we support everything happening in the Middle East. JACOB BURMAN HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUITY STUDIES STUDENT AT YORK UNIVERSITY M I C H E L E H E N RY STA F F R E P O RT E R Ontario is going to mandate Holocaust education in high school — on top of its recent announcement of curriculum changes for elementary students. “Our government is decisively combating the rise of antisemitism and hate in all its forms,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who has been outspoken on the Israeli-Hamas conflict, condemning terrorism and saying he supports Israel and democracy over tyranny. Ontario was the first province to mandate Holocaust education in elementary school, which Lecce announced last fall and has been encouraging other ministers of education across the country to do so, as well. This week, B.C. Premier David Eby announced his government would introduce such lessons for secondary school students. Lecce has said antisemitic incidents have been increasing in Ontario schools, and cites a study that found one in three students believe the Holocaust is a lie or are unsure it happened. “By including new mandatory learning in Holocaust education in elementary and secondary schools, we are ensuring students are never bystanders in the face of hate and division,” the education minister said in a statement. Lessons on the Holocaust will be expanded in Grade 10 history, a mandatory course, starting in September 2025, and “will explicitly link the Holocaust to extreme political ideologies, including fascism, antisemitism in Canada in the 1930s and 1940s, and the contemporary impacts of rising antisemitism.” The province is also announcing $650,000 to help develop resources and train educators. In Grade 6 social studies, students now learn “how to identify, respond to and change harmful assumptions and stereotypes that can lead to tragic events like the Holocaust, including antisemitism and other forms of racism.” Holocaust education expanded for students K R I S T I N R U S H OW Y Q U E E N ’S PA R K B U R E AU S TA R EXCLUSIVE

You are invited to attend a Public Meeting to be held by the Development Services Committee of Markham to consider a City initiated Official Plan Amendment to incorporate a new secondary plan for the Markham Road – Mount Joy Local Corridor in the 2014 Official Plan. DATE: Tuesday, November 21, 2023 TIME: 7 PM | LOCATION: In-person in the Council Chambers at the Civic Centre, or remotely via Zoom. All meetings are video and audio streamed on the City’s website at: Markham.ca/eScribeMeetings Purpose and Effect of the Proposed Amendment The draft Official Plan Amendment will fulfill the requirement of Section 9.3.7.2 of the 2014 Official Plan, which provides direction to prepare a new secondary plan for the Markham Road – Mount Joy Local Corridor. The draft Markham Road – Mount Joy Secondary Plan introduces a comprehensive policy framework to achieve the vision of a vibrant mixed use, transit oriented, complete community with nine new public parks and two new schools. The secondary plan area is planned to accommodate a minimum of approximately 33,000 residents and 6,000 jobs at build out. A copy of the draft Official Plan Amendment and supporting technical studies are available on the project webpage at: markham.ca/MarkhamRoadMountJoy Property Description The Markham Road – Mount Joy Secondary Plan Area comprises approximately 97 hectares of land along both sides of Markham Road from 16th Avenue in the south to Major Mackenzie Drive East in the north as shown in the map. The westerly limit of the Secondary Plan Area is generally defined by the properties on the west side of Markham Road, while the easterly limit is the Stouffville GO rail corridor, including the surface parking lot east of the GO rail corridor. Additional Information Making a Deputation Members of the public who wish to make a deputation at the public meeting may do so by completing the Request to Speak form at: markham.ca/RequestToSpeak, or, by emailing the Public Meeting Notice | Development Services Committee Clerk’s Department at [emailprotected] or, by calling 905.479.7760 prior to the meeting. Please provide a full name, contact information quoting file number PR 20 142832 so that information can be provided on how you can make a deputation. Please note that all proceedings of the Public Meeting are recorded. If you are unable to attend the public meeting, but wish to provide comments or speak with City staff, please contact: Lily-Ann D’Souza, Senior Planner, Policy Planning & Urban Design [emailprotected] | 905.477.7000 ext. 2180 Future Notification If you wish to be notified of the decision of the City of Markham, on the draft Official Plan Amendment, you must make a written request to the Clerk’s Department by completing the form linked above or by email to: [emailprotected]. Information about Appeals If a person or public body that files an appeal from a decision of the City of Markham in respect of the draft Official Plan Amendment did not make oral submissions at a public meeting, or make written submissions before the draft Official Plan Amendment is adopted, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) may dismiss all or part of the appeal. This means if the Official Plan Amendment is appealed to the OLT and you would like to participate in the appeal in some form, you must make an oral submission at a public meeting, or submit written comments to the City Clerk, before the Official Plan Amendment is adopted by Markham City Council. Personal Information Personal information collected in response to this planning notice will be used to assist City Staff and Council to process the amendment and will be made public. Date of Notice: November 1, 2023 Arvin Prasad, MCIP, RPP Commissioner of Development Services Jim Jones Chair, Development Services Committee You are invited to attend a Public Meeting to be held by the City of Markham’s Development Services Committee to consider a City initiated Official Plan Amendment to update policies in the 2014 Markham Official Plan to guide growth and development in Milliken Centre. DATE: Tuesday, November 21, 2023 TIME: 7 PM | LOCATION: In-person in the Council Chambers at the Civic Centre, or remotely via Zoom. All meetings are video and audio streamed on the City’s website at: markham.ca/eScribeMeetings Purpose and Effect of the Proposed Amendment The draft Official Plan Amendment is to amend the 2014 Markham Official Plan and update policies to implement the Milliken Centre Secondary Plan to guide growth and development, fulfilling the requirements of Section 9.15 of the Official Plan. The Milliken Centre Secondary Plan establishes a comprehensive policy framework to support the development of a vibrant, mixed use, transit oriented, complete community that will add three new public parks, a new elementary school, and a comprehensive transportation system that emphasize walking, cycling and transit. The secondary plan area is planned to accommodate a minimum of approximately 17,000 -19,000 residents and 4,800 jobs at build out. A copy of the draft Official Plan Amendment and associated planning documents are available on the project webpage at markham.ca/MillikenCentre Property Description The Milliken Centre Secondary Plan Area is bounded on the west by Kennedy Road and the GO Transit Stouffville Rail Line, on the north by Denison Street including the lands north of Denison Street between Amarillo Avenue and Kennedy Road, on the east generally by Old Kennedy Road and Manston Crescent, and on the south by Steeles Avenue East. The total area of the lands within Milliken Centre Secondary Plan is approximately 73 hectares. Public Meeting Notice | Development Services Committee SUBJECT LANDS ³ Steeles Ave E Old Kennedy Rd Kennedy Rd Birchmount Rd Denison St Additional Information Making a Deputation Members of the public who wish to make a deputation at the Public Meeting may do so by completing the Request to Speak form at: markham.ca/RequestToSpeak, or, by emailing the Clerk’s Department at [emailprotected] or, by calling 905.479.7760 prior to the meeting. Please provide a full name, contact information quoting file number PR 23 127618 so that information can be provided on how you can make a deputation. Please note that all proceedings of the Public Meeting are recorded. If you are unable to attend the Public Meeting, but wish to provide comments or speak with City staff, please contact: Liliana Da Silva, Senior Planner, Policy Planning & Urban Design [emailprotected] 905.477.7000 ext. 3115 Future Notification If you wish to be notified of the decision of the City of Markham, on the draft Official Plan Amendment, you must make a written request to the Clerk’s Department by completing the form linked above or by email to: [emailprotected]. Information about Appeals If a person or public body that files an appeal from a decision of the City of Markham in respect of the draft Official Plan Amendment did not make oral submissions at a public meeting, or make written submissions before the draft Official Plan Amendment is adopted, the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) may dismiss all or part of the appeal. This means if the Official Plan Amendment is appealed to the OLT and you would like to participate in the appeal in some form, you must make an oral submission at a public meeting, or submit written comments to the City Clerk, before the Official Plan Amendment is adopted by Markham City Council. Personal Information Personal information collected in response to this planning notice will be used to assist City Staff and Council to process the amendment and will be made public. Date of Notice: November 1, 2023 Arvin Prasad, MCIP, RPP Commissioner of Development Services Jim Jones Chair, Development Services Committee

A6 | N E WS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Premier Doug Ford insists he was in the dark about many of the questionable calls his government made in the $8.28-billion Greenbelt scandal now being investigated by the RCMP. In his first public comments since thousands of internal government documents were released showing there was widespread involvement in the debacle, Ford claimed he was blindsided by some of the revelations contained in them. “I had nothing to do with the changes in the Greenbelt … the auditor general cleared us, cleared my office, and the integrity commissioner cleared me and my office,” the premier told reporters at an Etobico*ke gas station Tuesday where he announced the 5.7 cents a litre holiday on gasoline tax was being extended another six months until June 30, 2024. “You’re asking me to remember what I did or said two years ago … I can’t say … ,” said Ford, emphasizing he has no memory of apparent private meetings with Greenbelt developers in 2021. “I do talk to thousands of people all throughout the year,” he said, adding he also couldn’t recall the “thousands of changes” made to cities’ official plans to free up more land for housing. “There’s no one person that can review every single change.” While Ford maintained the two legislative watchdogs “cleared” him and his office, their August reports found the Greenbelt land swaps favoured certain developers. The language in those reports was not as definitive as the premier claims. For example, integrity commissioner J. David Wake said he finds it “more likely than not” developer Shakir Rehmatullah was tipped to looming changes in the Greenbelt and noted “I am unable to make a definitive finding.” “For some, the fact that he was the only developer who had lands removed from the Greenbelt who attended the premier’s daughter’s wedding is probably enough to point the finger at the premier. But this fanciful connection is not sufficient for me to leap to that conclusion,” Wake wrote. In her report, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk focused on the role of the ministry of municipal affairs and housing in picking parcels of land to be removed from the Greenbelt for development but did not specifically absolve Ford or his office and found, generally, that “emails were regularly being deleted by political staff,” a violation of the province’s Archives and Recordkeeping Act. Asked about his apparent confidence there was no wrongdoing in his office in the face of an unpredictable RCMP probe, Ford told reporters “let me tell you something — I’m the last guy out there who’s co*cky. And you guys beat me down every day.” Ford’s assertions came after Ecojustice and Environmental Defence released 7,000 pages of emails, maps, charts and memos they obtained through freedom of information requests. The heavily redacted documents were ordered released by the Information and Privacy Commissioner earlier this year after the government stalled for months. They undermine the Progressive Conservatives’ narrative that exminister Steve Clark and his former chief of staff Ryan Amato acted unilaterally in amending the Greenbelt and urban boundaries in order to rezone more land to build housing. “PO wants this done,” Amato says in one email from last November about changes in York region, using the acronym for the “premier’s office.” Both the aide and Clark resigned in the summer and neither has commented on the documents released Monday. Another minister, Kaleed Rasheed, and top Ford staffer, Jae Truesdell, have also quit. Before Rasheed was in cabinet and prior to Truesdell joining the premier’s office, they were on a trip to Las Vegas in 2020 with Rehmatullah and Amin Massoudi, Ford’s principal secretary at the time. The New Democrats have asked the integrity commissioner to investigate the trip. Interim Liberal leader John Fraser said there’s “absolutely no way that the premier didn’t know what was going on” given what’s in the documents. “But if he’s claiming that he had his head in the sand like minister Clark did, then he should do the same thing that minister Clark did, which is step aside,” said Fraser. New Democrat MPP Jeff Burch (Niagara Centre) said “none of the evidence suggests” Clark and Amato acted without Ford’s knowledge or permission. “It’s clear that there’s a straight line back to the premier’s office,” said Burch. Green Leader Mike Schreiner said there were so many mentions of Ford’s office in the documents released Monday that “it would be hard to believe the premier wasn’t aware.” As the Star reported Monday, the RCMP’s Sensitive and International Investigations unit, the branch that probes corruption and political crime, has begun interviewing officials linked “to the decision from the province of Ontario to open parts of the Greenbelt for development.” Ford said he has not yet been contacted by the Mounties. In a surprise move last week, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra, who succeeded Clark last month, cancelled changes to official city plans in Hamilton, Barrie, Ottawa, Peel, York and Durham regions, among other municipalities. Those boundary changes — often made in the face of local councils’ opposition — were designed to increase the amount of urban land zoned for housing development. On Sept. 21, Ford scrapped his scheme to open up 7,400 acres of the two-million-acre Greenbelt to build homes. His Tories have been scrambling to mitigate the damage caused by the Greenbelt fiasco since August when the reports from the auditor general and the integrity commissioner concluded “certain developers” were “favoured” when the premier rezoned the land. G R E E N B E LT S C A N DA L Ford pleads ignorance on land swap Premier claims he wasn’t involved in questionable calls by his government R O B F E R G U S O N A N D R O B E RT B E N Z I E Q U E E N ’S PA R K B U R E AU Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that he has no memory of apparent private meetings with Greenbelt developers in 2021. NATHAN DENETTE THE CANADIAN PRESS ONTARIO EXTENDS G A S TA X C U T Ontario is extending a 5.7- cent cut to the gas tax until next summer, Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday. The government launched the cut in July 2022 and has extended it several times since, and now the reduction — along with a 5.3-cent cut to the price of diesel fuel — will remain until June 30, 2024. “That’s money that goes back into people’s pockets to help cover essential expenses,” Ford said. THE CANADIAN PRESS Amid increasing debate over the number of newcomers Canada is bringing in, a new study underscores a rarely addressed truth: a good number of them are not staying. With more options available amid the global race to attract skilled workers, there has been an increase of immigrants to Canada moving on to greener pastures, the study says. It’s a phenomenon that’s especially prevalent between four and seven years after newcomers get their permanent residence. And while the levels of “onward migration” represent only one-fifth of newcomers to Canada, experts say the data highlights the need to ensure immigrants successfully integrate and have positive experiences early on in this country. The number of departures varied annually over the course of 25 years, but cumulatively about 20 per cent of immigrants in each cohort ultimately left, said the report “The Leaky Bucket: A Study of Immigrant Retention Trends in Canada.” “This is a real wake-up call for Canada that many immigrants are coming in saying, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ ” said Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, which presented the joint report with the Conference Board of Canada. “Coming to Canada is not a oneway door. And if people are coming but not staying here, then that has many implications for our shared future and for our shared success.” The report Tuesday came a day before Immigration Minister Marc Miller is to unveil Canada’s latest immigration targets, which will lay out the number of permanent residents the country hopes to add over the next three years. That announcement is expected to face additional scrutiny this year, given indications that public support for immigration has slipped in the face of housing, health-care and cost-of-living challenges for Canadians. Based on the 2021 longitudinal immigration database, which links immigration data with tax data, the study tracks immigrants’ departures by using their lack of fiscal activity, such as income, as a proxy for an individual’s presence or absence in Canada. Those included in the study were granted permanent residence between 1982 and 2018, were at least 18 years old when they came to Canada and filed income taxes here at least once since their arrival. Kathryn Dennler, a senior research associate with the conference board, said measuring onward migration is challenging because it’s not tracked and there are very few studies looking into this phenomenon. “We cannot design policy solutions related to retention if we don’t pay attention to the issue,” she said. “Now that our research has identified the onward migration appears to be on the rise, it’s important to dig in further to find out who is leaving and why.” In this study, Dennler said, an immigrant who went at least two straight years without filing Canadian income tax, and never resumed paying, was counted as part of the out-migration contingent. Averaging across each of the 1982- 2018 cohorts, it found that onward migration in the first year sits just below the average annual rate of 0.9 per cent. However, the rate rises quickly and peaks around year five, with an average of 1.33 per cent of an arrival cohort leaving that year. It then declines steadily, falling back below 0.9 per cent by year 11. The annual first-year onward migration rate spiked from 0.8 per cent in 2016 to 1.18 per cent in 2019, representing a significant surge. Bernhard said there could be many reasons why newcomers choose to leave Canada, whether it’s due to challenges they face in economic integration, a lack of sense of belonging, opportunities arising in other countries or individual or family preferences. Expectations of Canada have also evolved among recent immigrants, he added. “The people that we are selecting have incredible skills. Many are homeowners in the country of origin. They had domestic help in countries where that was affordable,” Bernhard explained. “So they’re here to give it a try. But they’re not here because they have to be. If Canada can’t deliver for them, if we don’t realize that we are in a competition with the rest of the world for this incredibly valuable talent, we will lose it.” Onward migration does ebb and flow. Over a 15-year period, those who arrived in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as the ones who came in 2004 — the last cohort where the 15-year post-arrival data was available — all had a higher rate of departures. The average cumulative onward migration rate, for example, was 18 per cent for cohorts who arrived in the 1980s, compared to the 21 per cent among those who were granted permanent residence in the first half of the 1990s. Newcomers choosing to move on About a fifth of Canadian immigrants are leaving, report finds N I C H O L A S K E U N G I M M I G R AT I O N R E P O RT E R ‘‘ So they’re here to give it a try. But they’re not here because they have to be. If Canada can’t deliver for them, if we don’t realize that we are in a competition with the rest of the world for this incredibly valuable talent, we will lose it. DANIEL BERNHARD CEO OF THE INSTITUTE FOR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP CALGARY E. Coli outbreak at daycares over Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak that infected hundreds of children at numerous Calgary daycares is over, eight weeks after it started. The health authority said in an update on its website Tuesday that the final three affected sites came off outbreak status last week and there are no children left in hospital. The outbreak, which was declared on Sept. 4, was linked to a central kitchen used by the daycares. OTTAWA Five Atlantic senators named Former Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner has been named a senator for Nova Scotia. Three new senators for New Brunswick include Joan Kingston, a nurse and former Liberal member of that province’s legislative assembly; John McNair, a lawyer and public servant; and Krista Ross, a business and non-profit leader. Réjean Aucoin, a lawyer and francophone leader, is joining Cuzner as a new senator for Nova Scotia. Fortin retires from military Dany Fortin, who recently settled a lawsuit over how the Canadian military and federal government handled an allegation of sexual misconduct, has retired from the Armed Forces. Fortin, who had reached the rank of major-general, was removed as head of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout campaign in May 2021. STAR WIRE SERVICES N AT I O N A L B R I E F S

A8 | N E WS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR I don’t know, beyond what the Star’s excellent reporters have dug up, what exactly happened at the TTC board’s secret meeting last Friday. I don’t know anything about the substance of the allegations that reportedly led to commencing an investigation into TTC CEO Rick Leary’s workplace conduct. I don’t know the details of the attempt by TTC chair Jamaal Myers to place Leary on suspension pending that investigation, or if it was somehow part of an attempt (as reported elsewhere and denied by Myers) to oust Leary. I don’t know what exactly the mayor’s office knew and when, or how she feels about it (she claims to have confidence in the CEO). What I do know is what is obvious to any rider of the system: this transit agency has not been managed very well recently. Yes, the transit service was devastated by the pandemic, like nearly every public transit agency in North America. Everyone gets a little leeway because of that, I think. But, come on. The Scarborough RT line suffered a derailment this year and consequently had to end service on the line months ahead of schedule; this left the agency completely unprepared to provide adequate replacement service for riders in Scarborough, despite the long-planned closure of that line. This followed a “near miss” almost-crash between two subway trains in 2020, that the public didn’t wind up learning about until a year later. COVIDinduced ridership declines have appeared to be exacerbated by fears about safety that are backed up by numbers showing an actual increase in violent incidents on the TTC, and the TTC is currently subject to a lawsuit from three of the officers it employed to try to maintain safety on the system. Meanwhile, nearly every crosstown streetcar line in the city — King, Queen, Dundas, Lakeshore, St. Clair — has been either shut down or seriously diverted for construction or repairs all at the same time. This is in addition to the litany of perennial complaints from subway riders about service disruptions and suburban bus riders about unreliability of service. As transit expert Steve Munro points out on his blog, during the 2023 budget process, Leary and the TTC management refused to provide the public details about planned service cuts during the deliberation process, which of course led to massive shock and backlash when those service cuts were subsequently implemented. This is just part of what Munro notes as a culture of nondisclosure under Leary, in which route performance metrics have been simplified to near uselessness, explanations of service problems have been sharply curtailed, board presentations have become tightly scripted, and Leary himself seldom appears to speak directly to the public. CEO Andy Byford was such a public figure he almost seemed like a TTC mascot, while Leary is more of an invisible man. In that sense, it’s kind of fitting that he was on vacation and unavailable for comment on the apparent drama swirling around him this week. Some of the responsibility for all this has to be borne by the management under Leary, obviously. And plenty of the blame for it, also obviously, is shared by the TTC’s political overseers on the board and on city council, who for decades have underfunded the system, squeezed service and allowed maintenance to be deferred (to the extent Leary recently warned of the possible need to shut down the Line 2 Bloor subway in the near future) and decisions on things like the Scarborough RT replacement corridor to be put off until we’re left in a panic when they are needed. In recent memory, a predecessor of Leary’s (Gary Webster) was fired for vocally, publicly speaking truth to power, so it isn’t as if city hall has always encouraged a culture of openness in transit leadership. Which is all to say that the news — coming first in swirls of rumours and conflicting reports, and then from sources speaking to Star reporters — of the recent meeting and its result would be concerning in a vacuum, but seems especially depressing in context. Because the investigation into Leary over as-yetunspecified workplace allegations seems to add another log on an already burning fire of complaints. And also because the handling of it seems to show a lack of steadiness in the new leadership of Myers, appointed by Chow in the hopes of righting the ship and fixing all this. The mayor says she has been briefed but is not involved, as it’s a “human resources” matter. Myers won’t confirm he pushed to suspend Leary — nor even that an investigation has been launched — but denies he’s lost confidence in the CEO and acknowledges the fuss around this secret meeting has been “destabilizing.” I don’t know if a new CEO would be the first good step to fixing all of this, or if Leary and his team could do better under political leadership that provides more resources and clearer direction. But I do know when it comes to both the management of the system and the political oversight of it, Torontonians deserve a heck of a lot better than they’ve been getting. EMAIL: [emailprotected] TTC was going off the rails before probe EDWARD KEENAN OPINION Responsibility for the TTC’s recent woes must be borne by its management under CEO Rick Leary, above, as well as the transit agency’s board and its overseers on city council, Edward Keenan writes. DAVID RIDER TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

N E WS | A9 TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 Sklar Peppler Home 274 Mackenzie Ave. Ajax, ON ayly & Mackenzie Intersection) www.sklarpepplerhome.com el. 905.686.3644 Hunt St. Mackenzie Ave. Bayly St. E. Harwood Ave. S Westney Rd. S Salem Rd. 401 Hwy of Heroes Hwy of Heroes 401 2 Kingston Rd. W. 44 41 22 31 274 Mackenzie Ave. Store Hours Monday - Saturday 10:00a.m. - 6:00p.m. Sunday .................... 10:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. See details in store Promotion ends 11/30/23 Promotion does not apply to previous purchases and can not be combined with any other offer or price reduction. No price adjustments. Cannot be combined with any other offers. While supplies last. Floor models do not apply to “in-stock”. ...AND SO MUCH MORE On Sale! $699.95 $199.95 50%OFF SAVE BIG CASSIDY SOFA SWIVEL GLIDERS IN-STOCK LEATHER DON’T PAY UNTIL 2024 ON APPROVED CREDIT $199.95 MIX & MATCH SECTIONAL PIECES 50% OFF ALL IN-STOCK FURNITURE Peter Nygard offered up a lot of personal information in a lengthy police interview upon his arrest in 2021, but neglected to mention a fire just days prior in Winnipeg that he has said destroyed his records, the Crown charged on Tuesday. The 82-year-old ex-fashion mogul has pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement, for alleged offences between the 1980s and 2005 in the top-floor bedroom of his former Toronto offices at 1 Niagara St. He has been testifying in his own defence since last Wednesday, and previously told the jury that the “very suspicious” fire in his home base of Winnipeg, along with an equally suspicious hack that same year, had wiped out his paper and digital records, making it difficult for him to refute some of the complainants’ testimony. He’s also said he doesn’t recall meeting four of the five complainants, and denies the allegations of the one complainant he admits to knowing. Crown attorney Neville Golwalla began cross-examining Nygard on Tuesday, pointing out that nowhere in the transcript of his 11- hour interview with Toronto police is the fire mentioned by Nygard. “I don’t recall if I did or not,” Nygard said, in what was at times a tense cross-examination. “I can give you 600 pages of transcript to read if you want to see it, but I assure you there’s no mention of the fire,” Golwalla said. Nygard argued he was simply responding to the police detective’s many questions during the interview, and that “I wouldn’t volunteer all kinds of things out of the blue.” But Golwalla shot back: “You told the officer about what a great athlete you were at university, you told the officer about how you joined a fraternity,” he said. “You told him that you excelled at the University of North Dakota, you told him about running these aptitude tests and being the best guy sweeping the floors at Loblaws. “You told him that you were this incredible person, and none of that came from the officer asking you about those details, sir. Do you agree with that?” Nygard did not. He said he had attended the interview against the advice of his lawyer because he wanted to co-operate and be as helpful as possible. He founded what would become Nygard International in 1967. Once the largest manufacturer of women’s clothing in Canada, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2020. Part of Tuesday’s cross-examination also focused on the allegations of the second complainant in the case. She testified earlier this month that, when she was 16 years old, she went to 1 Niagara with an older man she was seeing. She believed they were going to a party, but they arrived only to find Nygard and a beautiful woman in her 20s. The group went upstairs to the bedroom where the complainant alleges Nygard sexually assaulted her. Nygard has testified he has no recollection of meeting the second complainant, and denies he would have committed the acts she alleges. The complainant told police she believed the woman in her 20s at 1 Niagara that night was from “the islands,” and the detective specifically mentioned the Bahamas in the interview with Nygard — a country where he had a large estate. Golwalla also pointed out that Nygard didn’t tell police he had been involved with a woman in her 20s who records show entered Canada with him around 2004-2005 — the same time period as the second complainant’s allegations — and whose residence was listed as the Bahamas. When asked in the police interview if he recognized the second complainant, Nygard said: “I recognize the script. It’s the same script that’s used over and over again, almost every one of these statements has the same script to it,” according to a quote Golwalla read from the police transcript. The prosecutor then added: “That’s your answer. Not no.” Nygard reiterated he doesn’t know the second complainant, and that his use of “script” referred to the way the detective was questioning him, which he said was similar to what Golwalla was doing. “This is the kind of script you people use all the time,” Nygard said on the stand. “You use a certain kind of script to trap the person into some kind of admission.” Tension emerged almost instantly Tuesday morning when Golwalla began his cross-examination. As he interrogated Nygard on just how many hours he would have put in on an average work day, Nygard responded: “I do want to be careful how I answer these questions because you seem to be wanting to trap me into some type of statements that are not consistent with what I said before, so I’m trying to be careful on that, you know.” Golwalla replied he wasn’t trying to trap Nygard, only asking him questions. The cross-examination continues Wednesday. N YG A R D T R I A L Crown focuses on police interview Court hears former fashion mogul failed to tell investigators about fire days before his arrest JACQ U E S G A L L A N T CO U RTS A N D J U ST I C E R E P O RT E R Peter Nygard, 82, shown leaving court last month, has told the jury that a fire and a hacking incident wiped out his records, making it difficult for him to refute some of the complainants’ testimony in his sexual assault trial. COLE BURSTON THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO

A10 | N E WS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR A new exclusive series from theToronto Star Truth we need for the world we want. The Star looks at how our country is failing a generation, the toll it’s taking on our kids — and how we can turn things around. Tomorrow: Education Scan for more info The kids are all right. pause in the carbon levy would save oil-heated households across the country on average $250. Some Canadians deserve government assistance to weather the affordability crisis, said Carney, but Ottawa should have considered other options. For the climate plan to work, he suggested, people, businesses and investors need to know there is certainty in the system. “That certainty helps to incentivize change. So you can provide support over here, but keep this certainty there.” McKenna was more blunt and clearly more frustrated. “Hard things are hard,” she repeated from the stage, in an impassioned plea which threw shade at her former colleagues and suggested frustration Trudeau had fallen into a Conservative trap. “Of course, we care about affordability. That’s all I thought about,” she told the audience of her tenure as environment minister developing the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change. “That is why I fought so hard … there was some fighting inIf the backlash from opposition leaders and conservative premiers wasn’t enough for the prime minister to second guess himself, a public lashing from former environment minister Catherine McKenna and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney blew open the disappointment in Liberal circles Tuesday and raised more questions about the soundness of Justin Trudeau’s carbon levy pause. “I would have looked for other ways to provide that support than the route chosen,” said Carney, a frequently rumoured potential Liberal leadership contender, at a Canada 2020 conference in Ottawa. “Many Canadians are struggling (but) they’re struggling not because of the carbon tax,” he said. “They are struggling because of broad increases in energy prices and food prices, the impact on wages, the uncertainty that also is there, the lingering effects of COVID as well.” Last Thursday, Trudeau, whose polling numbers plummeted over the summer, was flanked by his worried Atlantic caucus when he announced the government will stop applying the carbon levy on heating oil for three years. It will also double the climate action incentive payment for all rural Canadians and offer free heat pumps to lower-income Canadians in Atlantic Canada, who will also receive a $250 bribe for signing up. (Higher income Canadians can access a less-generous rebate program.) “We heard very clearly from rural Canadians that they need more help right across the country,” said the prime minister, framing his announcement as an affordability measure. The government noted in its press release that a temporary ternally to make sure all the money went back,” she said. “And you can go look, that’s how it’s structured. The most vulnerable are better off.” Carbon pricing is not to blame for the high costs of oil and gas, she stressed. “What’s happening with oil and gas? They were making historic record obscene profits, and are those profits going back to you folks? Are they going back to the most poor, the most vulnerable? No. They’re going back to shareholders who, by the way, most of them are not here in this country. And at the same time, these same companies are demanding that they get subsidies from taxpayers, that taxpayers actually pay to clean up the pollution they’re causing. I’m sorry, folks. That’s not a thing. That’s not where Canadians are at. We can’t be taken. So we just need to hold the course,” she said. “If we want to meet our targets, we can do it.” She’s not wrong. The Canadian Climate Institute’s independent modelling of the federal government’s emissions reductions plan shows that — for the very first time — Canada is on track to meeting its ambitious 2030 target if it follows through on all the policies it’s talked about. “It does put a huge pressure on implementation of those policies,” said its executive vice-president Dale Beugin. In an interview with the Star, Beugin said Trudeau’s three-year carbon levy pause felt like a step backwards. “They are tackling that affordability question in a way that undermines the long-term credibility of their pricing policy,” he said. Beugin and Carney have no issues with the doubling of the rural credit and praised efforts aimed at encouraging more Canadians to switch over to less polluting heat pumps. But like many who worked on or believed in the effectiveness of the government’s carbon pricing plan, they fear Trudeau’s backtrack now jeopardizes the overall climate policy. Several also question the soundness of putting carbon pricing intentionally on the next election’s ballot — when the three-year exemption expires. Their fears may have been confirmed last week when premiers lined up to request further carbon levy exemptions, for residents on natural gas for example, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proclaimed victory, suggesting everything the prime minister had said about the carbon levy for eight years was wrong: the plan would not make people better off. Trudeau may have hoped he’d be seen as listening and acting on local concerns in a way that results in fewer emissions. But now that his rural economic development minister has gone on TV to suggest this was really about electoral politics, the prime minister must hold his pledge and ensure no more carve outs. The credibility of his climate plan depends on it. TWITTER: @ALTHIARAJ PM’s allies critical of carbon levy pause ALTHIA RAJ OPINION Many who have supported the federal government’s carbon pricing plan fear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s temporary carbon levy exemption jeopardizes Canada’s overall climate policy, Althia Raj writes. ADRIAN WYLD THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA After setting off a political fracas over his decision to exempt heating oil from the federal carbon levy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drew a hard line Tuesday in stating his government will never cave to demands from opposition Conservatives and provincial opponents to further weaken one of the Liberals’ signature climate policies. “There will absolutely not be any other carve-outs or suspensions of the price on pollution,” Trudeau told reporters outside the House of Commons. “This is specifically about ending the use of home heating oil, which is more polluting, more expensive and impacts low-income Canadians to a greater degree,” he said. That explanation did nothing to cool the fervour of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who spearheaded the Official Opposition’s allegation that the heating oil exemption is unfair and divisive, since it will help a higher proportion of people in the Atlantic Provinces. Calling the move a “panicked flipflop” on carbon pricing, Poilievre accused Trudeau of creating “two classes of Canadians” to defend Liberal seats in one region at the expense of good policy. Poilievre’s party — which campaigned on a form of carbon pricing under a different leader in 2021 — is pushing for the federal levy on consumer fuels to be scrapped entirely. “This is clearly not about environmental science, it is about political science,” he charged. Trudeau responded that the policy changes are designed to help low-income people bear the costs of more expensive heating oil, while helping them move to cleaner heat pumps with a $750-million program that is available in all provinces. It was all part of the latest confrontation in the ongoing battle over how federal climate policies impact the cost of living, which erupted last week when Trudeau announced his government will remove the federal carbon price from heating oil until 2026. The government also said it would redirect some revenues collected from the carbon price to increase rebate payments for rural families in provinces where the federal scheme applies. But while both those changes affect people in every province where the federal carbon price applies — including almost 267,000 households that use heating oil in Ontario, according to government statistics — the announcement was packaged as a way to help Atlantic Canada. The Liberal government had been under pressure from some of its own MPs in the region to blunt the impact the federal carbon price that came into effect in those provinces earlier this year. A higher proportion of households in Atlantic Canada also use heating oil than in the rest of the provinces, including 53 per cent in Prince Edward Island and 37 per cent in Nova Scotia. At the same time, the government said it will triple the money set aside for existing programs to help people install electric heat pumps in their homes, increasing federal payments from $10,000 to $15,000 for provinces that agree to match the extra money and administer the program. Three Atlantic Provinces — Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland — have so far agreed to do so. Some provinces, however, have reacted with anger to the policy, arguing their residents who warm their homes with natural gas should also get a break on the federal carbon price. At an Etobico*ke gas bar on Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford again challenged the Trudeau government to eliminate the carbon levy as he extended a 10-cent per litre break on gas taxes to June 30 across Ontario. “The fact is the vast majority — 95 per cent — of people in Ontario do not heat their homes or businesses with oil. It’s completely unfair that they still have to pay the carbon tax. So I’m urging the prime minister to play fair, do what’s right and eliminate the tax altogether,” Ford said. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe went further, declaring Monday he was ready to break the law by refusing to collect the levy on natural gas heating as of Jan. 1. Heading into the Liberal cabinet meeting Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson dismissed Moe’s position as political posturing and said he should obey the law. “There is a lot of politics and a lot of sabre rattling that is happening,” Wilkinson said. It’s not just Conservatives who are crying foul. On Tuesday, at a summit for climate action in Ottawa, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney — often rumoured to be a future Liberal leadership candidate — said the Trudeau government should have avoided changing the carbon price when trying to help people with the cost of living. Meanwhile, New Democrats in Alberta and Saskatchewan have called for carbon price relief, while federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Ottawa should lift the sales tax on all home heating. Trudeau tells provinces no more exemptions Premiers told pause on federal carbon levy intended to end use of home heating oil A L E X B A L L I N G A L L OT TAWA B U R E AU Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe declared this week that he was prepared to stop collection of the federal levy on natural gas heating as of Jan. 1.

N E WS | A11 TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is commencing Phase 2 of a hearing on its own motion to consider various issues related to Ontario’s Uniform Transmission Rates (UTRs). These issues have been identified in the years since Ontario’s UTR framework was established in Hydro One’s first rate application proceeding in 2000, and implemented in 2002 following the opening of Ontario’s electricity market. Phase 1 of the generic hearing commenced in 2021 under OEB file number EB-2021-0243 and focused on setting the Export Transmission Service Rate. Phase 1 concluded in 2023. The OEB is now commencing Phase 2 of the generic hearing to focus on the following UTR-related issues. The issues may be revised, and additional issues may be raised, based on input from transmitters, customers, and other stakeholders: 1. Timing of UTR decisions Overview of issue: Transmitter revenue requirements are recovered through UTRs which are charged to all wholesale market participants, including electricity distributors. The UTRs are usually established annually with an effective date of January 1, and are based on the revenue requirements of Ontario’s rate-regulated electricity transmitters. The timing of transmitter revenue requirement proceedings does not always allow for the annual UTR decision to be finalized in December for January 1. This can lead to forgone revenue, which must then be calculated and included when UTRs are updated. In addition, new transmitters are being added to UTRs when their assets come into service, and this does not always align with a January 1 UTR update. 2. Number of decimal places for UTRs Overview of issue: UTRs paid by transmission customers are calculated to two decimal places (unlike distribution rates, which are calculated to four decimal places). 3. Prorating transmission charges for new connections to account for when the connection took place in the month Overview of issue: Transmission customers are charged a monthly rate ($ per kW) for line connection billing demand and a monthly rate ($ per kW) for transformation connection billing demand. Line connection and transformation connection charges for newly connected transmission customers in their first month of connection are not revised upward or downward in proportion to when in the month the new connection was made. 4. Charges caused by planned transmission outages Overview of issue: In a month when a planned transmission outage occurs, a transmission customer that transfers its load to another of its delivery points is charged more than it would be if the outage did not occur. This is because transmission charges are based on the monthly peak at each delivery point. 5. Basis for Billing Renewable, Non-renewable and Energy Storage Facilities for Transmission Overview of issue: The UTR establishes a gross load billing threshold of greater than 1 MW for non-renewable generating units and greater than 2 MW for renewable generating units for the transformation and connection rate pools paid for by transmission customers. The scope of this issue is to review whether the 1 MW and 2 MW thresholds are still the appropriate thresholds. The scope also includes considering the appropriate billing threshold for energy storage facilities. The scope of this issue does not include billing for distribution or whether energy storage facilities should be considered renewable or non-renewable (or something else) for purposes of gross load billing. The scope of this issue has been revised by the OEB from how it was first described in the October 15, 2021 Notice of Hearing for Phase 1 of the generic hearing on UTR-related issues. 6. Gross load billing thresholds for renewable and non-renewable generation Overview of issue: Beyond the question of appropriate gross load billing thresholds, set out in issue 5, there has been some uncertainty around the application of those thresholds to transmission customers – for example, with respect to incremental capacity resulting from a generator refurbishment. Clarification is currently provided to customers through OEB guidance. The October 15, 2021 Notice of Hearing for Phase 1 outlined eight UTR-related issues. One of those, “setting the export transmission service (ETS) rate”, was the subject of Phase 1 and is concluded. In addition, the OEB will defer consideration of one issue – “calculation of network charge determinant” – to another time. Phase 2 of the generic hearing will focus on the six issues outlined above. There are three types of OEB hearings: oral, electronic and written. The OEB will determine the format of the hearing at a later date. If you have a preference with respect to the format of the hearing, you can write to us to explain why. During this hearing, we will hear questions and arguments from participants about this case. We will also hear questions and arguments from participants that have registered as Intervenors. After the hearing, we will decide whether to approve the application. The OEB will deem intervenors in Phase 1 of the generic hearing on UTR-related issues (EB-2021-0243) to be intervenors in Phase 2 of the generic hearing and will grant to any such intervenors the same cost eligibility status as in EB-2021-0243 (i.e., any such intervenors do not have to apply again for intervenor status and cost eligibility in Phase 2 of this hearing). Intervenors from Phase 1 who do not wish to be intervenors in Phase 2, or who do not wish to be granted the same cost eligibility status as in EB-2021-0243, should notify the OEB in writing. If you did not participate in Phase 1 but would like to participate in Phase 2, you may do so by following the instructions in the section below called “HAVE YOUR SAY”. The OEB will identify parties and eligibility for cost awards and establish a procedural schedule for the hearing in due course. The OEB will also provide an opportunity for the filing of evidence in a subsequent procedural order or orders. At a later date, we will seek comments from parties involved in the process and will decide on whether, and how, other UTR-related issues may be addressed. The OEB is an independent and impartial public agency. We make decisions that serve the public interest. Our goal is to promote a financially viable and efficient energy sector that provides you with reliable energy services at a reasonable cost. HAVE YOUR SAY You have the right to information about this application and to participate in the process. Visit www.oeb.ca/notice and use file number EB-2022-0325 to: • Review the application • File a letter with your comments • Apply to become an intervenor IMPORTANT DATES You must engage with the OEB on or before November 14, 2023 to: • Provide input on the hearing type (oral, electronic or written) • Apply to be an intervenor If you do not, the hearing will move forward without you, and you will not receive any further notice of the proceeding. PRIVACY If you write a letter of comment, your name and the content of your letter will be put on the public record and the OEB website. If you are a business or if you apply to become an intervenor, all the information you file will be on the OEB website. Ontario Energy Board /TTY: 1 877-632-2727 Monday - Friday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM oeb.ca/notice NOTICE OF A RATE HEARING The Ontario Energy Board is holding a generic hearing to consider various issues related to Uniform Transmission Rates. This hearing will be held under section 78 of the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998. Ce document est aussi disponible en français. YOU SHOULD KNOW LEARN MORE Nate Erskine-Smith says he’s just being honest when he says he doesn’t know if he’ll seek a seat in the provincial legislature if he doesn’t win the Liberal leadership. “I guess the question back would be, would you rather a politician lie about it?” he told The Star’s editorial board on Tuesday afternoon when asked about his post-race plans should he lose. “Because it would be easier politically to say I’m committed to running again, no matter what — but that wouldn’t be the honest answer.” Erskine-Smith said “the question of running is different from the question of helping,” and he’d want to land where he could make the biggest difference — whether that is by seeking office or working behind the scenes. “I am going to help no matter what, in whatever capacity that might be,” he said. The MP for Beaches—East York was the first to declare he would seek the Ontario Liberal leadership after former leader Steven Del Duca — now mayor of Vaughan — failed to revive the party in the 2022 election following its defeat in 2018 by Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives. The Liberals, who governed for the 15 years prior, have not garnered enough seats in the last two elections to obtain official party status — although they were able to win two recent byelections, including one in a long-time PC riding. Erskine-Smith is running against Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Kingston and the Islands MPP Ted Hsu and MP Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre), a former provincial Liberal cabinet minister. A fifth candidate, MPP Adil Shamji (Don Valley East), withdrew to back Crombie. Erskine-Smith said if Naqvi or Hsu wins, he’s confident he would “have a great involvement” with the party whether or not he seeks a seat in the provincial legislature. However, he said he’s “got to have more of those conversations with Bonnie because we haven’t had those direct conversations about level of involvement after the fact.” One complicating factor is that his riding is held provincially by Liberal Mary-Margaret McMahon, so he said he’d need to find another place to run. Whoever becomes the next leader, Erskine-Smith said, that person must be “trusted and credible in (the) progressive direction … because that’s the only way we win the next election.” While Crombie is the presumed front-runner and has raised far more money than her three competitors, Erskine-Smith believes he’s the “strong second right now” with more than 1,400 donors. He said should he win, the party will need to start the “hard work of building an active presence” in every community. “That’s the work of the next leader — to rebuild and re-energize the grassroots of this party absolutely everywhere.” Voting for the next leader will take place at the end of November, and the winner will be announced in Toronto on Dec. 2. O N TA R I O L I B E R A L L E A D E R S H I P R AC E It’s not all about winning for candidate K R I S T I N R U S H OW Y Q U E E N ’S PA R K B U R E AU Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Nate Erskine-Smith told the Star editorial board Tuesday that he’s focused on making the biggest difference — whether that’s in office or working behind the scenes. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will huddle with provincial treasurers Friday in a bid to thwart Alberta’s threat to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan. Freeland, who is also Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s finance minister, said she has “heard serious concerns from Canadians — including Albertans — regarding Alberta’s proposal to withdraw from the CPP.” Among those alarmed at Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s scheme is Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, who last week urged Ottawa in writing to intervene. “Alberta’s proposed withdrawal is a threat to the pensions of people in Alberta and across Canada,” Freeland said in a letter responding to Bethlenfalvy and other treasurers to convene the urgent virtual meeting later this week. PENSIONS Freeland to meet with ministers R O B E RT B E N Z I E Q U E E N ’S PA R K B U R E AU C H I E F

A12 | N E WS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Live a little. Borrow up to 1-800-NEW-CREDIT in 12hrs or less $1500 .CA 15 min to apply no credit checks . paid over 3-6 months. no documents Pension Plan for Employees of Inscape Corporation Registration No. 0595637 The Pension Plan for Hourly Employees of Inscape Corporation Registration No. 0288233 (collectively the “Plans”) Mercer (Canada) Limited was appointed Administrator of the Plans by the Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario on March 10, 2023. The Plans are in the process of being wound up and all assets will be distributed from the Plans. Members and former members of the Plans who have not received a letter from the Administrator, and former employees who believe they are entitled to a pension from the Plans, should write to the Administrator at the address below describing their claim. Claims to entitlement must be received by November 30, 2023 in order to be considered. Mercer (Canada) Limited 120 Bremner Blvd., Suite 800 Toronto, Ontario M5J 0A8 Attention: Wind-Up Centre of Excellence Further information may be obtained by calling toll free at 1-800-431-5711 or by sending an email to [emailprotected] Dated at Toronto, Ontario this 1st day of November 2023 CUTE AND COSTUMED Kindergarten students from R.H. McGregor Elementary School parade outside in their Halloween costumes on Tuesday. ANDREW FRANCIS WALLACE TORONTO STAR Education workers represented by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) will join the secondary teachers’ union in seeking binding arbitration to sort out how to make up lost pay under the Ford government’s wage-capping legislation. The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) — which has already entered binding arbitration with the provincial government over general wage increases — said joining forces with the 3,500 early childhood educators and other school staffers represented by the elementary union is a show of “labour solidarity.” “Our solidarity is our strength, and I am encouraged to have ETFO’s education worker members join us as we stand up to Doug Ford and his government’s heavyhanded attempts to undermine public education in Ontario,” said OSSTF president Karen Littlewood. ETFO president Karen Brown said her union is “prepared to work alongside OSSTF to challenge Bill 124 during the binding arbitration process,” a bill that has been ruled unconstitutional by the courts for interfering with collective bargaining by limiting pay hikes for public sector workers to one per cent a year over three years. The education workers recently ratified a four-year agreement with the province. The two unions’ arbitration hearing dates are Jan. 15 and 16. The education workers have already agreed to a 0.75 per cent salary increase to compensate for lost wages each year for two years under Bill 124, and an arbitrator will decide the amount for the third. The move by ETFO education workers could be a good sign for Education Minister Stephen Lecce. Lecce continues to call on teachers’ unions to agree to binding arbitration on any outstanding bargaining items as OSSTF has done, averting strikes until 2026. “Our priority is to keep kids in class, which we are proud to have achieved with OSSTF teachers and education workers, as well as ETFO education workers,” he said in a written statement. “We encourage all other unions work with us and sign a deal that puts students first and keeps kids in class.” EDUCATION Elementary workers go for binding arbitration Union is seeking to make up wages lost under Bill 124 K R I S T I N R U S H OW Y Q U E E N ’S PA R K B U R E AU A young woman whose actions set off a chain of events that ended the life of an innocent man gunned down on a busy Toronto street midmorning has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted her of manslaughter last December. Egypt Morgan, 23, has a high level of moral culpability for the death of Jermaine Titus, 32, a successful chef and loving father shot Aug. 22, 2018, as he drove along Weston Road on his way to get a haircut, Superior Court Justice Kelly Byrne read from her reasons for sentence on Tuesday. “But for Ms. Morgan’s participation, Mr. Titus would be alive today,” the judge said as Morgan looked on from the prisoner’s box. Her boyfriend, Shamoi Palmer, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence for killing Titus while aiming at another man whose location Morgan shared in a text message minutes earlier. She was fully aware Palmer — who was driving when he opened fire — had a gun and was likely to discharge it, Byrne said. Police found the murder weapon in Morgan’s apartment with her DNA on it. Prosecutors David Tice and Alice Bradstreet had argued Morgan should receive a 12-year sentence; while defence lawyer Douglas Usher asked the judge to impose a timeserved sentence given that Morgan has been incarcerated since September 2019. The judge said she wouldn’t hesitate to impose 12 years were it not for the fact Morgan was 18 at the time Titus was killed and for the hardship of being behind bars during the pandemic. A pre-sentence report found Morgan to be a mostly “positive, intelligent, articulate (and) industrious” woman who completed high school, started her own business and worked two seasonal jobs. She now has a little less than four years left to serve once her pre-sentence custody is deducted from the 10-year sentence. The judge said she’d like to accept Morgan’s claims that she’s changed and is truly remorseful. But she expressed doubts based on Morgan’s jailhouse letters to her killer boyfriend. (When Morgan testified at the trial, she told jurors their relationship was over. But the prosecutors submitted letters to the court, some written in 2022, filled with Morgan’s expressions of love, loyalty and hope that she can one day marry Palmer.) In her sentencing reasons, the judge found that Morgan was aware the shooting took place and that afterward she provided Palmer with encouragement and support and took steps to help them both evade detection. Addressing the victim’s family directly, Byrne told them while the criminal proceedings have come to a close, “I just hope that helps your healing and at some point you all find the peace that you so deserve.” COURTS Woman gets 10 years for role in shooting Judge expressed doubts 23-year-old was remorseful B E T SY P OW E L L CO U RTS B U R E AU Jermaine Titus, 32, a chef and father to a young son, was fatally shot while driving on Weston Road in August 2018. The victim of a downtown stabbing Monday evening was trying to retrieve her purse from a thief who snatched it from her lap inside a beauty salon. The woman, in her 30s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries from the attack that happened at about 8 p.m. near Grandy Street and Church Street. Employees at the salon, who asked not to be identified because they fear for their safety, said the woman was their last customer of the night. She was sitting in a chair near the entrance when a man darted inside and grabbed her purse. The woman ran after him as he took off down the street. “We were shaking, screaming ‘No! Stop!’ and we were nervous,” the employee said. “When that happens, your mind goes blank.” The Star is not naming the witness nor the establishment for reasons pertaining to safety. As the woman tried retrieving her purse, the suspect reportedly stabbed her, according to Toronto police. The woman was found with stab wounds and taken to hospital with serious injuries. As of Tuesday morning, her injuries have been reported as non-life-threatening. Police described the suspect as a 20- to 30-year-old male. He was last seen wearing a dark puffy jacket, dark khaki pants and a backpack. CRIME Victim of stabbing was chasing purse thief M A H D I S H A B I B I N I A A N D FAT I M A R A Z A STA F F R E P O RT E R S

A14 | N E WS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR It started with cutting and eventually escalated to overdosing on painkillers and swallowing metal objects. She became a regular visitor to the Children’s Hospital emergency department near her home in London, Ont. Mikayla spent six years in the revolving door of Ontario’s complex and fragmented child and youth mental health system — a mix of community and provincial services and agencies that, apart from long wait times, has led to confusion and frustration for families. Her story is an extreme example of what is happening to kids in a chronically underfunded and understaffed system that experts say is ill equipped to deal with the growing tide of young people showing up at emergency departments with complex and acute mental health issues. Jeannie tried to get her daughter into community mental health programs, but they wouldn’t take Mikayla because she was “too high needs,” a risk to herself, her mother said. Mikayla needed therapy, but the wait times for child psychologists and psychiatrists were between six and 24 months. “I kept thinking, what was it going to take for my daughter to get real, long-term treatment?” said Jeannie, who had to take a leave from her job as a manager for a dental manufacturing company in 2021 to look after her daughter full-time. When Mikayla needed help most, she was one of nearly 30,000 children and youth waiting for community mental health services in Ontario. The final insult came when Mikayla turned 18 this year and no longer qualified for the services she had spent years waiting for. After a tangle of failures and missed opportunities that are the fault of no one person or hospital, the system spat Mikayla out the other side as an adult, no better off — perhaps even worse off — than when she first sought care at age 12. While Ontario has made some important moves — this year’s provincial budget promises $425 million for mental health and addictions, with additional funding recently announced to expand the number of youth wellness hubs that offer services including therapy, recreational facilities and food banks — the situation remains dire. With this lack of timely treatment in the community, young people are increasingly turning to emergency departments in times of crisis. During the first 28 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, ER visits for self-harm in Ontario children ages 10 to 17 increased by 29 per cent above expected levels, while hospitalizations jumped by 72 per cent, according to researchers at the University of Toronto and the Sunnybrook Research Institute. Mental health disorders were the No. 1 reason for hospitalization among children and youth ages five to 17 for the year ending in March 2022. “The need is exploding,” said Purnima Sundar, executive director of the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions, but there aren’t enough workers to handle all the kids presenting with mental health problems. After languishing for months or years on wait-lists, vulnerable youth who turn 18 find themselves back at the beginning of adult waitlists for the same services. The Mental Health Commission of Canada reports that mental illness affects more than one million children and youth in the country but less than 20 per cent receive appropriate treatment as they transition into the adult system. Unable to find work, some end up homeless or in jail. Or worse. “If I didn’t have the option of living with my parents,” Mikayla said, “I’d be back in the hospital, in a shelter or on the streets.” On the wall in Mikayla’s bedroom hang pictures that remind her of happier times. There’s a family photo of a hike along the Ausable River Valley Trail, near London. A picture from a Grade 8 trip to Niagara Falls. An image of Stewie the parrot. In a basket in the corner sits a collection of startlingly lifelike baby dolls, reminders of when Mikayla dreamed of becoming a neonatal nurse. That dream was put on hold when she left school last year, halfway through Grade 11, because of her mental health. Above her headboard, the words “Jesus Saves” in white type on a black background are surrounded by a square frame. A silver cross engraved with the word “Saviour” hangs around her neck. During those first visits to the hospital when Mikayla was 12, Jeannie and Mike were left with the impression their young daughter would grow out of her problems. Jeannie says doctors told them Mikayla had “traits” of borderline personality disorder, but she was offered no long-term treatment plan: No cognitive behavioural therapy. No regular sessions with a psychiatrist. None of the things they now know might have helped at that age. “We thought it was behavioural so that’s how we treated it,” Jeannie said. “But we were really on our own.” Feeling lost and adrift is common for young people and their families navigating the mental health system, says Dr. Khrista Boylan, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at McMaster Children’s Hospital. “It’s so complicated and families do get caught up in the system,” she said. Unsure of where to turn after Mikayla became ill, Jeannie and Mike first looked to Mike’s work benefits, which covered just three therapy sessions for Mikayla with a social worker; the family would have to pay $250 per session after that. That ended when the social worker, with whom Mikayla had begun to bond, moved away. Two years later, in 2019, the family received more crushing news: Jeannie had breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy. Mikayla became depressed. She began having intrusive thoughts that told her something bad would happen to her mother if she didn’t hurt herself. By 17, she had started swallowing metal objects, including batteries, magnets and razor blades. It was an urge she could not control. Giving into it brought relief, while ignoring it gave her intense anxiety. “Even when I didn’t want to do it, I had to,” Mikayla said. Mikayla became a regular visitor to the Children’s Hospital emergency department. Twice, the police brought her in after she went to bridges near her home and threatened to jump into the Thames River. In one five-month period, she underwent at least 11 endoscopies to attempt to remove metal objects that she had swallowed. If ER staff believed Mikayla was in imminent danger, they would admit her, but for a maximum of three days, her mother said. Mikayla also visited the hospital on her own if she felt the urge to self-harm or to speak to a doctor about her mental state. That’s when hospital staff told the family they should do their best to keep Mikayla away from the ER unless absolutely necessary. London Health Sciences Centre, which operates London’s Children’s Hospital, told the Star it could not comment on specific patient cases, but said that, like many hospitals across Canada, it has an escalating number of young people showing up at its ER in crisis. Jeannie doesn’t blame the hospital. After all, she says, it was only doing what it was designed to do: provide acute care to stabilize patients until they are well enough to go home. Jeannie began having weekly conference calls to discuss Mikayla’s care with staff from provincial and community agencies, and Children’s Hospital supervisors. During one call, Mikayla phoned her mom from Walmart and said she had overdosed on Tylenol. The agency staff heard the conversation and phoned 911. Finally, Mikayla was admitted to hospital for a long-term stay. For that to happen, “my daughter literally almost had to die,” Jeannie said. The hospital stay meant Mikayla could be monitored around the clock, but it was only a temporary solution. While Mikayla spent her days in a hospital room, Jeannie searched for residential treatment facilities. Jeannie looked at Sunnybrook’s Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre, Canada’s first intensive residential treatment program for severe obsessive compulsive disorder, which Mikayla had recently been diagnosed with. But there were two problems: Mikayla would have to go three months without harming herself — the longest she had ever gone was one week — and the wait-list was 18 months, Jeannie said. “How am I supposed to get her harm-free if I can’t get her into a facility that would help her?” Jeannie said. “Nobody could give me an answer.” Then, some good news. Parkwood Institute, a hospital site run by St. Joseph’s Health Care London for those with severe and persistent mental illness, agreed to take Mikayla. While Parkwood doesn’t treat OCD exclusively, it did have a team of psychiatrists and psychologists who could work with Mikayla to nail down her diagnoses. At Parkwood, Mikayla saw a psychiatrist and psychologist about twice a week and visited the on-site gym. Most of her time was spent sitting in her room building Lego castles, drawing or watching YouTube, she said. She has mixed feelings about the treatment she received. Once, when she was on 24-hour watch after swallowing a razor, she managed to swallow another razor she had smuggled in. Mikayla said the nurses put her in a small locked room alone for three days over the weekend. She was instructed to go to the bathroom in a cardboard “hat,” which staff took away when they delivered her medication twice a day, she said. “I was pretty much begging on my knees, please let me out,” she recalled. “In solitary, how are you supposed to get better?” (In a statement, St. Joseph’s Health Care London told the Star it has a policy of “least restraint,” including the use of seclusion: “At times, the team is required to take action to ensure that a patient, or others, are safe.”) At Parkwood, Mikayla’s doctors gave her a new diagnosis that included borderline personality disorder, a mental illness that makes it difficult to regulate emotions, and a major depressive disorder. They did not think she had OCD. In some ways, it was a relief to finally learn what was afflicting her. But the diagnoses, at 18, came far too late in what she and her mom call a “hellish” experience that could have been more bearable had they been given better guidance and support from the moment Mikayla’s symptoms began as a preteen. After four months at Parkwood, Mikayla reached the milestone of becoming harm-free for 30 days and asked to have her involuntary status revoked. It has been five weeks since Mikayla moved back home. With her new-found freedom comes another hurdle: now that she is 18, she no longer qualifies for any of the services in the child and youth mental health system she was waiting for, such as group homes for young people. She sees a psychiatrist from Parkwood as an outpatient every two to three weeks — much less than what she feels she needs. Ontario Works, which provides financial assistance, rejected her application because she’s living in her parents’ home. These days, she spends most of her time watching YouTube or riding the bus. “I’m worried it could be any day where things just go back to how they were before,” she said. Parkwood found a group home able to provide Mikayla with coping strategies for independent living. But even if she gets in, she can only stay for three months. And there’s a five-month wait. IF YOU ARE THINKING OF SUICIDE OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS, THERE IS HELP. RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT TALKSUICIDE.CA OR YOU CAN CONNECT TO THE NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HELPLINE AT 1-833-456-4566, OR THE KIDS HELP PHONE AT 1-800-668-6868. THE KIDS ALL RIGHT Thousands on wait-lists for treatment TORONTO STAR ILLUSTRATION USING PHOTOS BY LANCE MCMILLAN AND SUPPLIED IMAGES TEENS FROM A1 ‘‘ I kept thinking, what was it going to take for my daughter to get real, long-term treatment? JEANNIE, MIKAYLA’S MOTHER Mental health disorders were the No. 1 reason for hospitalization among children and youth ages five to 17 for the year ending March 2022

TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 DHAKA, BANGLADESH Thousands of garment factory workers took to the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, and the industrial district of Gazipur on Tuesday to demand better wages. Bangladesh is the second largest garment-producing country in the world after China with its nearly 3,500 factories where some four million workers are employed — most are women — according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA. The workers get 8,300 takas, or $75 (U.S.), as monthly minimum wage and they often need to work overtime to make ends meet, labour unions and workers say. Protests erupted on the weekend after BGMEA offered to increase the monthly minimum wage by 25 per cent to reach $90, instead of the $208 demanded by the workers. While Bangladesh has been maintaining stable annual economic growth for years, rising inflation has become a major challenge. Gazipur district, which houses thousands of factories, saw thousands of protesters on the streets with some throwing stones at shops. In Dhaka’s Mirpur area, hundreds of protesters chanted demanding better wages. Garment worker Shahida Akhter said while protesting in Mirpur that she struggles to put food on the table. “(If you) reduce the price of (essential) goods, our wages won’t need to be hiked,” she said, complaining about the constant rise in prices. “Do you know what is the cost of having a family? If there are babies, we need to spend more.” Raihan Mia, a fire department official in Gazipur district, told The Associated Press by phone the workers set fire to an electric goods showroom and vandalized a medical clinic and some other shops. BGMEA urged the protesting workers not to use violence or damage their factories. Local media reports said two workers died in clashes with police in Gazipur on Monday while some blocked roads and set fire to and vandalized several factories. Bangladesh earns annually about $55 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe. Garment workers protest wages T H E A SS O C I AT E D P R E SS Bangladeshi garment workers vandalize buses during a protest demanding an increase in their wages at Mirpur in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday. MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BANGLADESH FLORENCE, ITALY Just four at a time, visitors soon will be allowed access to a long-hidden space inside Florence’s Medici Chapel where delicate charcoal drawings sketched on the walls have been attributed by some experts to Michelangelo. The secret room — a tiny 10-bythree-metre space — was discovered in 1975, when officials were searching for a new exit from the Medici Chapel to accommodate increasing visitors. The museum’s then-director Paolo Dal Poggetto “firmly believed that they were by Michelangelo,’’ said the current director, Paola D’Agostino. A fierce debate ensued, and continues to this day. “The major scholars of Michelangelo’s drawings dismissed the attributions” at the time of discovery 50 years ago, she said. “Others had a more moderate view, in the sense they thought some could be by Michelangelo and others could be by followers. So the debate is ongoing.” The room was used to store coal until 1955, and then sealed closed and forgotten for decades. For most of the past 50 years, access to the room has been restricted. Michelangelo’s art? Charcoal sketches draw debate T H E A SS O C I AT E D P R E SS ITALY KYIV United Nations investigators on Tuesday urged Russia to acknowledge responsibility for a missile strike on a Ukrainian village that killed 59 civilians, conduct a transparent investigation into what happened, provide reparations for victims and hold those responsible to account. The strike on a café in the village of Hroza on Oct. 5 was one of the deadliest since the Kremlin’s forces launched a full-scale invasion 20 months ago. Whole families perished while attending a wake for a local soldier who died fighting Russian troops. The blast killed 36 women, 22 men and an eight-year-old boy. Numerous bodies were found torn to pieces, and it took nearly a week to identify all the dead. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a report published Tuesday it “has reasonable grounds to believe” a Russian Iskander missile — a shortrange precision-guided ballistic weapon — probably caused the blast in Hroza. The extensive damage and weapon debris at the scene led investigators to that conclusion, the report said. It said Russia “either failed to undertake all feasible measures to verify that the intended target was a military objective rather than civilians or civilian objects, or deliberately targeted civilians or a civilian object.” Either of those explanations amounts to a violation of international humanitarian law, the report said. The incident “serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the war in Ukraine and underscores the necessity of holding perpetrators accountable,” Danielle Bell, head of the UN mission in Ukraine, said in a statement. The Kremlin did not directly address the strike in Hroza at the time, but continued to insist it aims only at legitimate military targets in Ukraine. Russia’s UN ambassador, however, told the UN Security Council, that “a high-ranking Ukrainian nationalist” and “a lot of neo-Nazi accomplices” were at the wake. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv officials made any immediate comment on Tuesday’s report. Repeated civilian deaths have weakened Russia’s claim it doesn’t target civilians. Ukraine’s presidential office said early on Tuesday that one civilian was killed and at least 17 others were injured over the previous 24 hours. The death was a woman visiting a cemetery and among the injured were five people travelling on a bus, it said. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS UN officials call on Moscow to admit to attack on village This aerial image shows graves being dug at a cemetery in Hroza, Ukraine, for victims of a Russian missile strike that killed 59 near the village of Kupiansk this month. Officials say one-fifth of the village died in the attack on civilians who were attending a wake. DIEGO FEDELE GETTY IMAGES FILE PHOTO Report says Russian Iskander missile likely used in strike that killed 59 N E B I Q E N A A N D Y U R A S K A R M A N A U WA R I N U K R A I N E NAIROBI, KENYA King Charles III has expressed “greatest sorrow and the deepest regret” for the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence” committed against Kenyans as they sought independence, during a speech on his first day of a four-day visit. But he didn’t explicitly apologize for Britain’s actions in its former colony, as many Kenyans wanted. Charles at the state banquet hosted by Kenyan President William Ruto said there “can be no excuse” for the “wrongdoings of the past.” He said addressing them with honesty and openness could “continue to build an ever closer bond in the years ahead.” Kenya is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its independence this year. It and Britain have had a close but at times challenging relationship after the prolonged struggle against colonial rule, sometimes known as the Mau Mau Rebellion, in which thousands of Kenyans died. Ruto told the banquet Britain’s response to Kenya’s quest for self rule was “monstrous in its cruelty.” Colonial authorities resorted to executions and detention without trial as they tried to put down the insurrection, and thousands of Kenyans said they were beaten and sexually assaulted by agents of the administration. “While there have been efforts to atone for the death, injury and suffering inflicted on Kenyan Africans by the colonial government, much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations,” Ruto said. King Charles III expresses ‘greatest sorrow’ to Kenya T H E A SS O C I AT E D P R E SS JAPAN Gunman caught in hostage case Police in Japan ended an eighthour standoff with a gunman at a post office Tuesday by capturing the suspect after two hostages were freed safely — an attack authorities said could be related to an earlier shooting at a hospital. The man had entered the post office with a gun in Warabi, north of Tokyo, about an hour after the hospital shooting in which two people were wounded in the nearby city of Toda. NEPAL UN chief points to glacial melt The United Nations chief said Tuesday after touring the highest peaks in Nepal the world should end the fossil fuel age to curb what he says is a devastating level of melting of glaciers in the Himalayan mountains due to global warming. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed Nepal’s parliament after flying past Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, on Monday and touring the base camp of Mount Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest, on Tuesday. “Glaciers are melting at records. I was a witness,” Guterres said in his address. “The effect is devastating.” U N I T E D S TAT E S Fire causes evacuation A wildfire fuelled by gusty Santa Ana winds ripped through rural land southeast of Los Angeles, forcing about 4,000 people from their homes, fire authorities said. The socalled Highland Fire erupted Monday afternoon in dry, brushy hills near the unincorporated Riverside County hamlet of Aguanga. As of early Tuesday, the fire had grown to nine square kilometres and was not contained, officials said in a social media post. STAR WIRE SERVICES WO R L D B R I E F S WO R L D | NEWS | A15

ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR TORONTO STAR, ESTABLISHED 1892 — JOSEPH E. ATKINSON, PUBLISHER 1899 - 1948 JORDAN BITOVE PUBLISHER ANNE MARIE OWENS EDITOR BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR NICOLE MACINTYRE DEPUTY EDITOR JORDAN HIMELFARB MANAGING EDITOR, NEWS & OPINION GRANT ELLIS MANAGING EDITOR, DIGITAL & MULTIMEDIA DONOVAN VINCENT PUBLIC EDITOR IRENE GENTLE VP INCLUSION & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS In reality, we are not all the same The kids aren’t all right, Oct. 29 Contrary to popular belief, the underservicing of our kids is not the exclusive result of underfunding. Though that is part of it, a greater part, is a recent shift in thinking. One that has inadvertently stigmatized the helping of kids. This has been borne out of a well-intended effort to equalize, and treat everyone the same. Though that is a most honourable intention, the reality is, we are not all the same. Some of us bear a greater brunt of disadvantage than others. These disadvantages include poor maternal health, poor paternal education, and poor parents. All of which are borne out of legacies of classism, racism, and colonialism. The most sensible way to compensate for this oppression is to disproportionately overserve the populations who have been disproportionately underserved. However, when we try to do this, well-intentioned advocates reverse cause and effect, connecting all the wrong dots, in all the wrong ways — misperceiving compensation for racism, as racism. Meanwhile, kids with special needs, white and non-white alike, are placed in classrooms where they’re in over their heads, destined to crash and burn, burning out teachers along the way. This in turn shifts attention away from regular education kids, who end up overpopulating our emergency rooms, compensating for their own neglect. This is a solvable problem. It simply requires suspension of prejudice, and assertion of reason. This insight is from the perspective of a GTA psychologist who has been serving kids on the front lines for more than 20 years. Glendon Rayworth, Toronto How lack of time in nature affects our children Children need more green time, Oct. 29 Kate Allen’s moving account of how two-year-old Wyatt, armed “with the steely confidence of a toddler born and raised in the downtown core” helps us appreciate the importance of green space and parks to our well-being. Hallowed green space in the GTA is rapidly shrinking from the unrelenting pace of construction, which negatively impacts physical and mental wellbeing of residents, especially our children. It’s time the negative impact of Nature Deficit Disorder on urban children is carefully considered by decision-makers. Fortunately, a Canadian technology company created NatureScore to measure people’s exposure to nature, by aggregating data “to rate the quantity and quality of natural elements for every address in North America.” No surprise that a Riverdale address scored a high of 65 out of 100 — while Wyatt’s address had the lowest score of 6.7 out of 100! I truly hope a brighter day will dawn for Wyatt — soon. Rudy Fernandes, Mississauga Political will needed to solve housing crisis Disallow capital gains exemptions on investment properties, Oct. 28 Louis Huang’s letter has provided our politicians with the first step that they can take immediately towards solving addressing the affordability crisis in housing across Canada. Do they have the courage to take this first step? The financialization of housing, as accurately documented by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Housing, Leilani Farha, has resulted in more than 50 per cent of housing condos in Toronto being owned by “investors.” Rents in these units are unjustifiably high, and there is an indefinite number of investorowned condos that remain unoccupied, even after the institution of a vacant homes tax by the city of Toronto. Housing is a human right, and ought not to be treated as an “investment.” As Huang states, the first step in returning these condo housing units to people who wish to use them as a home is to reduce the incentive to treat them as something like stocks and bonds. This simply means changing the Income Tax Act. Ottawa can disallow any capital gains exemption for residential properties for all properties that are not used as a principal residence. The federal government can accomplish this easily, and receive additional tax income as a result. Since there is an urgent crisis in the availability of affordable housing, the 50 per cent gift to “investors” as a lower tax rate ought to be eliminated in short order. We can make these “investor owned” units available to prospective homeowners over the next two to three years. Is there “political will” to do the doable? Allan Baker, Scarborough Animal suffering must be exposed Exposing cruelty on farms should be applauded not punished, Oct. 30 Kudos to Camille Labchuk, Jessica Scott-Reid and Animal Justice for challenging the current “Ag-gag” laws. Whenever farm animal abuse has been exposed in the past, the public is told the perpetrator was only a “bad apple.” Well, how many “bad apples” are there, actually? Certainly it seems the animal agriculture industry doesn’t want us to know. If they continue to get their way with the passing of ag-gag laws, can we assume that there are no “bad apples” at all? Since there are currently no federal standards for farm animal welfare, I guess they hope we’ll be content in the belief that all animals on our plates lived happy lives on Old MacDonald’s Farm. Cheryl Simpson, Stratford, Ont. Ford’s priorities are perplexing Ford fires PC from Metrolinx board after she criticizes him, Oct. 30 Premier Doug Ford insists he was in the dark about an $8.28- billion Greenbelt change but Janet Ecker’s column in a small local paper caught his attention and he sacked her from Metrolinx. It’s odd what captures the Premier’s attention. I guess it’s only a matter of priority. Jim Smith, Port Stanley, Ont. What are the benefits of higher housing density? Canadians want denser housing, but not next door: Poll, Oct. 31 Annie Hodgins, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Housing Rights, feels that those who oppose increased density on their own streets might change their mind “after witnessing the benefits of density in cities across Canada.” I would like to know what are the specific benefits she believes will accrue to those currently living in neighbourhoods zoned single-family of higher density in their areas. Greg Sheehan, Mississauga LETTERS A16 | The plan is opposed by other provinces, including those governed by like-minded conservatives. It is opposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, chambers of commerce, labour organizations, Albertans of all ages and Albertans who support Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party. Smith’s math has been ridiculed and her motives questioned. The Alberta premier deserves credit for bringing political enemies together in their universal rejection of her plans to pull her province out of the Canada Pension Plan. Faced with such opposition at home and across the country, Smith has apparently calculated only one option remains available — forge ahead. At least that is what she had vowed before any mention of her pension plans was omitted in her speech from the throne opening the Alberta legislature Monday. The rest of Canada is again left to wonder whether Smith was merely poking Ottawa to keep her hard right UCP members happy (in advance of a weekend party general meeting) or whether her latest musings will translate into misguided action. The CPP was established in 1965 and every province signed on except Quebec, which established its own plan. It mandates employees to pay a portion of earnings into the plan, matched by the employer, to provide retirement funds for Canadian workers. Governments have paid nothing into it and governments cannot access any of the funds, but they are allowed to opt out of the plan as long as they establish a comparable fund in their province. No province has ever opted out. It has long been discussed in the context of an ongoing debate over provincial autonomy in Alberta, but no province had ever put forward numbers as a rationale for going alone. And then along came Smith. In September, her government released a report it had commissioned that said the province could receive $334 billion from the existing plan’s worth, a whopping 53 per cent of the fund. A costly advertising campaign in Alberta promised lower payments and higher payouts for Albertans, maybe even nice bonuses for seniors in the province, promises that are fanciful at best and blatantly false at worst. The Alberta argument? A younger workforce, higher wages and higher workforce participation meant Albertans were paying more than they were getting back. Smith now says she would not put the pension question to Albertans until she has a firm number to put to them, a question she concedes might have to be determined by the courts. This merely indicates her lack of confidence in the $334-billion figure, which has more use as a fictional number to be tossed out as a means to gain support. University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe has determined the province might be due about 20 per cent of the national fund. This latest iteration of Alberta v. Ottawa has profound national ramifications. Trudeau responded with a sharply worded letter (“the harm (this) would cause is undeniable”) to Smith, and Poilievre, after his rote message of blaming the prime minister for the entire situation, encouraged Albertans to remain in the CPP. Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said Smith’s proposal could cause “serious harm” to working people in Ontario and across the country. Provincial finance ministers have requested a meeting to discuss her proposal and federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has agreed, saying they will meet Friday. The pressing reality is that Canadians, particularly seniors who contributed to the CPP all their working lives, would be entering a casino in retirement, stripped of the certainty of the existing plan. Employers and workers would also face the uncertainty of varying contribution rates and Albertans, under the Smith plan, would be lacking a cushion should they someday face an outflow of provincial migration, a downturn in the economy or a climate-related disaster. Smith’s constant litany of grievances in Ottawa may inoculate her against upheaval in her own party but the rest of the country is hardly in the mood to gamble their pensions on her political well-being. Her plan should be relegated to the realm of retired thought bubbles. T H E S TA R ’ S V I E W The folly of Smith’s pension plan proposal THEO MOUDAKIS FOR THE TORONTO STAR ‘While the fairy tale of Canada as a land of opportunity still holds for many newcomers, this study points to burgeoning disillusionment … After giving Canada a try … immigrants are saying ‘no thanks.’ REPORT BY THE INSTITUTE FOR CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP AND THE CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA WO RT H R E P E AT I N G SCAN FOR POLL SHOWING A DECLINE IN CANADIANS SUPPORT FOR IMMIGRATION

TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 There was a homeless encampment behind my sister’s house last year. People were in the field, living in tents, talking and barbecuing into the evening. When my sister called for help, she was told that many of the folks there were employed but couldn’t afford housing and there wasn’t enough shelter space. This year, she saw people pushing shopping carts and visibly intoxicated in her neighbourhood. They were in the plaza with the grocery store and pharmacy, just steps away from three schools, a local library, and a daycare. My sister lives in Ajax. The ’burbs. In Toronto, we aren’t shocked to see people staying warm and dry in the subway system. We see people in mental health crisis and we get on the GO train, grateful that we are heading away from the problems of the city. Many of us have left for the suburbs or the country to get away from the crime, homelessness, traffic and all the woes associated with urban life. We thought if we moved away, we would be safe. We could leave our doors unlocked and have our kids roam the neighbourhood until the street lights turned on, like we did when we were young. Many ran from the city because “not in my backyard.” Well, it’s now in our suburban backyards and we’re struggling to figure out the necessary services and assistance to offer folks who are facing unaffordable housing and homelessness, inflated food prices, mental health crises and drug addiction. And I don’t know why we’re all shocked. Recently, my sister and I attended a town hall with the Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier and Durham Region Police Services chief Peter Moreira. Residents were concerned about everything from homelessness, drug use, mental health, crime rates, housing, and infrastructure —all the same issues folks in Toronto are dealing with. We have this mistaken opinion that we can run away from social ills by leaving larger cities and settling somewhere quieter, more boring, away from the hustle — and problems — of the big city, but also away from the social safety nets that can help people who are in distress. In Durham Region, residents are seeing an influx of unhoused people who are setting up tents in empty fields and ravines. Ajax has the second fastest growing homeless population in the region, after Oshawa and numbers are rising across the area. Asylum seekers have also come to the region looking for support and housing. As the temperatures drop, there is a concern the epidemic of homelessness in the region will become fatal. “We don’t want to lose any of our unhoused friends to freezing,” Margaret Eskins, a board member and advocate with DARS (Dedicated Advocacy Resource Support) Gifts From The Heart, a community outreach organization in Pickering, told durhamregion.com. In October, protesters in Whitby voiced their concerns about opening a low-barrier homeless shelter at 1635 Dundas St. E., which would house 45 residents. They were concerned, and maybe rightfully so, about rising drug use, garbage, property tax and the increasing crime rate in the area. These issues are intersectional and it’s up to us to deal with it — but we’re afraid that the bad, scary things that come with living in a community will arrive in our backyards. Guess what? They’re here. You can’t outrun social issues by moving farther and farther away from the city centre. The problems remain the same, maybe in smaller numbers than in Toronto proper, but the same, nonetheless. At some point, there will be nowhere else to run because it just won’t matter. The problems are nationwide, in both big and small communities. We just need to figure it out, because these are people — members of our communities — who are in crisis and they deserve our help and support. They aren’t simply problems to be dealt with. So, when we say, “not in my backyard,” my question is: whose backyard are we OK with this happening in? SHELLENE DRAKES-TULL IS A TORONTO-BASED STORYTELLER, EDUCATOR AND THE FOUNDER OF SWEET LIME COMMUNICATIONS. SHE IS A FREELANCE CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST FOR THE STAR. You can’t run from social decay You can’t outrun social issues by moving farther and farther away from the city centre, Shellene Drakes-Tull writes. At some point, there will be nowhere else to run because it just won’t matter. COLLEEN O’HARA PHOTO SHELLENE DRAKES-TULL OPINION I am a Palestinian refugee who was born, raised and lived in Jabalia Camp in the Gaza Strip. The son of refugee parents, who lived with successive catastrophes, killing, destruction, loss, homelessness, home demolition, deprivation and the Nakba. My family — brothers, sisters and extended family — still live in Jabalia Camp where many of my family have been killed since Oct. 7. On Jan. 16, 2009, I also saw the death of my daughters and niece when an Israeli tank shelled my house, killing my three daughters, Bessan, Mayar, Aya and niece Nour. For nothing they did. There is no reason to justify the killing of any innocent human being. My answer to the tragedy was if I could know that my daughters were the last sacrifice on the road to peace between Palestinians and Israelis, then I would accept their loss. Sadly, they were just numbers among the tens of thousands of innocents. My life continues to be a war and the war follows us. The war and the suffering in this world are man-made by politicians, who are selling illusion to us. Violence happens when we violate someone’s dignity and human rights. Still, we have discordant world, which is controlled by the military and economic power NOT the power of international law, or ethical and human values. Since Oct. 7, my heart is attached to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. I follow the aggression and the unprecedented escalation with fear, sadness and pain from what I hear and see of massacres, brutal exterminations and heartbreaking bombing and the painful scenes of children and women and the extremely rapid speed of increasing number of thousands the innocent killed, wounded, and displaced. We see the effects of destruction and devastation left behind by the blind and merciless bombing; with the participation and blessing of the U.S. administration and the complicit, civilized West. Silence. Indifference. Global paralysis. Body parts everywhere and missiles that do not differentiate between young and old. The people of Gaza have become moving coffins. Destruction, the smell of blood, death and fear fill everywhere. Nothing remains for them except their belief in their right to freedom. History will judge you for your killing and your silence toward the killing of innocent Palestinians. We always ask children about their future when they are grown up. What do you want to be? Palestinian children’s answer: we are not allowed to grow up. Our childhood is killed. Our fate and our future are to be killed as children. We need to change course. Violence and war are not the solution. It adds more bloodshed, hatred, violence and extremism. An eye for an eye will never help. We all need to come together and to condemn violence, double standards, injustice, and aggression — anywhere and whoever is behind it; in a collective way, not a selective and biased way. For the Western, or what we call civilized, world, it’s time to break the vicious cycle of action and reaction by addressing the root causes of conflict, promoting understanding among nations and communities and respecting the rights, freedom, equality and dignity of all individuals. We can pave the way for lasting peace. “A person is a person through other persons” (A Zulu Idiom). A person’s humanity, equality, justice, dignity and freedom are dependent on the appreciation, preservation and affirmation of other person’s humanity, dignity, and freedom. Acknowledging the significance of Palestinians’ lives, freedom and dignity is not just a moral imperative, but a fundamental step toward building a more just and inclusive world. It is essential to recognize and uphold the inherent worth of every human being, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or background. Embracing this principle promotes equality, justice and mutual respect, fostering a world where everyone’s fundamental rights are acknowledged and protected. The war will end and then all will celebrate victory. There is no victory in a war. Victory is not built at the expense of innocent human beings. War is a defeat and failure. War and injustice are genocides, torture, propaganda. Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish said: “The wars will end, and the leaders will shake hands, and that old woman will remain waiting for her martyred son, and that girl will wait for her beloved husband, and the children will wait for their heroic father. I know who waged the war, but I know who paid the price.” History is to learn from it, we need to focus on the present and the future. The present and the future are our children, who are the hope and life. Yes, I believe there is hope. This is an opportunity. We need an immediate ceasefire and to stop the bloodshed. Enough suffering for all. It’s futile and leads to more animosity. The military war must be replaced by the war for freedom, justice, equality, life and a shared future for Palestinians and Israelis. IZZELDIN ABUELAISH IS PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL HEALTH/ CLINICAL PUBLIC HEALTH DIVISION, DALLA LANA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN JABALIA REFUGEE CAMP IN THE GAZA STRIP. We can pave the way for peace I Z Z E L D I N A B U E L A I S H CONTRIBUTOR OPINION | A17 “Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good?” was Matthew Perry’s final post on Instagram on Oct. 23 just a few days before his death at 54. He was basking in the corner of his warm-water pool in the blue light of dusk, beneath him the city lights of Los Angeles a warm yellow in the blue. Next to him was the hot tub where he would die with even warmer water swirling around. Naturally, every benign moment seems retroactively sinister and heartbreaking if it takes place just before you die. This will happen to all of us. You didn’t know this would be your last taste of wine, the last time you would brush your teeth, the last time your head would hit the pillow and you’d fall asleep. The difference is that Perry was famous, something he had prayed for when he was young. “God, you can do whatever you want to me,” he wrote in his autobiography. “Just please make me famous.” Three weeks later, he became Chandler Bing on the sitcom “Friends.” Fame made his sad final days appear morbidly interesting to the public. And he was still rich with more yearly millions from residuals flowing around him like warm water. This is why some commenters were absurdly cruel. A woman excoriated him for posing beside the pool at another house, rented, in a recent interview. She didn’t have a pool. In fact, she was about to be homeless, she wrote. In other words, she’d love to have his life, dying like Gatsby in a pool. She detested him for telling his story of drug addiction and alcoholism so severe it had made his body repeatedly shrink to stick-size and then hugely bloat. Perry took Vicodin in such quantities that his digestive system froze in place and his colon exploded. If this woman had had his life, she believed she would have dealt with it better. But here’s the thing. She was in fact luckier than Perry. We all are. She was alive and would take action to cope with her day-to-day struggle with life because that’s what you do. She had options. He had none. His body was ruined. He was dying and he knew it. It is almost impossible for an American to imagine that anyone with money and fame might not feel constant euphoria. Isn’t that the ideal state? I have a small home, you have a big home, I wish I were you. I have a big home, you have a bigger home, I wish I were you. Everyone recognizes you wherever you go, I wish I were you. Americans cannot encompass the idea that given money, fame and the ability to pluck the choicest fruits in a golden orchard, they might not be able to contain themselves. But the Puritan spirit is no longer in them. It’s still in Canadians, I believe. We mow down our tall poppies even when they’re stunted by American standards. I’m surprised Perry’s Canadian side hadn’t planted in him the idea that life has limits, particularly self-imposed ones. Not one Vicodin, not five, but 55. It’s unimaginable. Your stomach would feel full, a Christmas dinner of medication. That Perry would go to these lengths to escape himself is astounding. But once you become rich, there is nothing to stop you and that’s the horror of extremity, of pumping yourself with all the materials money can buy until you become foie gras. After a certain point, you don’t have, say, $100 million. The $100 million has you. I wish Perry had never become beautiful, lithe, snappy Chandler Bing. It was good for us but not good for him at all. HEATHER MALLICK IS A TORONTOBASED COLUMNIST COVERING CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR THE STAR. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER: @HEATHERMALLICK The dangerous lure of becoming famous HEATHER MALLICK OPINION

A RT H U R , A19 N F L , A 2 0 S CO R E B OA R D, A 21 A18 ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Boo. It was Halloween, but the booing wasn’t from a ghost in the closet. It was from the fans at the Scotiabank Arena, unhappy with the way the Maple Leafs were performing Tuesday night. And though the Leafs tried to rise from the dead in the third period, with a John Tavares goal, it wasn’t enough and the Los Angeles Kings left town with a 4-1 win. It was hard to blame Joseph Woll for the goals against him. The first was a deflection off Mark Giordano’s stick, for example. And if not for quite a few big side-to-side saves, the score wouldn’t have been that close. The Leafs had dug their own grave early in the game and couldn’t get out of it. They lost in regulation for the first time in five games (3-1-1). Some of the Leafs’ new guys are still not quite fitting in. Max Domi, still goalless, did nothing to enhance his status by taking a thirdperiod penalty for roughing, failing to goad Matt Roy into a fight. And defenceman John Klingberg’s misadventures with the puck — he seems to have forgotten how to pass — cost him his spot on the top power play midway through the game. Morgan Rielly reclaimed the spot, and set up the play that led to Tavares’s third-period power play goal to cut the Kings’ lead to two goals. It looked as if coach Sheldon Keefe’s line blender was going to work as he put out his top players every second shift. But when Klingberg failed to corral an easy pass from William Lagesson, the turnover eventually ended up on Adrian Kempe’s stick and behind Woll. The Kings were scary good. They were relentless in their pursuit of the puck, winning battles along the boards, killing penalties and keeping the Leafs from creating any sort of sustained offence. The one bright spot: William Nylander established a team record with an assist on Tavares’s power play goal. It was originally awarded to Rielly, but the assist extended Nylander’s season-opening consecutivegames points streak to nine games. He officially passed the team record set in 1961 by Frank Mahovlich and matched by Lanny McDonald (1976-77) and John Anderson (1982-83). An extended ‘road trip’ It was a home game that had the feel of a road game. The Leafs were just home from a five-game trip, and will now go back out on the road for a game Thursday in Boston. “I like to approach a game like today like it’s part of the road trip,” said Keefe. “You get to come home, you get to sleep in your own beds, get the support of our fans. But you don’t have enough time to come back from the road to relax and feel like you’re home. We’re getting back on a plane (Wednesday). It’s really kind of part of the trip.” The Kings were, of course, the actual road team. The club added Pierre-Luc Dubois in a trade over the summer with Winnipeg that gives the Kings nearly unrivalled depth at centre, with Anže Kopitar and Phillip Danault long-established in L.A. They haven’t lost on the road here yet and I don’t think that’s by accident,” said Keefe. “I think when you have that depth and those options and that comfort, it helps a lot as a coach. It makes them an even deeper forward group. And guys are really good on both sides of the puck all the way through.” Dangerous Kings The Kings had won all three of their road games this season and opened the game as if they were very hungry for a fourth as they kicked off a three-game road trip. They were the more tenacious of the two teams and created most of the dangerous scoring chances. The Leafs were simply outworked. They generated little by way of scoring chances, and had no extended time in the Kings end. They didn’t even get a shot on their first power play. The Kings meanwhile got the puck when that penalty expired, and defenceman Andreas Englund beat Woll with a lucky shot, deflecting off Giordano’s stick. The Leafs fourth line continues to be a nightmare. Anything that could go wrong with the line did in a series of events that led to L.A.’s second goal. Noah Gregor’s pass to no one in particular was called for icing. Danault won the ensuing draw and worse, Gregor’s stick broke. He went to the bench for a replacement and Danault converted a pass from ex-Leaf Trevor Moore to make it 2-0. Saying farewell to a pal Matt Knies, one of two rookies who made the Leafs, had some kind words for Fraser Minten, the rookie who was sent back to junior last week. “Good luck, enjoy,” said Knies. “He’s going to be back here soon. He’s playing with his brother (Bryce) now in junior. It’s short time to be in junior, so just enjoy it. Get better, develop and be a leader there.” M A P L E L E A F S Not fit for the Kings Early mistakes prove costly as sluggish Leafs get outworked in loss to visiting Los Angeles K E V I N M CG R A N S P O RTS R E P O RT E R Maple Leafs defenceman John Klingberg looks to the big screen after the Kings net their fourth goal of the game on Tuesday. TORONTO STAR The player whose skate cut Adam Johnson’s neck in a game Saturday has been the target of racist attacks on social media, a response experts say is typical for racialized players in sport. Johnson was playing for Nottingham in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League after spending parts of two seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His neck was cut during a collision with Matt Petgrave, an opposing player. Johnson was 29. Petgrave, who is Black, is from Toronto. His last name was trending Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter, with more than 43,000 posts. “There is a consistent pattern of trying to make hockey a hostile space for players who aren’t white,” said Courtney Szto, an assistant professor at Queen’s University who studies the experience of racialized players in hockey. Petgrave played for the Brampton Beast of the ECHL for four seasons while also playing 36 games in the AHL over that span. He started playing for the Sheffield Steelers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in 2022. Players who are the target of online abuse can suffer “serious emotional impacts,” according to Colm Kearns, who researches abuse in sport at Dublin City University in Ireland. “Anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation,” Kearns said, noting that the impact doesn’t stop at the individual player. “It’s a much wider problem in poisoning the well of sport in general and making sport an unwelcome space.” Jalen Smereck, a defenceman with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, knows what experiencing abuse is like first-hand. While playing in Ukraine in 2021, Smereck was the target of a racist taunt by a player on an opposing team. When the player — Andrei Deniskin — missed only three games, with the choice to miss another 10 or pay a fine equivalent to $1,870, Smereck took a leave of absence from the team and vowed to not play until Deniskin was removed from the league. Now, Smereck is witnessing more abuse. “It kinda just takes it all back to square one,” he said of the hate targeting Petgrave. “All these cruel, crazy things that people are sharing on social media, it’s just kind of hard to see.” He said the only way to get away from it is to delete social media. Petgrave’s X account is already private. “That’s really the only way you can kinda give yourself a break and try not to think about it,” Smereck said. Smereck also said staying connected with friends and family is key — anything to take your mind off the sport. The racial abuse directed at Petgrave is nothing new. In one notable incident, three English soccer players — who are Black — faced racism and harassment online after missing penalty kicks in the final of the Euro 2020 championship. “It’s one thing to say, ‘you suck,’ ” said Jimmy Sanderson, an associate professor at Texas Tech University who researches social media and sports. “(But) people will straight up say, ‘I hope you die. I hope your family dies. I hope you get murdered’ … That’s where I think a lot of the mental health issues and psychological issues come in.” The damage also extends to how welcome the sport is to people of colour. “This doesn’t persuade other communities to get involved in hockey,” said Sabrina Razack, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto who did her PhD on the intersection of media, race and sport. “It just reinforces that idea of, stay in your lane and stick to the sports that you ‘should be playing.’ ” HOCKEY Racist attacks follow death of player M A R K CO L L E Y STA F F R E P O RT E R PROBE O F D E AT H ONGOING South Yorkshire Police say the investigation into the death of hockey player Adam Johnson remains ongoing. Police said Wednesday that officers have finished their work at the arena and have moved on to a wider investigation. THE CANADIAN PRESS Kings 4 Leafs 1 Next: Tomorrow at Bruins

SPORTS | A19 TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 HAPPY NIGHT IN HALIFAX Christine Sinclair, second from right, celebrates a goal with Canadian teammates in a friendly match against Brazil in Halifax on Tuesday night. A sold-out crowd braved close to freezing temperatures to watch one of Sinclair’s final appearances for Canada. STEVE MCKINLEY TORONTO STAR I regret to report that James Harden has, once again, been given what he wants. This time, it was a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers. Before that, it was a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, and before that, a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. Before that it was MVP votes and strip clubs and playoff failures in Houston as far as the eye could see, though in fairness, he may still visit the strip clubs. They’re only a flight away. The NBA is a league of stars, and this is the star empowerment era, and nobody has pushed this idea more unpleasantly and successfully to its logical conclusion than Harden. After getting traded from Oklahoma City to Houston he bent the game: his step-back three was so feared that some teams tried to defend him by standing beside him. Harden led the league in scoring, ground his way to the free-throw line like the guy you’d least like to play against at the Y, won an MVP. When he was traded, the Rockets thanked him. Since then, he’s been trying on teams like they’re pants at the store. In Brooklyn Harden played with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving — Kyrie has burnt his own bridges, and Dallas is probably holding its breath over his next Instagram post — but Harden didn’t like it. In Philadelphia he played with Joel Embiid — who may be the next star to be chased, we’ll see — but Harden didn’t like it. He brought some more playoff meltdowns with him. The end in Philly was very ugly, with Harden calling Sixers president Daryl Morey a liar while in China; Morey, remember, once tweeted Free Hong Kong, in a laudable moment of principle which cost the NBA several hundred million dollars. At one point Harden stayed away from the team and then showed up for a team flight, only to be told he wasn’t on the manifest. In the trade Philly landed two Clippers first-rounders, one as a pick swap, a first-rounder from OKC, two second-rounders, four power forwards, and the comfort of knowing James Harden now works 3,000 miles away. Morey also gets a chance to turn the picks and next year’s salary space into something that keeps Embiid from wanting a trade. Divorces can be messy. And with the Clippers, Harden will play with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, bench scorers Norm Powell and Bones Hyland, Terance Mann, two semifunctional centres, and P.J. Tucker. It’s not clear that the Clippers traded for extra basketballs, but ultrarich owner Steve Ballmer can probably buy some. Can only use one in the game, though. When Kawhi left Toronto he left behind a Toronto team that could have won another title — as it stood, that bubble Raptors team might have repeated had Pascal Siakam touched a ball in the first three months of the pandemic. Now the Clippers are all-in on Kawhi, who is 32 with a degenerative quad and knee, George and Harden at 33, and whatever is left of Westbrook. The Clips traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a pile of picks for George, and Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to be the greatest Canadian who has ever played. They now do not control their first-round pick until 2030. The bill is coming, sooner or later. Will Harden like it there? Hope springs eternal. There’s still a chance he winds up as, like, a Knick. But again, this is life in the NBA now. True free agency for stars, and even for second-level stars, is dead. Durant chose to play in Golden State, then Brooklyn, then Phoenix. Before him LeBron James chose to play with Miami, then Cleveland, then the Lakers. Damian Lillard, with four years left on his contract, chose to be traded to Milwaukee. (The never-accepted Raptors trade parameters for Dame may still wind up as the superior ones; it just won’t matter.) Harden is one of the least appealing stars in the league, but he’s gotten to where he wants to go three times in three years. In the NBA if you want a star you have to build a program or play in a city where stars want to go to, or you need to steal players right before they becomes stars through trade or the draft; otherwise, you’re out of luck. If you bet on the wrong star you have to pivot and hope you didn’t give up too much of your future, or go further into hock. That’s what the Clippers are doing. But this is how the league works, more and more, and it is germane to the Raptors. Scottie Barnes is becoming a star on a team that can’t score, and which through four games mostly looks like Kevin O’Neill is coaching again. A highlevel creator on offence would solve a lot of problems, and maybe Toronto could trade Siakam for someone like Chicago’s Zach LaVine, sure. But if the Raptors don’t show some more promise, the star recruitment program will continue to suffer, and their free agent forwards — O.G. Anunoby and Siakam — could be in demand next summer. Meanwhile, Philly will have max cap space and could sure use a forward to play with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. The Raptors turned down three first-rounders for Anunoby at the trade deadline, but they were not very good picks: two came in the back end of the 2023 first round. Clippers picks in 2028 and 2029 are admittedly more valuable, and in fairness, no team knows more about the future of Kawhi’s knee than Toronto. Either way, another star has been moved, and he was never on Toronto’s radar, and conditions in this league and on this team will continue to evolve. James Harden is a Clipper. Maybe this time, he’ll be happy. TWITTER: @BRUCE_ARTHUR NBA Harden gets his way, again Raptors miss out on another star as disgruntled guard lands with Clippers BRUCE ARTHUR OPINION James Harden demanded that the 76ers trade him, and the team obliged. S A N T I A G O , C H I L E Shady El Nahas captured Pan American Games judo gold Monday in the men’s 100-kilogram class. Canada has 105 medals after 10 days of competition — 35 golds, 32 silvers and 38 bronze. The 25-year-old from Toronto defeated Chile’s Thomas Briceno in the final by a match-ending ippon, which is defined as either a successful throw of an opponent onto his or her back, or a pin lasting 20 seconds. After winning a bronze medal in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam late last week, El Nahas said he arrived in Santiago, Chile, feeling sore and injured. “I came here and I was like ‘no injury, no time limit, no jet lag is going to stop me from winning’ and that was my goal and I’m glad I achieved it,” El Nahas said. “I live by the code ‘dare to be great.’ I dared to be great today. I’m glad that Judo Canada got a gold medal and (also) Team Canada.” El Nahas won Commonwealth Games gold in 2022 and placed fifth in the Olympic Games two years ago in Tokyo. Also Monday, teenage surfer Sanoa Dempfle-Olin of Tofino, B.C., earned silver in the women’s event and provisionally qualified for next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Vancouver’s Spencer Finn earned a bronze medal in men’s standup paddleboard surfing. Fencer Dylan French of Richmond, B.C., was the first Canadian ever to be crowned Pan Am Games champion in the men’s individual épée. The last Canadian to win gold in any individual fencing event at the Pan Am Games was Philippe Beaudry at Guadalajara 2011 in the men’s sabre. Two Canadians captured medals in the women’s individual foil: Eleanor Harvey of Hamilton won the silver medal, while Jessica Guo of Toronto claimed bronze. PA N A M G A M E S El Nahas wins judo gold for Canada T H E CA N A D I A N P R E SS “I dared to be great today,” said Toronto’s Shady El Nahas. The Toronto Raptors is choosing to keep a positive attitude despite a 1-3 start to the season — with an even tougher stretch coming up. “There are a couple of games where I felt like we played well enough to win but we didn’t,” Raptors star forward Pascal Siakam said Tuesday after practice. That’s a reference to last Friday’s roller-coaster game against the Chicago Bulls, which the Raptors lost in overtime, as well as Monday night’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. So why exactly did the Raptors lose those games that, at least on paper, looked winnable? “We didn’t rebound well enough, (there were) possessions out there where we played good defence and just didn’t finish the possession, giving them second-chance opportunities, sometimes even third,” Siakam said. “It’s kind of tough to win that way. And then obviously we didn’t shoot the ball well from three.” That last point is almost an understatement. The Raptors were horrendous from the three-point range on Monday, making only four of their 29 takes on the night as a team — 14 per cent. On Friday against the Bulls, they made eight of their 39 attempts from three, a slightly better but still abysmal 20 per cent. In a league predicated on taking and making three-point shots, the Raptors have looked less than ideal over the first four games of the season in that category. The exception was Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, when the team shot an impressive 53 per cent from three-point territory — including their first seven threes before ending up 17-of-32. Rookie Gradey Dick made four out of six. That, plus some solid defensive plays that have characterized the team during a number of stretches of the games, are part of what the team hopes to take forward as they embark on yet another part of the schedule that is deemed challenging. The Raptors host a familiar but vastly reinvigorated foe in Milwaukee Bucks with Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo on Wednesday. They head to Philadelphia for the second half of the back-to-back Thursday. On Sunday, rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will be waiting. The Raptors then head to Dallas to face Luka Doncic and the Mavericks on Wednesday before finishing off the tough road trip in Boston on Saturday. Despite the young season, Siakam called them “must-win games.” “We’ve got to win these games,” the two-time all-NBA player said. “We just have to go out there with that approach, giving everything that we have to win.” Coach Darko Rajakovic has been beating that drum of staying together as a team since the day he was introduced in Toronto back in June. With the team now in a slump, the messaging remains the same: glass half full. “I look on the positives and I look at what we can be and what we need to do and what is in our control,” he said. Rajakovic likes his team’s high number of assists, which would be even better if the threes were falling. “But when you shoot 4-for-29, everything else gets magnified,” he said. “Our margin to win games is not big, so we need every player to contribute.” RAPTORS Siakam says next games are ‘must-win’ G I L B E RT N G A B O S P O RTS R E P O RT E R Bucks at Raptors 7 p.m. TSN4 TONIGHT The Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty was drafted by the Kings as the No. 2 pick in the 2008. An Oct. 31 column mistakenly said he was the No. 1 pick. CORRECTION

A20 | SPORTS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR VARIETY TASTER 6 PACK $19.99 NEXT DAY FREE DELIVERY* * If orders are placed before 2pm. Some exclusions apply. Delivered by Metroland Parcel Services with 2U4Unow.com 2U4Unow.com WORLD SERIES: GAME 4 Josh Jung scores for the Texas Rangers on a wild pitch by Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Miguel Castro during Game 4 of the World Series in Phoenix on Tuesday night. The game ended too late for the Star’s deadline. Check thestar.com for full coverage. BRYNN ANDERSON THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BASEBALL Rangers’ Garcia, Scherzer out Texas Rangers slugger Adolis García and pitcher Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the World Series after getting hurt in Game 3 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Infielder/outfielder Ezequiel Duran and left-hander Brock Burke were added to the roster. García and Scherzer are ineligible to return. García has a moderate strain of his left oblique. Scherzer has a muscle spasm in the right side of his back. FOOTBALL Lumsden in mix for top Elks job According to two sources, Neil Lumsden, who won three Grey Cups as a fullback with Edmonton, has emerged as a candidate for the Elks’ full-time president position. Lumsden, of London, Ont., is currently Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. On Tuesday, Lumsden told reporters he has not spoken to anyone about the Elks’ job and said he wasn’t interested in the post. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity as the Elks have not divulged any details regarding their search. Fournette inks deal with Bills The Buffalo Bills replenished their running back depth by signing Leonard Fournette to their practice squad on Tuesday. Fournette, a sixyear NFL veteran, has been out of football since being released by Tampa Bay in February. The 28- year-old fills a spot left open when the Bills signed running back Ty Johnson to their active roster after Damien Harris (neck) was placed on injured reserve 10 days ago. STAR WIRE SERVICES S P O RT S D I G E S T Derrick Henry, Davante Adams and everyone on the Denver Broncos stayed put. Chase Young, Montez Sweat and Joshua Dobbs are on the move. Rasul Douglas, Ezra Cleveland and Donovan Peoples-Jones also were dealt Tuesday before the NFL’s trade deadline at 4 p.m. EDT. Overall, there were six deals on the final day teams could improve their rosters by acquiring someone from another club. The San Francisco 49ers (5-3) made the biggest move of the day, getting Young from the Washington Commanders for a compensatory third-round draft pick. Young, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick, joins former Ohio State teammate Nick Bosa on San Francisco’s defensive line. Young was limited to just 12 games over the past two seasons because of injuries. He has five sacks in seven games this season and should provide a major boost for the suddenly struggling 49ers, who’ve lost three in a row. The Commanders traded their top pass rusher, Sweat, to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick. Sweat, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, wasn’t going to be re-signed by Washington (3-5). The Bears (2-6) are headed nowhere, but have to be planning to keep Sweat, who has 61 ⁄2 sacks this season. He was Washington’s firstround pick in 2019. Dobbs, who was Arizona’s starting quarterback this season, goes to Minnesota to help replace the injured Kirk Cousins. The Vikings sent a sixth-round draft pick to the Cardinals and also receive a conditional seventh-rounder with Dobbs in return. Dobbs joins his seventh team in seven seasons and third since training camp. He threw for 1,569 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions for the Cardinals (1-7). He also has rushed for 258 yards and three scores. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said the team is preparing rookie Jaren Hall to start this week against Atlanta, but wouldn’t rule out using Dobbs. Minnesota (4-4) lost Cousins for the season after he tore his Achilles tendon. “I’ve always kind of been a fan of the combination of his skill set from a standpoint of being able to provide some athleticism, make some plays in the pocket, outside the pocket,” O’Connell said about Dobbs on Sirius XM. “I think he’s a very intelligent guy, which gives us an opportunity to get him in here in a short amount of time and try to prepare him for any snaps when that may occur. But at the same time, I think we’re excited and confident in Jaren Hall and what we can put together a game plan for Jaren where he can go out against a really good team on the road in a tough environment down in Atlanta and hopefully play good football.” The AFC South-leading Jaguars (6-2) improved their offensive line by getting Cleveland from Minnesota for a sixth-round pick. Cleveland had started 45 consecutive games at left guard before missing the past two because of a foot injury. Walker Little, Jacksonville’s starting left guard has been dealing with a knee injury. “It’s just a matter of getting him caught up and getting him in the room with a really good offensive line,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN. “Getting a guy like Ezra, we got a starting-type guard. Really, really solidifies our offensive line and makes us better.” Douglas, a ball-hawking cornerback with 10 interceptions in his past 36 games in Green Bay, goes to Buffalo along with a fifth-round pick for a fourth-rounder. The Bills fill an immediate need at cornerback at a reasonable price. Douglas will count about $600,000 (U.S.) against the salary cap for a team that entered the day with around $4.1 million available. Douglas will get a chance to take Tre’Davious White’s spot at left cornerback. White tore his right Achilles tendon in a 48-20 win over Miami on Oct. 1. Kaiir Elam, Buffalo’s 2022 firstround draft pick, struggled in his bid to replace White and was inactive last weekend, with fourthyear backup Dane Jackson taking over. The Detroit Lions (6-2) added depth at wide receiver by acquiring Peoples-Jones from Cleveland for a 2025 sixth-round pick. PeopleJones has eight catches for 97 yards this season after catching 61 passes for 839 yards last season. The Jets (4-3) didn’t make a trade, but signed 35-year-old veteran lineman Rodger Saffold to the practice squad to bolster an injury-depleted group. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NFL As deadline looms, Washington trades away pass rushers Young rejoins former teammate Bosa with 49ers, Sweat lands with Bears R O B M A A D D I Montez Sweat, left, and Chase Young will no longer be playing together on the Washington defensive line. JACK DEMPSEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Joshua Dobbs, who was Arizona’s starting quarterback, goes to Minnesota to help replace the injured Kirk Cousins

A22 | WEATHER ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR The day gets off to a slow start and doesn’t really pick up until the late afternoon. But that might not necessarily be a bad thing, as we could all probably use a breather. With any work that needs to be done, it’s probably best to save the heavy lifting for later in the day or put it off until tomorrow if possible. Toward the evening, the focus shifts to home, family and our emotional well-being. It can be an ideal time to connect with loved ones or make important decisions concerning our finances or private lives. ARIES (March 21 to April 19) You might be socially fatigued, which is always a good excuse to set your notifications to Do Not Disturb. Staying home or turning in early might also be a good bet. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Support will arrive if you ask for it. Don’t assume that you have to go it alone. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Be mindful of letting the voice of self-doubt creep into your thoughts. Remember your worth. CANCER (June 21 to July 22) If you’re not exactly raring to go today, give yourself permission to take it easy. Come the afternoon, you should be in better spirits. LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22) If you’re not clear on someone’s intentions, keep your guard up for now. VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22) If you’re trying to rally people together, don’t take it personally if they aren’t on board right away. Give them time; they’ll come around. LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22) Plans may be unclear today, so stay flexible. You’ll be able to find your direction soon enough. SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) Don’t feel rushed to make a decision if you’re uncertain about what you want. If you need clarity, listen to your heart’s truth. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21) Exercise your boundaries as needed. If you’re matched with any opposition, know that “no” is a complete sentence. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19) Getting advice from someone you trust may be better than trying to figure things out on your own. They may be able to provide you with insight. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18) Be practical with your financial decision-making. You may end up saving or making yourself some money. PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20) If you’re feeling blah, be proactive in finding or creating joy for yourself. FOR TODAY’S BIRTHDAY You don’t shy away from hard work, nor do you shy away from love. You understand the value of putting in time and dedication to achieve your goals. You also understand the value of honouring your emotions and giving others the space to do the same. You execute plans and decisions with precision. You don’t lose your cool over little things, and you always remain strong in the face of a challenge. You consistently exhibit traits of honesty and integrity, which makes you a beacon of trustworthiness and respect among those around you. This year, you can turn a dream into something real. BIRTHDATE OF Penn Badgley, actor; Toni Collette, actor/producer; Lyle Lovett, singer/musician. STARS MECCA WOODS HOROSCOPES Q My son and his wife recently had a baby, our first grandchild. We are over the moon with happiness. We really like our daughterin-law and keep quiet when she sometimes comes up with rules or information that are counter-intuitive to how we raised our three children. We know we are fortunate to have them in the same city, close by and part of our lives often. I see them, and the baby, at least three times a week and often babysit. My husband is still working while I am mostly retired. However, for many years, I have a few standing activities in my schedule that include other people. Both my son and daughter-in-law know of these. Yes, sometimes I miss them for an appointment scheduled out of my control or when we are out of town but, for the most part, I’m committed. Recently, on three separate occasions, my daughter-in-law asked me to babysit during one of those set activities. The first was a last-minute ask as she was given an appointment she couldn’t change. So, of course, I said yes. The second time, she seemed to genuinely have forgotten, and when I said I couldn’t, she seemed fine. But the third time, she was asking so she could go for lunch with a friend (not a time-sensitive activity) and, when I said no, she got really upset and told my son she would never let us babysit our grandbaby again. I don’t know how I’m supposed to react. It’s outrageous she would keep us from seeing the baby because I said no to one babysitting ask. Grateful Grandmother A From your point of view, that does seem an extreme response and unfair. But what matters most is making sure you can all spend valuable family time together, so let’s wade through the emotions and find a solution. I suggest you invite your son, daughter-in-law and the baby over for dinner at a time that works best for them. Show them all love and kindness. Then ask your daughter-in-law if she would like to schedule a standing babysitting time with you, which would leave her open to have a standing commitment of her own. You could also suggest she put a note in her phone with your availability (and her own mother’s schedule). She’s a brand-new mom. Give her grace. Feedback A solution for the grandparents wishing for an early Christmas with their grandchildren (Sept. 27): Reader No. 1 “This was our solution: Our daughter and family were taking a Christmas vacation with her in-laws’ families, so we planned ahead. We had to celebrate on the first Saturday in December, which was the only date we all had available. “We bought and set up our Christmas tree and decorated the house. That day, when our two children and their families arrived (four grandkids, aged three to nine years old), we had gifts under the tree, stockings stuffed and a note on the coffee table from Earl the Elf … the elf in charge of ‘early celebrations.’ He was pleased Nana had sent a note to the North Pole in time to get on his list. And stated that Santa would still find the families on Christmas Eve as usual. The gifts under the tree were from family members … for adults and kids. The stocking gifts were from Santa, along with a puzzle or game for all to enjoy together. “It was so much fun for all of us to see the kids’ excitement over Earl’s letter … the printing was fancy and colourful on special paper. You just have to get creative to be sure everyone in the family gets to enjoy the Christmas season whenever that happens!” Reader #2 “If it helps, don’t call it a second Christmas; call it a tree-trimming party, or a getting-in-the-Christmas-spirit party. The grandparents would have an opportunity to give the children their gifts and enjoy time with their family before they head south for the winter, and the rest of them can still continue their Christmas morning traditions. “Many families work around distances and work schedules to celebrate and exchange gifts in whatever way works for them.” ELLIE TESHER AND LISI TESHER ARE ADVICE COLUMNISTS FOR THE STAR AND BASED IN TORONTO. SEND YOUR RELATIONSHIP QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL: [emailprotected] OR [emailprotected]. Daughter-in-law says I can no longer babysit LISI TESHER ADVICE

M A R K E T P L AC E B 5 SECTION B WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR ON ON0 Matthew Perry’s sitcom co-stars ‘utterly devastated’ by his death B8 TELEVISION A lost Friend Focus on DeSantis’s boots is missing the point Menon B10 OPINION Heel turn n The OSC has ordered an investigation following the death of a Toronto hedge fund manager and tens of millions in losses in the fund. B2 n Telus says it is partnering with EV charging network operator Flo to provide tech support. B2 n British PM Rishi Sunak is hosting a two-day summit on frontier AI, with officials from 28 countries attending. B3 TO DAY ’ S N E WS S&P/TSX 18,873.47 + 16.71 S&P 500 4,193.80 + 26.98 DJIA 33,052.87 + 123.91 NASDAQ 12,851.23 + 61.75 DOLLAR 72.09 ¢ - 0.20 GOLD US $1,994.30 - US $11.30 OIL US $81.02 - US $1.29 NATURAL GAS US $3.575 + US $0.223 MARKETS Deloitte must pay $1.59 million in fines and costs after several of its auditors in the province engaged in “deliberate backdating,” an act that breaches CPA Ontario’s professional code of conduct, according to CPA’s press release on Tuesday. CPA Ontario, the regulator responsible for licensing and overseeing professional accountants and accounting firms, said that between November 2016 and May 2018, a number of auditors adjusted the clocks on their computers to override controls in Deloitte’s audit software and change working paper sign-off dates. During this time, about 35 Deloitte CPA Ontario members engaged in the backdating of more than 930 audit working papers in at least 39 audit engagements, the CPA said. The practice, which in this case mostly consisted of modifying the working paper sign-off date to some time prior to the physical sign-off date, is considered an ethical violation by accountants. “Backdating obscures when and what work was performed and reviewed,” Janet Gillies, executive vice-president at CPA Ontario said BANKING Deloitte to pay $1.59M in fines for backdating Practice considered an ethical violation by accountants A N A P E R E I R A STA F F R E P O RT E R SEE DELOITTE, B4 Canada appears to be heading for a technical recession, according to new GDP figures released Tuesday, with more financial pain coming for weary Canadians already struggling with inflation, high interest rates and the threat of more job losses. Real gross domestic product remained “essentially” unchanged for a second consecutive month, according to Statistics Canada data, and analysts say that if you look at GDP on a per-capita basis, stripping out the effect of the country’s rapidly growing population, the recession is already here. “The GDP hasn’t done anything since April now,” said Philip Cross, senior fellow at the MacdonaldLaurier Institute. “If you took account of the population growth in Canada, it would look that much worse.” A technical recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth, but economists generally look for broader-based weakness to qualify a downturn as a full ECONOMY Data shows Canada may be in recession GDP has remained ‘essentially’ unchanged for two months in row J E R E MY N U T TA L L B U S I N E SS R E P O RT E R SEE ECONOMY, B4 MONTREAL From his offices on the 34th floor of 1 Place Ville Marie, Martin Imbleau has a nearly panoramic view of Montreal. Clearly in view are Central Station and Victoria Bridge, which are both essential to passenger and freight traffic through the city. Less evident is the route to be traced by Via Rail’s planned highfrequency rail (HFR) line from Toronto to Quebec City, a project headed by Imbleau to build a new set of dedicated tracks slated for completion in the mid-2030s. Simply entering and exiting big cities quickly will be one of the thornie*st challenges, Imbleau said. “If you go to the Gare Centrale or Union Station or even the Gare du Palais in Quebec (City), you realize that on the last segment to reach those train stations the trains go fairly slowly. So it really affects your journey time,” Imbleau, CEO of Via HFR Inc. — an arm’s-length subsidiary of the passenger rail Crown corporation — said in an interview. “One of the constraints is to get in and get out of the cities in a faster way.” The existing tracks in and around the Greater Toronto Area are largely owned by regional transport authority Metrolinx and Canadian National Railway Co., with little room for more lines in a dense downtown. In Quebec, the planned route from its capital along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River to Montreal would likely mean entering that city from the north. This raises the question of whether a new tunnel through Mount Royal would be created — the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s infrastructure arm has ruled out a second set of tracks through the TRANSPORTATION “It’s not about frequency only. It’s about being fast. It’s about being reliable,” said Martin Imbleau, above, head of Via Rail’s new high-frequency rail project. CHRISTINNE MUSCHI THE CANADIAN PRESS Via’s big rail project faces huge hurdles Planned line will link Toronto and Quebec City C H R I S TO P H E R R E Y N O L D S SEE RAIL, B4 More than $900 billion in mortgages at Canadian banks are set to renew in the next three years, increasing the risk of credit losses as some borrowers see payments rise by nearly half at renewal, according to analysts at RBC. In a report titled “Canadian Banks: A review of mortgage payment shock,” a team of RBC researchers led by analyst Darko Mihelic revealed that about 60 per cent of mortgages at Canadian chartered banks are set to renew between now and 2026, hurting banks’ profits and homeowners’ wallets amid soaring borrowing costs. Those who set up fixed-rate mortgage terms before the Bank of Canada started raising its key interest rate, to five per cent in October from 0.25 per cent in March 2022, will face sudden and significant increases in their monthly payments, according to the report’s authors. “Unless there are significant declines in interest rates, we believe that credit losses will inevitably rise, perhaps significantly in 2025 and beyond,” the report said. (Credit losses are an estimate of outstanding payments owed to a company that it does not expect to recover, including mortgage defaults.) This year, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada’s banking regulator, ordered big banks to set aside billions more in rainy-day funds to prepare for debt defaults. As a result, banks have nearly tripled the amount set aside for bad loans in their most recent earnings compared to the third quarter last year. Carl De Souza, senior vice-president at DBRS Morningstar, said the banks are preparing for the upcoming payment shocks, adding that MORTGAGES RBC warns of a ‘shock’ on horizon 60% of home loans are up for renewal in next three years A N A P E R E I R A STA F F R E P O RT E R SEE MORTGAGES, B4

B2 | BUSINESS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Indigo Books and Music reported online sales of $370 million, and total sales of $904.7 million for 2020. An Oct. 21 article about the turmoil at the retail chain misstated the yearly sales figure. CORRECTION EARNINGS TMX profit jumps despite higher expenses TMX Group Ltd. reported its thirdquarter profit rose compared with a year ago, helped by higher revenue, partly offset by an increase in operating expenses. The operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange says its earned net income attributable to equity holders totalled $85.3 million or 31 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result was up from a profit of $81 million or 29 cents per diluted share in the same quarter last year. Uranium miner Cameco hikes revenue outlook Cameco Corp. raised its revenue outlook for 2023 and reported a profit of $148 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss a year ago. The uranium miner says the profit amounted to 34 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a loss of $20 million or five cents per diluted share a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter totalled $575 million, up from $389 million in the same quarter last year. RETAIL Canadian Tire to own 100% of financial service Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. has signed a deal to buy back the 20 per cent stake in Canadian Tire Financial Services that is owned by Scotiabank for $895 million. The move restores the retailer’s full ownership over the business. Canadian Tire will record a charge of $328 million related to the transaction. STAR WIRE SERVICES B U S I N E S S B R I E F S Telus Corp. announced a deal Tuesday with electric vehicle charging network operator Flo to help improve reliability as adoption of clean vehicle technology is expected to ramp up. Flo will use Telus’ technology to monitor at least 60,000 chargers in Canada and the U.S. over the next five years and help provide support when they aren’t working as they’re supposed to. “This agreement really helps support the development of critical infrastructure to meet the future demand,” said Ali Barakat, Telus vicepresident of commercial sales for Quebec and Atlantic. All light-duty vehicles sold in Canada are required to be zero-emission by 2035, but the availability and reliability of public chargers remains a concern as uptake increases. By 2030, Canada will need to have around 200,000 publicly accessible chargers, according to an analysis last year by the federal government. An April 2022 study conducted by Pollution Probe, a Canadian charitable environmental organization, found 59 per cent of electric vehicle consumers disagreed with the statement that there is currently an adequate level of public charging stations in Canada. Asked about charging maintenance, 21 per cent of respondents agreed that charging stations they attempt to use are often out of service. The study, commissioned by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, found 43 per cent of respondents have had concerns about being stranded due to charging stations being out of service. With its network of charging stations located across Canada, more than 1.5 million charging sessions occur each month through Flo’s infrastructure, according to the company. It said its charger network is functional about 98 per cent of the time, while Telus said its network is 99.99 per cent reliable. “As EV adoption is increasing, the infrastructure is becoming more and more an essential service so we want to make sure that we have a very good uptime,” Flo chief network and experience officer Martin Brière said. “What this allows us to do is to have real-time status of our chargers to be able to do remote diagnostics and ensure that if a station is not working to its full capability, that we are able to dispatch either one of our own technicians or (a contractor).” The companies did not disclose terms of the agreement. Barakat said the partnership builds on previous forays by Telus into the electric vehicle space. Earlier this year, Telus announced a partnership with Australian electric vehicle charging company Jolt to install up to 5,000 public fast chargers across Canada, running on the company’s network. “It really demonstrates Telus’ long-standing commitment to leverage technology, products and services to build a better and more sustainable future,” Barakat said. THE CANADIAN PRESS TELECOMS Telus, EV charging company sign deal Technology will be used to monitor network of stations S A M MY H U D E S Flo will use Telus Corp.’s technology to monitor at least 60,000 chargers in Canada and the U.S. over the next five years and help provide support when they aren’t working. TORONTO STAR The sudden death of a Torontobased hedge fund manager has prompted an investigation into tens of millions of dollars in losses the fund appears to have run up. The Ontario Securities Commission issued the temporary order to halt the fund’s trades as it investigates the financial condition of Traynor Ridge Capital Inc. and a series of failed trades that saddled three brokerage firms with losses, the regulator said in an Oct. 30 filing. The firms were left with losses ranging from $85 million to $95 million after completing trades for Traynor during the week of Oct. 23. Christopher Callahan, the fund’s chief compliance officer and its ultimate designated person, was reported dead Oct. 28, the OSC said. Traynor’s website describes Callahan as the firm’s founder and lead portfolio manager. His LinkedIn profile says he had worked there for nearly four years following stints at other firms since he graduated from Queen’s University in 2014. “It appears to the commission that Traynor is in serious financial difficulty,” the regulator said in its filing. “Further investigation of these events is required.” CIBC World Markets Inc., Traynor’s prime broker, terminated its prime brokerage service agreement with the fund because it became unresponsive, OSC said in the filing. Representatives for Traynor and CIBC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The TR1 Fund, one of three investment vehicles operated by Traynor, uses what it called an event-driven, market neutral strategy that aims to capitalize on market inefficiencies in publicly traded securities. Callahan had been at Traynor since January 2020 after working for another Toronto-based firm — HGC Investment Management Inc. — for less than four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. HGC president Brett Lindros said he had not seen much of Callahan in recent years and knew little about the investment strategy he used at Traynor. He said Callahan spent much of his time at HGC working as an analyst. “I liked Chris a lot. He was a good guy,” Lindros said. “It’s very sad news.” Traynor Ridge started off investing in special purpose acquisition companies, according to a person familiar with the fund’s activity. The hedge fund then began trading convertible securities, preferred shares and U.S. cannabis stocks, including Curaleaf Holdings Inc. and Cresco Labs Inc., said the person, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. Traynor’s assets under management peaked at more than $100 million, said the person. Most of Traynor Ridge’s money came from clients of Torontobased Westcourt Capital Corp., according to David Kaufman, Westcourt’s chair and co-chief executive officer. Toronto police did not immediately respond to inquiries about Callahan’s death. BLOOMBERG S TO C K M A R K E T Trades halted after manager’s death Ontario regulator launches investigation after tens of millions in losses run up by hedge fund E S T E B A N D U A RT E , L AYA N O D E H A N D D E R E K D EC LO E T ‘‘ It appears to the commission that Traynor is in serious financial difficulty. ONTARIO SECURITIES COMMISSION WASHINGTON The U.S. Federal Reserve is poised to leave its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday at a time when the Fed faces an economy that has proved resilient but is nevertheless under pressure from surging interest rates, overseas turmoil and anxious investors. U.S. economic growth surged in the July-September quarter on the back of robust consumer spending, and inflation showed signs last month of staying uncomfortably high. Chair Jerome Powell will want to make sure the economy cools and that inflation resumes its descent before signalling any let-up in the Fed’s drive to slow inflation to its two per cent target level. At the same time, turbulent financial markets have pushed up longer-term rates on U.S. Treasurys, driven stock prices lower and raised corporate borrowing costs. Powell and other Fed policymakers have said they think those trends may contribute to an economic slowdown — and, in process, ease inflation pressures — without the need for further rate hikes. Economists at Wall Street banks have estimated that sharp losses in the stock and bond markets over the past few months will have a depressive effect on the economy equal to the impact of three or four quarter-point rate hikes by the Fed. “It’s clearly a tightening in financial conditions,” Powell said this month. Market analysts say an array of factors have combined to force up Treasury yields. For one thing, the government is expected to sell potentially trillions of dollars more in bonds in the coming years to finance huge and persistent budget deficits even as the Fed is shrinking its holdings of bonds. As a result, higher Treasury rates may be needed to attract more buyers. And with the future path of rates murkier than usual, investors are demanding higher yields in return for the greater risk of holding longer-term bonds. What’s important for the Fed is that the yield on the 10-year Treasury has continued to zoom higher even without rate hikes by the central bank. That suggests that Treasury yields may stay unusually high even if the Fed keeps its own benchmark rate on hold. Many business and consumer loan rates might, in turn, also stay high, helping keep a lid on growth and inflation. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS I N T E R E S T R AT E S U.S. Federal Reserve expected to sit on sidelines C H R I S TO P H E R R U G A B E R Economists at Wall Street banks have estimated that sharp losses in the stock and bond markets will have a depressive effect on the economy

BUSINESS | B3 TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 Apple Inc. could be forced to scale back its App Store fees for developers after one of the European Union’s antitrust watchdogs said its commissions violate the bloc’s rules. In the latest twist in a long-running clash between the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Markets and the U.S. tech giant, officials ruled that Apple’s commission on certain app subscriptions are an abuse of the company’s market power. In a confidential decision seen by Bloomberg, the Dutch regulator said Apple’s rules unfairly target companies that offer subscription services, such as Match Group Inc.’s dating app Tinder, which has to pay high commission rates on app sales, unlike ones that don’t have paid digital content. Apple harms such companies “by charging them an additional and inexplicably higher fee,” according to the Dutch decision, which was sent in July. Apple had earlier offered to reduce app sale commission in the Netherlands from 30 per cent to 27 per cent, but the ACM’s confidential findings state this offer doesn’t go far enough. The decision could pave the wave for greater antitrust scrutiny across the 27-nation EU on the fairness of Apple’s fee structure for different apps. The European Commission in Brussels is already investigating how Apple restricts apps from informing users of cheaper subscriptions outside the app store. Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment. The company can oppose the ACM’s findings or attempt to remedy the concerns by restructuring its commissions. The ACM and the commission in Brussels declined to comment. The Netherlands watchdog has been embroiled in a legal battle with Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple since 2021, when it said Apple had breached Dutch competition rules in the dating app market following complaints sent to the regulator from a group of dating apps. Apple was fined a total of $53.2 million (U.S.) for failing to comply with an order to allow developers of dating apps to use thirdparty payments systems, before brokering a truce with the Dutch regulator by allowing dating-app providers to offer different payment methods. BLOOMBERG A N T I T R U S T Apple’s App Store fees violate law, Dutch agency says Officials deem commissions on some subscriptions as abuse of market power S A M U E L S TO LTO N LONDON Chatbots like ChatGPT wowed the world with their ability to write speeches, plan vacations or hold a conversation as good as or arguably even better than humans do, thanks to cutting-edge artificial intelligence systems. Now, frontier AI has become the latest buzzword as concerns grow the emerging technology has capabilities that could endanger humanity. Everyone from the British government to top researchers and even major AI companies themselves are raising the alarm about frontier AI’s as-yet-unknown dangers and calling for safeguards to protect people from its existential threats. The debate comes to a head Wednesday, when British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts a twoday summit focused on frontier AI. It’s reportedly expected to draw a group of about 100 officials from 28 countries, including U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and executives from key U.S. artificial intelligence companies including OpenAI, Google’s Deepmind and Anthropic. The venue is Bletchley Park, a former top secret base for Second World War codebreakers led by Alan Turing. The historic estate is seen as the birthplace of modern computing because it is where Turing and others famously cracked Nazi Germany’s codes using the world’s first digital programmable computer. In a speech last week, Sunak said only governments — not AI companies — can keep people safe from the technology’s risks. However, he also noted that the U.K.’s approach “is not to rush to regulate,” even as he outlined a host of scary-sounding threats, such as the use of AI to more easily make chemical or biological weapons. “We need to take this seriously, and we need to start focusing on trying to get ahead of the problem,” said Jeff Clune, an associate computer science professor at the University of British Columbia focusing on AI and machine learning. Clune was among a group of influential researchers who authored a paper last week calling for governments to do more to manage risks from AI. It’s the latest in a series of dire warnings from tech moguls like Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about the rapidly evolving technology and the disparate ways the industry, political leaders and researchers see the path forward when it comes to reining in the risks and regulation. It’s far from certain AI will wipe out mankind, Clune said, “but it has sufficient risk and chance of occurring. And we need to mobilize society’s attention to try to solve it now rather than wait for the worst-case scenario to happen.” One of Sunak’s big goals is to find agreement on a communique about the nature of AI risks. He’s also unveiling plans for an AI Safety Institute that will evaluate and test new types of the technology and proposing creation of a global expert panel, inspired by the UN climate change panel, to understand AI and draw up a “State of AI Science” report. The summit reflects the British government’s eagerness to host international gatherings to show it has not become isolated and can still lead on the world stage after its departure from the European Union three years ago. The U.K. also wants to stake its claim in a hot-button policy issue where both the U.S. and the 27- nation EU are making moves. Brussels is putting the final touches on what’s poised to be the world’s first comprehensive AI regulations, while U.S. President Joe Biden signed a sweeping executive order Monday to guide the development of AI, building on voluntary commitments made by tech companies. China, which along with the U.S. is one of the two world AI powers, has been invited to the summit, though Sunak couldn’t say with “100 per cent certainty” representatives from Beijing will attend. The paper signed by Clune and more than 20 other experts, including two dubbed the “godfathers” of AI — Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio — called for governments and AI companies to take concrete action, such as by spending a third of their research and development resources on ensuring safe and ethical use of advanced autonomous AI. Frontier AI is shorthand for the latest and most powerful systems that go right up to the edge of AI’s capabilities. They’re based on foundation models, which are algorithms trained on a broad range of information to provide a general, but not infallible, base of knowledge. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TECHNOLOGY The venue for Britain’s upcoming artificial intelligence summit is Bletchley Park, a former top secret base for Second World War codebreakers led by Alan Turing, who, with others, created the enigma machine. MATT DUNHAM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO Leaders raise alarm about cutting-edge AI British prime minister to hold summit this week K E LV I N C H A N Tesla Inc. shares are set to wipe out nearly one-fifth of their value in less than two weeks amid growing concerns demand for electric cars is starting to weaken. The sell-off started earlier last month when the electric-vehicle giant dialed back growth expectations during its third quarter earnings call. That was followed by grim commentary from several global automakers, as well as Wall Street analysts. This week, battery-maker Panasonic Holdings Corp. and chipmaker ON Semiconductor Corp. also sounded alarms for the EV industry. The warnings have weighed on stocks across the U.S. automotive sector, which has also been battling extensive negotiations with its labour unions over wages. Still, Tesla’s decline stands out: shares have sunk around 20 per cent since the Oct. 18 report, compared to a 3.6 per cent drop in the S&P 500 Index, and a more than four per cent decline in the Nasdaq 100. The retreat in the EV-maker’s stock price has erased about $145 billion (U.S.) from the company’s market capitalization. “At the crux of the problem is a capital-intensive sector investing in unproven EV strategies amid a world of rising costs, lower prices, rising rates and slower demand,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note discussing the wider industry weakness Tuesday. “What investors seem to be waking up to today is the idea that the tens of billions of dollars invested in EVs may be value destructive rather than value accretive.” The outlook for autos overall has been darkening as high interest rates have sent the cost to own a car soaring. When coupled with rising inflation, consumers’ ability to afford big purchases has been squeezed. EVs, still a relatively new technology with an underdeveloped charging ecosystem, are getting hit first. As a pureplay EV maker with an eye-watering valuation, the stakes are high for Tesla. While some part of its expensive share price reflects its potential to develop self-driving cars, a large part depends on the company’s ability to maintain its current dominant position in the EV industry and its profit margins. As EV demand tapers and Tesla’s aggressive price cuts seem to be losing their ability to boost demand much further, investors are starting to get jittery, reflected in the sharp slide in the share price. BLOOMBERG E L EC T R I C V E H I C L E Tesla erases $145B in value on low demand Stock sell-off began in October after automaker dialed back growth outlook E S H A D E Y

B4 | BUSINESS ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR and Montreal and tolerates speeds no higher than 160 km/h. It runs on tracks owned mainly by CN, whose slower freight trains have priority, preventing more frequent trips. Via enjoyed a subsidy of $70 per passenger on its Montreal-OttawaToronto route last year, and $1,029 per passenger on its Canadian line between Vancouver and Toronto — all drawn from $672.5 million in government funding. “One of the goals of the project is to reduce the subsidy being given to operate the service. It’s to be as selfsufficient as possible,” Imbleau said. He projected that the corridor would host 17 million riders per year by mid-century. Last year Via Rail’s eastern corridor, which includes Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, furnished 2.48 million passengers, or three-quarters of its network-wide ridership. However, the timeline for the zippy trains has already been slightly delayed, even before the proposals arrive. Initially planned for the early-2030s, Alghabra pinpointed the mid-2030s in July. The deadline for proposals was initially mid-July, but has now been pushed back to next fall, Via HFR said. THE CANADIAN PRESS existing tunnel, where the REM commuter line runs — to reach the heart of the city. “It’s not about frequency only. It’s about being fast. It’s about being reliable,” Imbleau said. While stops in Peterborough, Ottawa and Trois Rivières, Que. are mandated, there could be express trains that whiz through those cities without stopping, he said — as well as trains that do serve those communities. “Imagine being able to (do) Peterborough-Toronto or Trois Rivières-Quebec in around an hour and 15 minutes. That changes completely how you commute between a region and a city,” Imbleau said. The three consortiums selected to submit proposals for the roughly 1,000-kilometre line must each present two options: one allowing for speeds of up to 200 km/h, and another that can go even faster during high-speed legs of the journey. Imbleau noted the average speed of some trains deemed high-speed in Europe, such as France’s 600- kilometre Paris-Montpellier route, notch below 200 km/h and takes well over three hours. “One of the targets is three and a half hours, so it’s pretty fast,” he said, referring to the Toronto-Montreal route, which would cover roughly the same distance by way of Ottawa. The second speed option would likely increase the project’s price tag. It was pegged at between $6 billion and $12 billion by former transport minister Omar Alghabra when it launched in 2021. Authorities have since shied away from estimates, however. “For sure I’d be completely wrong,” said Imbleau, stating it wouldn’t be prudent to discuss numbers until the proposals land. High-speed rail lines demand fullgrade separation at road crossings, potentially requiring hundreds of millions of dollars for construction of dozens of overpasses and underpasses. In rural areas, this also requires drainage pumps, which in turn can require generators, piling onto maintenance costs. Typically, some crossings are simply removed to save costs, aggravating local residents who may have to travel several more kilometres to traverse the tracks. A Toronto-Montreal train that takes roughly four hours — the alternative target — would still lure many more riders and make it more financially self-supporting than Via Rail’s current route, which takes five hours between Toronto Proposals to include two options RAIL FROM B1 ‘‘ Imagine being able to (do) PeterboroughToronto or Trois RivièresQuebec in around an hour and 15 minutes. That changes completely how you commute between a region and a city. MARTIN IMBLEAU VIA RAIL in the release. “It creates questions about the accuracy or timeliness of audit documentation and the quality of the audit.” Deloitte is part of a group of the largest global accounting firms known as ‘The Big Four,’ alongside Ernst & Young (EY), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG). According to the settlement agreement with the CPA, Deloitte oversees the books of approximately 800 reporting issuer clients and private entities in Ontario. While it is common for CPA Ontario to investigate the conduct of individual partners at large firms, it doesn’t often come across a “widespread failure of this nature,” said Kathryn Hanley, vice-president of communications at CPA Ontario. In an emailed statement to the Star, a spokesperson from Deloitte wrote: “Deloitte Canada serves its clients with integrity. We work ethically, stand by our credibility, and have worked hard to earn and maintain the trust of clients, regulators, and the public.” Deloitte said it did not find evidence to suggest that any audit work had been compromised, and the company has since added measures to improve its quality control processes. In March 2018, Deloitte began an internal investigation after a whistleblower raised concerns with senior personnel about the practice. According to CPA Ontario, Deloitte cooperated with the regulator by self-reporting the issue in September 2019 and entering into the settlement agreement last week. The matter was also investigated by and settled with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and the Canadian Public Accountability Board, Deloitte said. CPA Ontario alleges Deloitte failed to have policies and procedures in place necessary to ensure its services abided by the generally accepted standards of practice. It also said Deloitte did not take appropriate action to address issues of audit quality once it learned its auditors were engaging in backdating. At the time of its internal investigation, “Deloitte concluded that the Backdating by its auditors was not unethical,” the settlement agreement stated. “Deloitte’s disciplinary response was based on the conclusion that those disciplined were attempting to document when work was actually done and therefore ‘tried to do the right thing but in the wrong way.’ ” Company has added measures to processes DELOITTE FROM B1 blown recession. The new data for August marked the second consecutive month where GDP growth remained essentially flat, and advance data suggests the economy continued that trend in September. Overall, Statistics Canada’s preliminary estimate suggests the economy shrank at an annualized rate of 0.1 per cent in the most recent quarter, which would follow a contraction in the second quarter. Cross said it is too early to tell if the figures are a sign that Canada’s increased interest rates are finally taking hold after months of being raised, but there are visible cracks in the financial sector. Those cracks have not yet spilled over into the real economy, he added, such as a falling home prices. “The financial sector is starting to buckle and that sector is usually a leading indicator for what happens in the real economy,” Cross said. The Statistics Canada report said eight out of 20 industries grew in August, while growth in servicesproducing sectors was offset by goods-producing sectors. Among the industries that experienced growth are wholesale trade and mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction, while industries such as agriculture and forestry, manufacturing, retail and accommodation and food services shrank. Andrew DiCapua, senior economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said it’s clear a recession is on the way — and he said many believe it’s been here for some time. “The economy is obviously clearly stagnating,” DiCapua said. He added that many people and businesses have “generally” felt the country has been in a recession since at least May. The chamber’s spending tracker data shows spending levelled off and remained flat over the summer. The growth in population is in part creating a “mirage” keeping the numbers from showing the country is in a recession, DiCapua said, with consumer spending holding up the losses in other sectors. “If we’re welcoming more people into the country, people are buying homes, buying goods and services,” he said. Canada’s unemployment rate was holding steady at 5.5 per cent, according to Statistics Canada, where it had been resting for three months as of September. A report from RBC released this weeksaid more than $900 billion in mortgages are coming up for renewal over the next three years, and they could see their payments rise by nearly half as those mortgages are renewed. The report said about 60 per cent of mortgages at charter banks in the country are scheduled to renew between now and 2026. Those pressures are expected to increase the risk of credit defaults. The potential of a recession’s effect on mortgages won’t be seen until the repercussions seep into the labour market, said David Macdonald, an economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. But the rate increases have resulted in a decline in new investment in the residential real estate market, Macdonald said. “That doesn’t mean anything for people’s mortgages now, but it certainly spells trouble for the future,” he said in an email. WITH FILES FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS ‘Financial sector is starting to buckle’ ECONOMY FROM B1 ‘‘ The GDP hasn’t done anything since April now. If you took account of the population growth in Canada, it would look that much worse. PHILIP CROSS SENIOR FELLOW AT THE MACDONALD-LAURIER INSTITUTE mortgage defaults are not a major threat to the big six Canadian banks as they have “extremely strong credit quality.” And while Canadian residential mortgages make up approximately 35 per cent of total loans for the Canadian banks covered by analysts at RBC, “mortgages are the last thing to go in the waterfall of credit products,” De Souza said. The coming wave of renewals is poised to hurt banks’ profitability by weakening revenue and loan growth. But the effect of mortgage losses may be smaller than expected, the report said, attributing the strength of Canadian mortgages to Canada’s low unemployment rate, which remains below pre-pandemic levels. Renewals are also expected to be painful for homeowners, and banks are exploring avenues to mitigate the impacts of payment shocks, such as renegotiating the mortgage terms from variable to fixed rate, De Souza added. According to the report, more than half of Canadians are choosing a three-year fixed-term mortgage today. Based on current rates for this type of mortgage at several financial institutions in Ontario, borrowers should expect to renew at six to eight per cent, according to Ratesdotca. In November 2019, rates for a three-year fixed-term mortgage were 2.84 per cent, according to the report, which collected data from Statistics Canada on funds advanced to Canadian banks. More than $186 billion in mortgages will renew in 2024, said the report. With today’s interest rates, the payment shock would be 32 per cent on a weighted average basis, the report said. In 2025, RBC is estimating $315 billion in mortgage renewals, while payments are expected to rise by 33 per cent on a weighted average basis. And in 2026, a whopping $400 billion in mortgages will be up for renewal. Payments could rise by as much as 48 per cent on a weighted average basis. Even if the Bank of Canada’s key interest rate returns to 0.25 per cent by July 2026 — “an unreasonable expectation at the moment,” the report stated — payments are still expected to jump by 20 per cent. Currently, RBC estimates that the central bank, which maintained a pause in rates in October, will begin cutting rates in September 2024, reaching four per cent in January 2025. According to a RBC report, more than half of Canadians are currently opting for a three-year fixed term mortgage. RICHARD LAUTENS TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO Report says banks’ profits may be hit MORTGAGES FROM B1

PROFESSIONAL Recording Studio avail. in Toronto. $85 per hr. 416-266-3079 Notice to Beneficiaries of Deceased 1998 Bell Canada Pensioners This notice is for the beneficiaries of persons who were pensioners of the Bell Canada Pension Plan (“the Plan”) as of January 1, 1998, and who died in 1998 or thereafter. The Plan, in consultation with its regulator, has re-calculated and increased the cost-of-living adjustment awarded to those pensioners on January 1, 1998. No other pension calculation, for any other year, is affected. To be considered for receipt of the additional payment, you must establish, with supporting documents, all of the following requirements: • A person was employed by Bell prior to 1998; • That person was retired and received a pension payment from the Bell Canada Pension Plan on January 1, 1998; • That person died after January 1, 1998; and • You are the beneficiary of, or the estate trustee of, that person. Be prepared to produce estate documents such as a will, and to establish your legal status. If you are the beneficiary of a 1998 Bell pensioner or a trustee to their estate, please call the Plan's dedicated representatives who are available Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, at 1 888 893-4446. Only these Plan representatives can assist. Please do not contact any other Bell number or address. EXPROPRIATION NOTICE Notice of Application for Approval to Expropriate Land Form 2 Expropriations Act, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 363 In the matter of an application by The Regional Municipality of Durham for approval to expropriate land being PT LT 10 CON 3 DARLINGTON, CLARINGTON (PT OF PIN: 26692-0026 (LT)) (known municipally as part of 3253 Liberty Street North, Clarington, Ontario) for the proposed Liberty Street (Regional Road 14) Road Rehabilitation and Urbanization Project from Longworth Avenue to Concession Road 3 in the Municipality of Clarington, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, and all related construction activities as ancillary to the road rehabilitation and urbanization project. Notice is hereby given that application has been made for approval to expropriate the land described as follows: All estate, right, title and interest in Part of Lot 10, Concession 3, in the Geographic Township of Darlington, in the Municipality of Clarington, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, identified with the PIN 26692-0026 and described further as Part 1 on Reference Plan 40R-31987. Any owner of land in respect of which notice is given who desires a hearing into whether the taking of such land is fair, sound and reasonably necessary in the achievement of the objectives of the expropriating authority shall so notify the approving authority in writing, (a) in the case of a registered owner, served personally or by registered mail within thirty days after the registered owner is served with the notice, or, when the registered owner is served by publication, within thirty days after the first publication of the notice; (b) in the case of an owner who is not a registered owner, within thirty days after the first publication of the notice. The approving authority is The Council of The Regional Municipality of Durham 605 Rossland Road East Whitby, ON L1N 6A3 Attention: Regional Clerk Tel: 1-800-372-1102 Email: [emailprotected] The expropriating authority is The Regional Municipality of Durham "John Henry" John Henry, Regional Chair and CEO "Alexander Harras" Alexander Harras, Regional Clerk Plans showing the affected lands are available for review by contacting Corporate Real Estate at [emailprotected]. This notice first published on the 18th day of October, 2023. ALL stamp collections wanted. Antiques, gold, silver, watches, coins, bills. Bob 416-605-1640 TOP dollars paid - Canada/NFLD stamp collections. 416-270-5076 ALWAYS BUYING; sports/non-sports cards, Star Wars, comic books, toys, memorabilia. Best prices paid. 416-910-7717 DURST LABORATOR Large Format Darkroom 8x10 and 4x5 Cameras Wanted 647-891-0777 *A1 MATTRESS FACTORY. DIRECT Delivery available. All sizes including customer split boxsprings, Orthopedic 20 year sets starting $240. "New Gel foam beds" from $500. Deluxe no-flip Pillowtop & 'Crown' series, Eurotop sets from $390. New Waterbeds, end-of-line/ discontinued items available. 905-681-9496, 905-338-0803, 905-563-6903. Garage Sale Houseld Contents SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2023 10:30 AM TO 4:30 PM moving and need to sell furniture and art, costume jewelry. Beautiful and almost new. 43 Franmore Circle Thornhill 416-816-2144 ALBUMS RECORDS WANTED Buying Stereo Gear & 45s Call Ed 416-844-9990 Wanted Costume jewellery, Doultons, fancy cups and saucers, coins, watches, silver. David 416-231-9948 WANTED Old mini disc players or recorders, computer manuals, hardware, software, catalogs, brochures, or advertising. Please call Luis at 647-667-4592 BICHONS FRISE gorgeous pups, 12 weeks, Euro Lines, M and F, 905-880-8888 BICHONS FRISE gorgeous pups, 6 weeks, Euro Lines, Guar., M and F, 905-880-8888 GREAT PYRENEES puppies for sale, 9 mos., 1 MALE & 2 FEMALES. $550. Also 1.5 yrs. 1 MALE & 1 FEMALE Great Pyrenees $550. 905-563-6903 - Niagara TOP DOLLAR FOR SCRAP AND USED CARS, We pay from $400 - $16,500, CASH ON THE SPOT AND FREE TOW, OPEN 7 days a week. Call Albert At 647-501-5932 YOU SNAP, we scrap, top $ paid for Cars, Trucks, SUV's, & Motorcycles 416-886-3188 SCRAP CARS CALL ME We Pay $600 - $15,000* *some conditions apply $$$ TOP CASH $$$ For Unwanted CARS, VANS, TRUCKS & SUV’s FREE TOW in 2 HRS Open Sat. & Sun 647-403-8542 FOREST HILL 2 bdrm., 2 bth., 1,100 sq.ft., balcony, lg. kitchen, sauna, pool, A/C, prkg. $2,350. Strong References. 416-457-8150. YONGE/FINCH Furn. 1 BR, bsmt. 2 BA, side split, separate entry. $1800+. 416-779-9985. OAKWOOD - St. Clair - Large, furnished room for rent. Call anytime 416-658-0216. PHARMACY - Danforth - clean, quiet house, shared kit./ bath., no smoke. 647-515-8595 ROOM FOR RENT Immed. 416-604-4806 VENICE Florida. 2 bdrm, 2 bth. house, close to beaches, $3000/mo. 905-624-5283 INVESTMENT property, Hamilton, approx. 10 ac. + Brick bung. & barn. Call 289-700-1751 BRICKS, blocks, stonework, windowsills, chimneys, porches. All Masonry work. free estimate call Roman 416-684-4324 HANDYMAN NEEDED In Toronto to put furniture together, $45 an hour, call 416-531-5688 HANDYPERSON Carpenter. Repair/renovate/install. Minor plumbing/electrical. Call Alex: (416) 970-3970 LOCAL TREE SERVICE problem trees, senior discounts. (416) 948-7633 • AntiqueFurniture • Sterling • Memorabilia • Nostalgia • china • canadiana • jewellery • Entire & Partial Estates We make house calls ANYTHING YOUR GRANDPARENTS OWNED. call Norm 905-703-1107 BUYING WANTED All antiques, Silver plate, sterling, Asian & European fine objects, porcelain, paintings, and bronzes. Gold and costume jewellery, watches, coins, medals, fancy cups and saucers, Doultons, teak furniture, estates, etc. 40 years experience professional and courteous. Call David: 416-231-9948 I MAKE HOUSE CALLS! Call Bob 416-605-1640 $ I BUY: $ Estates, Antiques, Silver Plate & Sterling, Gold & Costume Jewellery, Watches, Coins, Stamps, Medals, Paper Money. WANTED Chinese, Japanese, Asian works of art, porcelain, bronze, jade, etc., fine art paintings, sterling, all fine antiques & rare objects, jewellery and collectibles. Call Andrew Plum: 416-669-1716 English Gentleman Buyer established over 40 years. www.plumsfineart.com Canada's Leading Specialist CANADIAN, US foreign coins, RCM, Franklin Mint, bullion, scrap, bars, bank notes wanted. Top Prices. Bob 416-605-1640. Manage your Toronto Star subscription Renew • Update credit card information • Switch to convenient pre-authorized payment • Manage vacation stops VISIT: thestar.com/mysubscription Publishes: Thursday, November 11, 2021 Deadline: Tuesday, November 9 at 11:59 p.m. REMEMBER OUR SOLDIERS Please contact us at: 416-777-7777 (Monday - Saturday, 9am-5pm) or [emailprotected] Publishes: Saturday November 11, 2023 Deadline: Friday November 10 at 10:30 a.m. 60%OFF REGULAR ANNOUNCEMENT RATES SMITH, John 1920-1943 Served 1940-1943 in England, France, Italy and Holland We honour the courage and sacrifice of our loved who served in the RCAF and fought bravely during WWII in many parts of Europe. You gave the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of others. You’ll be our hero and the nation’s forever. Always remembered. Love, the Smith and Brown families. *Starting at $39.99 + tax The is based on an ad size of 2.146” high x 2.5” wide. Additional charges will apply on larger ad formats. To take advantage of this special rate, you must submit your request by 10:30 AM ET November 10, 2023. Antiques & Art Coins SERVICES starclassifieds.com 777·7777 416 MERCHANDISE Instruction-Dancing/ Educational/Musical Legal Legal AUTOMOTIVE Stamps Sports Cards/ Memorabilia Photography Merchandise For Sale GARAGE SALES Central North Merchandise Wanted Dogs Rooms (Unfurn.) Cars & Trucks Wanted Car Repair/Towing /Inspection Services RENTALS BUSINESS Condos Unfurn. Central Apts. Furn. Central Rooms (Furn.) Vacation Rentals HOME SERVICES Investment Properties Home Renovations Handymen Other Home Services ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR ⎮ B5 Get a quote today: metrolandparcelservices.ca Metroland Parcel Services has a simple goal – provide cost-effective, reliable service for final-mile distribution across Ontario. And our extensive network is always ready for next-day delivery even in peak season. 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ALOIS LACK Born in Weigelsdorf, Sudetenland, within sight of the "Alt Vater Gebirge," Alois was the youngest son of Aurelia and Hubert Lack. He often spoke about his idyllic childhood on the family farm and the many jobs he was expected to do, along with his siblings, Gottfried, Elisabeth, and Hubert. (His children and grandchildren have listened to many accounts of the cows he tended and shoes he polished when he was 5 years old.) He dreamed of being a farmer when he grew up, but this dream was shattered when the family was transported to a refugee camp in West Germany in the aftermath of the war. His brother, Hubert, immigrated to Canada and encouraged Alois to do the same, which he did, in 1957, arriving in Toronto with a construction job lined up, starting the very next day. He worked hard, learned English, and still found time to enjoy the company of friends at the German/Austrian clubs in Toronto. It was at one of the dances that Alois met Lois, his future wife (although the similarity of their names was often confusing, they passed it oЇ by saying that they "used to tap dance on the Gong Show"). Together they raised three caring, capable daughters, who, along with their husbands, have always been most supportive, especially in recent months when they have been so needed. His grandchildren were always a special light in his life and watching them kayak and swim at the Meaford cottage brought him much contentment. The last few years were a challenge for Alois as his health started to prevent him from dancing and enjoying his activities. He still took pleasure in the simple things such as following European soccer and sitting out on his back patio or up at the cottage, watching the birds and regularly inspecting his apple and pear trees. His last harvest of apples was bountiful, and he had the joy of eating many of his pears, which were exceptionally delicious this year. Alois passed peacefully, at home, in his 88th year. Alois, "Lou" to many, will be remembered for his loving commitment to his wife, Lois; three daughters, Kerstin, Karolyn, and Kathryn; their husbands, Kevin, Simon, and Patrick; and seven grandchildren: Madeleine, Noelle, Amelie, Adriana, Aric, Alexandra and Andrew. He was loved, and we miss him. Friends and family are welcomed to Alois' Funeral Mass and Memorial at St. Martin of Tours Parish, 1290 McBride Ave., Mississauga, ON L5C 1M8, on Friday, November 3, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. ̫ Viewing a half hour before Mass. Reception to follow. In lieu of Љowers, memorial donations may be made to the Trillium Health Partners Foundation. Online condolences may be made through www.turnerporter.ca. DAVID GOULDING Hard to believe we lost you ten years ago. You are missed every day. So many changes in the world and our lives, We miss your fatherly advice. ̫ Love, your family and friends. IRENE SMALLEY In loving memory of a cherished mum and nan who passed away on November 1, 2018. Words cannot express how much you are missed but our precious memories keep you close. We know that you walk beside us every day. You are forever in our hearts. ̫ With all our love, Kathryn, Rob, Peter, Kevin and families. DEATHS, MEMORIALS, BIRTHS Death Notices 416-869-4229, Births, In Memoriams 416-777-7777 To view obituaries or to sign a guestbook, visit thestar.com/obituaries WHERE LIVES PASS, LEGACIES CARRY ON FOREVER. Celebrate the life of your loved one by helping to build a new SickKids for future generations. It’s going to take all of us to build a new SickKids. A new SickKids will mean more lives saved, and allow SickKids to keep providing world-class care, not limited by a 70-year-old hospital. A new SickKids will mean state-of-the-art infection control; privacy and dignity for vulnerable patients when they need it the most; and greater space for every family. To honour the memory of a loved one, donate to SickKids Foundation at www.StarforSickKids.ca To publish in the Saturday edition: Notices must be placed before 10:45 a.m. on Friday To publish in the Sunday to Friday editions: Notices must be placed before 3:00 p.m. the day prior Timing to place a death or birth notice: DEATH NOTICES IN MEMORIAM TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0

B8 | ON0 ON V2 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR CO M I C S , B11 P U Z Z L E S , B12 During spooky season, we’re surrounded by fear. And for many kids — certainly at Halloween — fear equals fun. However, for some children who live with intense phobias, fear is anything but. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describes a phobia as a “persistent fear that is excessive or unreasonable.” According to Dr. Suneeta Monga, associate psychiatrist-in-chief at the Hospital for Sick Children, that a phobia might be unreasonable doesn’t make it any less real for the child experiencing it. How do kids develop phobias? We don’t really know. Certainly, some kids might develop a phobia from an upsetting experience. If something scary or traumatic happened to them, such as being trapped in an elevator, it could result in a phobia of confined spaces. However, most kids don’t remember why or when they became afraid of dogs or heights or anything else. What are some common phobias among kids? We like to classify phobias into specific categories, such as animals, natural environment (storms, heights or water, for example) and blood injury and injection, which is fear of medical procedures or needles. Some kids suffer from situational phobias, such as going on an airplane. Other kids can develop phobias that don’t fit into a category, such as a fear of throwing up, or a fear of clowns. Do we know how common phobias are among kids? A specific phobia is one of the most common anxiety disorders in children and teens. They’re likely more common than we recognize or realize, in part because not all parents seek treatment for their child’s phobia. Certainly, at SickKids, we tend not to see patients with a phobia unless it’s among several other anxiety disorders. What separates a phobia from a regular fear? For a child or teen to have a specific phobia, their fear must exist for at least six months and interfere with their everyday routine. So, for example, your child can’t go for a walk because they’re too afraid of seeing a dog. At SickKids, we see a lot of needle phobias. Kids can’t get a vaccination because they’re so terrified of the injection. Now, most children are afraid of needles, but for kids with a phobia, the fear is so intense, no amount of placating or stickers or reinforcement is going to get them through that experience. How do you help a child with an inhibiting phobia? We use something called gradual exposure/response prevention, which involves teaching effective relaxation strategies. The first step for a child with an inhibiting phobia is to teach them how to bring down their anxiety. Then you build a hierarchy of feared situations and rank their level of anxiety at each one. Let’s say your child has a dog phobia. Their anxiety at being next to or touching a dog would be at its height, a 10 out of 10. To see a dog down the street would be closer to a seven out of 10. Their anxiety level watching a video of a dog might be a five, while looking at a picture of a dog would be closer to two out of 10. Then you have to actually expose the child to each feared situation. You would start with the situation that triggers the lowest level of anxiety — in this case, looking at a picture of a dog. You would have your child look at a dog photo and do some deep breathing or another relaxing exercise for 20 minutes until their anxiety naturally dissipates. They’ll likely need to do this a few times before seeing a picture of a dog causes no fear and they feel they can move onto the next level. You move up the hierarchy of scenarios until your child is actually in the presence of a dog. This approach can be very successful. With younger kids, you can frame the process as a “bravery ladder,” and explain you’re going to take small steps to get them from where they are afraid of dogs to where they want to be: Not afraid of dogs. What else should parents know about helping their child cope with a phobia? The important thing for parents to be aware of is consistency. Your child has to be exposed to each scary situation two or three times a week. Not until your child is completely relaxed, with no anxiety, should you move to the next step in the ladder. What’s more, parents of a child with an intense phobia should approach this process with empathy and reassurance. It doesn’t help to minimize or play down their fear. For example, you’re not going to get anywhere by saying to your child, “Don’t be silly, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” In some cases, a child might require outside support. If a phobia is keeping your child from their regular routine of going to school, participating in activities and socializing with friends, you might need to seek the help of a physician, counsellor or therapist. For more on phobias and other types of anxiety disorders, see AboutKidsHealth.ca HEALTHY KIDS POSES HEALTH QUESTIONS TO EXPERTS AT SICKKIDS. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER WITH SPECIFIC CONCERNS. TORSTAR IS IN A FUNDRAISING AND EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP WITH SICKKIDS FOUNDATION TO HELP RAISE $1.5 BILLION FOR NEW FACILITIES. H E A LT H Y K I D S S U P P O RT E D CO N T E N T ‘Bravery ladder’ can help your child overcome a phobia For many kids at Halloween, fear equals fun. But for some children with intense phobias, fear is anything but S A R A H M O O R E S P EC I A L TO T H E STA R The first step for a child with an inhibiting phobia, like that of dogs, is to teach them how to bring down their anxiety. Then you build a hierarchy of feared situations and rank their level of anxiety at each one. Exposing the child to each situation is key to overcoming it. DREAMSTIME L O S A N G E L E S The stars of “Friends” say they are mourning the “unfathomable” death of Matthew Perry. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew,” Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer said in a joint statement to People on Monday. “We were more than just cast mates. We are a family.” From 1994 to 2004, each of the five actors appeared in every episode of all 10 seasons of the NBC sitcom along with Perry, who was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday at age 54. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss,” the statement said. “In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.” It was the first public statement on Perry’s death from Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc or Schwimmer. Others publicly mourning Perry on Monday included Salma Hayek, his co-star in the 1997 rom-com “Fools Rush In,” which Perry had said was probably his best film. “It’s taken me a couple of days to process this profound sadness. There is a special bond that happens when you share dreams with someone, and together you work toward them,” Hayek said in an Instagram post. “Throughout the years, he and I found ourselves reminiscing about that meaningful time in our lives with a deep sense of nostalgia and gratitude. My friend, you are gone much too soon, but I will continue to cherish your silliness, your perseverance, and your lovely heart.” Perry is being mourned by fans worldwide, including some who placed flowers and heartfelt tributes outside the New York building that served as an exterior for the show. Others who worked with Perry expressed their sorrow on Sunday, included “Friends” co-creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, who said, echoing the style of the show’s episode titles, that this “truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.” Morgan Fairchild, who played mother to Perry’s Chandler Bing on the show, and Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler’s sometime girlfriend Janice, gave similar sentiments. After an initial investigation, the Los Angeles County coroner has deferred giving a cause of death, which may take weeks to determine. Law enforcement sources said Perry had not been submerged long when paramedics found him dead in his hot tub Saturday. Perry’s assistant, whom he’d sent on an errand after he played pickleball earlier that day, arrived at the residence to find him unresponsive. While a toxicology report will not be ready for a minimum of six weeks, no illegal substances were found at the residence of the fivetime Emmy nominee, who had been candid about his history with alcoholism and substance abuse. Authorities did discover prescription antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, as well as a medication for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which affects breathing. Nicorette patches and gum were also found, implying that Perry, who was a longtime smoker, was attempting to quit. Last year, while promoting his memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” Perry said he hoped to be remembered for how he helped others more than how he charmed the world onscreen. “The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say yes and follow up and do it,” he told “Q With Tom Power” last November. WITH FILES FROM THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS ‘Friends’ co-stars ‘devastated’ over Perry’s death T H E A SS O C I AT E D P R E SS Jennifer Aniston, left, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc take part in a “Friends” reunion in 2021. TERENCE PATRICK HBO MAX

• After a long, stressful day of globetrotting, it’s nice to have one constant. For the contestants of “The Amazing Race,” that’s the smiling face of host Phil Keoghan greeting them at the finish line. How does Phil get there so fast? Best guess is the longer episodes. (CBS, CTV at 9:30) J. Fallon at 11:35 : Musician Jack Antonoff; Bleachers performs. (N) Colbert at 11:35 : Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger; Willie Nelson performs. (N) J. Kimmel at 11:35 : Actress Octavia Spencer; comic Mike Birbiglia; Devon Gilfillian performs. (N) Meyers at 12:35 : Seth Meyers breaks down the day’s biggest stories and takes the current political circus head-on. (N) • Season 2 of “Quantum Leap” continues as having completed his mission, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) was prepared to go home. However, the time stream had other plans for the brilliant scientist. Now, at the whim of the stream, Ben tries to right the mistakes forged into the fabric of time. (NBC, CITY at 8) Phil Keoghan hosts “The Amazing Race” BEST BETS R1: Etob./Miss./Toronto/York R2: Ajax/Whitby/Oshawa R3: Markham/Pickering/Rich. Hill/Scarborough C: Burlington/Oakville BE: Bell TV SD: Shaw Direct R1 R2 R3 C BE SD 7 PM 7:30 8 PM 8:30 9 PM 9:30 10 PM 10:30 17 17 10 11 - - (2) 33 Ent. Tonight Blast Quantum Leap (N) Magnum P.I. (N) Chicago P.D. 20 20 20 25 219 134 (3) 9 Big Bang etalk (N) Sullivan's Crossing (N) The Spencer Sisters (N) The $100,000 Pyramid (N) 16 15 16 5 - - (4) 36 Wheel Jeopardy! Survivor (N) The Amazing Race (N) 6 6 6 6 210 132 (5) 20 Coronation Feud The Passionate Eye (N) Black Life: Unt. (N) The National (N) 18 18 18 9 - - (7) 34 7 News at Extra (N) Celebrity Jeopardy! (N) Celebrity Wheel of Fortune The $100,000 Pyramid (N) 8 8 8 13 212 133 (9)(13) etalk (N) Big Bang Celebrity Jeopardy! (N) Children Ruin The Amazing Race (N) 11 11 11 10 218 141 (11) 15 Trending Inside Ed. Crimes of Passion ('05) Dina Meyer, Jonathan Higgins. Trending Club 54 9 9 9 26 651 153 (14) Wheel Jeopardy! Bull Huntley Huntley Robison What It 61 61 61 31 - 236 (17) 31 6:30 NewsHo.. R. Steves Spy in the Ocean (N) NOVA (N) Secrets of the Dead (N) 166 166 166 - - - (23) 36 News 4 at 7PM (N) Sullivan's Crossing (N) The Spencer Sisters (N) News 4 at 10 News 12 12 13 12 99 728 (25) Stat (N) L'épicerie Les enfants de la télé (N) Les yeux fermés (N) Le téléjournal (N) 28 28 21 24 - - (29) 32 Series Pregame (L) (N) 2023 World Series Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks (L) (N) 3 3 3 3 211 131 (41) 17 Ent. Tonight Goldbergs Survivor (N) Ghosts Robyn Hood (N) 167 167 167 116 - - (49) 16 Big Bang Sheldon Law & Order: SVU Dateline Dateline 7 7 7 7 214 135 (57) 18 Family Feud Family Feud Quantum Leap (N) Hudson & Rex (N) Chicago P.D. 31 31 31 20 615 422 (A&E) Court Cam Court Cam Court Cam Court Cam Court Cam Court Cam Court Cam Court Cam 32 32 39 189 293 494 (AMC) (6:00) ++ Jeepers Creepers +++ World War Z ('13) Mireille Enos, Brad Pitt. Movie 70 70 70 74 269 253 (APTN) Corner Gas Other Side Spirit Talker Ghost Bones of Crows A Cut Above (N) 49 49 57 117 576 474 (BET) (6:30) Brotherly Love Tyler Perry's Sistas Tyler Perry's Sistas (N) Ms. Pat Ms. Pat 38 38 38 19 575 473 (CMT) Frasier Frasier Cheers Cheers Raymond Raymond The Office The Office 33 33 33 16 500 258 (CNN) E. B. OutFront (L) (N) Anderson Cooper 360 (L) The Source With (L) (N) CNN NewsNight (L) (N) 301 301 301 201 300 511 (CRV1) (:20) ++ Easter Sunday ('22) Jimmy O. Yang, Jo Koy. Shoresy (N) Shoresy (N) The Winter King 44 44 50 44 625 426 (CTVCOM) Friends Friends Friends Friends Big Bang Big Bang Wipeout (N) 40 40 40 38 30 425 (CTVDR) 9-1-1 9-1-1 9-1-1 9-1-1 36 36 64 21 619 405 (CTVLIFE) Million. Million. Jamie Oliver (N) Jamie's One-Pan Wonders Million. Million. 50 50 55 40 627 423 (CTVSCI) Star Trek: Next Star Trek: Next Reginald the Vampire (N) SurrealEstate (N) 42 42 42 35 520 445 (DISC) Mayday Street Outlaws vs. the World (N) Street Outlaws (N) 54 54 58 46 618 432 (DTOUR) The Dead Files The Dead Files Help! My Ho (N) Paranormal Lockdown 63 71 71 110 31 417 (E!) Elementary Ghost Whisperer Ghost Whisperer Battle (N) 51 51 48 45 556 367 (FAM) Ruby and the Well Goldbergs Matters Escape Backyard Degrassi Degrassi 56 56 52 39 603 401 (FOOD) All-Star All-Star Guy's Grocery Games (N) Guy's Grocery Games 73 73 73 118 274 483 (GAMETV) The Price Is Right Pictionary Jeopardy! + White Noise ('05) Chandra West, Michael Keaton. 78 78 78 103 416 316 (GOLF) College Golf East Lake Cup, Final Round Golf Central 46 46 35 32 600 403 (HGTV) Bargain Block Bargain Block Bargain Block (N) Bargain Block (SF) (N) 43 43 54 43 522 441 (HIST) Mega-Brands Toys-America Forged in Fire (N) The Curse of Oak Island 29 29 30 17 570 427 (MM) Ridiculous Ridiculous Seinfeld Seinfeld Simpsons Futurama Other Two :35 Other Two 52 52 56 114 581 471 (MTV) How/Made How/Made The Challenge The Challenge: USA Ridiculous 85 85 85 137 524 447 (NGC) Locked Up Abroad To Catch a Smuggler Rewind the '90s (N) Building Impossible (N) 26 26 23 28 502 255 (NN) Canada Tonight (L) (N) The National (L) (N) The National (L) (N) 37 37 45 75 411 431 (OLN) Simpsons Simpsons Jokers Imp. Jokers Imp. Jokers Imp. Jokers Imp. Jokers Imp. Jokers 4 4 4 4 215 156 (OMNI1) Posto Sole Il paradi Ora Qui (N) Cucinare Croatica TV Magyar Kepek TV 14 14 14 29 216 157 (OMNI2) News Punjabi News News: Arabic OMNI News Cantonese News Mandarin 72 72 72 69 526 414 (OWN) Family or Fiancé Love & Marriage Judge Mathis (N) Judge Mathis (N) 279 279 279 14 628 434 (PARMT) Deadliest Warrior Deadliest Warrior Deadliest Warrior Deadliest Warrior 47 47 49 - 294 - (PEACH) Welcome Ur. Beauty Sullivan's Crossing (N) The Spencer Sisters (N) Atlanta News (N) 39 39 29 37 616 424 (SHOW) NCIS: Hawai'i NCIS: Hawai'i Suburban Screams (N) Chucky 41 41 37 57 601 416 (SLICE) Housewives SLC Real Housewives Real Housewives (N) Real Housewives (N) 21 21 17 426 409 305 (SN1) Plays NHL's Best Central NHL Hockey Dallas Stars at Calgary Flames (L) (N) 22 22 32 48 405 302 (SNO) Series MLB Central 2023 World Series Texas Rangers at Arizona Diamondbacks (L) (N) 48 48 46 - 292 491 (TCM) (6:30) ++ Midnight Mary +++ Imitation of Life ('34) Claudette Colbert. ++++ Intruder in the Dust 13 16 13 71 137 729 (TFO) Flip l' Le studio Les 100 merveilles La marque des anges - Miserere (:45) Le déni 34 34 34 15 521 421 (TLC) My 600-Lb. Life My 600-Lb. Life Hoarding: Buried Alive 35 35 28 18 700 801 (TLN) M*A*S*H M*A*S*H M*A*S*H David Gino's Italian Darker Than Night ('17) Erik Knudsen. 45 45 47 41 554 372 (TOON) Gumball Scooby-Doo Teen/:15 Teen Teen/:45 Teen My My My My 494 494 494 416 400 311 (TSN1) (5:00) Pan Contin'al NBA Basketball SportsCentre Pan Contin'al 30 30 26 59 403 314 (TSN4) NBA Basketball Milwaukee Bucks at Toronto Raptors (L) (N) SportsCentre NBA Basketball 103 103 103 78 145 737 (TV5) Envoyé spécial (N) Demain l'Afrique Le monde est à nu! 2 2 2 2 265 155 (TVO) Engineering (:50) Ontario (:55) TVO Digital Media Evacuation (:50) Ontario Ships :45 TVO Arts 60 60 60 58 261 281 (VISION) Murder, She Wrote Heartbeat Peak Practice New Tricks 27 27 27 33 602 411 (W) (6:00) Joyeux Noel Christmas at the Chalet ('23) Teri Hatcher. (P) Ghosts of Christmas Always 343 343 343 212 296 243 (WSBK) Big Bang Big Bang WBZ News 8p (N) News Patriots 48 Hours (N) 25 25 25 27 551 362 (YTV) ++ Uncle Buck ('89) Amy Madigan, John Candy. Make It Pop Popularity Pick a Puppy Pick a Puppy PRIME TIME TONIGHT LATE NIGHT (N) New Show Content MOVIES Raymond Lee from “Quantum Leap” South won the club queen, led a heart to the ace and followed with the top spades and a ruff. He trumped a heart, crossed to the ace of diamonds and ruffed the heart queen. An advance of the queen of diamonds was taken by the king but declarer could ruff the diamond return and draw trump to emerge with twelve tricks. The slam would be defeated had South continued with the nine of spades. Declarer would pitch a diamond when East follows with the ten of spades but then the play of a heart would deliver an uppercut. West cannot be prevented from scoring a trump winner and the contract will finish down one. South's response was gameforcing so his subsequent four club rebid asked for controls. This agreement kept the auction at a lower level. If North had revealed only one control, perhaps South might have settled for the minor suit game fearing two losers. However, he swiftly advanced to a club slam when partner's reply promised two, confirming possession of all five controls. Author: Dave Willis - visit his website at www.insidebridge.ca Questions can be sent with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to The New Canadian Bridge c/o Torstar Syndication Services, One Yonge St., Toronto, M5E 1E6 BRIDGE BY DAVE WILLIS TORONTO STAR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 ON0 Director Sofia Coppola says Apple executives axed her small-screen adaptation of an Edith Wharton novel because “the idea of an unlikeable woman wasn’t their thing.” The “Priscilla” director was set in early 2020 to develop a series based on the novelist’s 1913 book “The Custom of the Country,” which centres on a newly wealthy Midwesterner who tries to break into New York society. The social-climbing character, Coppola said when the project was first announced in May 2020, is her “favourite literary anti-heroine.” The Oscar winner would write and direct the prestige series for the streaming service but, as she recently told the New York Times, the executives didn’t want to spend money on the five-hour project due to issues they had with the “unlikeable” lead. Representatives for Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Coppola, daughter of awardwinning “Godfather” filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and Eleanor Coppola, said “the people in charge of giving money are usually straight men, still.” She added later, “If it’s so hard for me to get financing as an established person, I worry about younger women starting out. It’s surprising that it’s still a struggle.” The director previously teamed with Apple for the 2020 father-daughter dramedy “On the Rocks,” which starred Rashida Jones and Bill Murray. Coppola’s most recent offering, a biopic about Priscilla Presley, is being touted as her best film in years. LOS ANGELES TIMES SPOTLIGHT Coppola slams Apple over scrapped show Director Sofia Coppola is unhappy that Apple pulled the plug on her adaptation of “The Custom of the Country.” WILLY SANJUAN INVISION/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A Toronto theatre company is making grief and young people the centrepiece of a site-specific performance at Evergreen Brick Works. In “Walk With Me While I Remember You,” audience members are invited to walk along a nature path following local youth who have lost a loved one, are experiencing a life-limiting medical diagnosis or have a loved one with such a diagnosis. Co-devised by Scottish artist Craig McCorquodale, and Toronto’s Isabel Ahat and Marie Lola Minimo, the performances on Saturday and Sunday offer “profound moments of meaning and glimpses of lives lived and lost,” Mammalian Diving Reflex said in a news release. See evergreen.ca to register for free tickets. STAR STAFF Publisher wins award A small Canadian publishing company has been honoured by the prestigious World Fantasy Awards. Undertow Publications received a World Fantasy Special Award for non-professional work not covered by other categories. “To be honoured and recognized in this way is truly unexpected,” said Undertow editor-in-chief Michael Kelly, a former Toronto Star employee. “The warmth and support from the genre community has been overwhelming.” Undertow won the Horror Writers Association Specialty Press Award this year. The World Fantasy Awards are considered one of the three most renowned speculative fiction awards alongside the Hugos and the Nebulas. STAR STAFF Briefly ■ Are Magic Mike and Catwoman headed down the aisle? Actors Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz are reportedly engaged after two years of dating. People magazine says Kravitz was showing off an engagement ring on the weekend at Kendall Jenner’s Halloween party at the Chateau Marmont, where “The Batman” star Kravitz, 34, dressed as Mia Farrow’s character from “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Magic Mike” star Tatum, 43, as her baby. ■ Actors Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly mocked SAGAFTRA strike guidelines over the weekend by posting photos on Instagram of themselves dressed as “Kill Bill” characters for Halloween. Fox, apparently snubbing union guidelines to avoid posting “photos of costumes inspired by struck content on social media,” even tagged SAG-AFTRA in her caption. Multiple union members criticized the “Transformers” actor on social media for taunting the union. ■ John Legend has had enough of X, formerly known as Twitter. The singer and “Voice” coach told Yahoo Life that the social media site has become “a little too toxic.” Not posting is “truly better for my mental health. I just found it better for my mental health to stay away,” he added. Legend’s break from social media follows wife Chrissy Teigen’s on-again, off-again relationship with social platforms. In 2021, after a rollercoaster relationship with Twitter, the model and cookbook author left the platform. STAR WIRE SERVICES Performance explores grief CULTURE | B9

B10 | CULTURE ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR Results may vary. Please read the information on the box to determine if this product is right for you. @newnordic_canada @newnordiccanada FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL! New Nordic is the no.1 supplier of natural health products in Scandinavia. Our award-winning beauty range is designed to nourish the hair and skin with specific, natural and effective ingredients, to help you look and feel your best. Beauty from within The Tablet for Healthy and Full Hair Hair VolumeTM is an award winning and clinically proven hair supplement from Sweden, providing vital nutrients to the hair follicles, from where the hair grows. Hair VolumeTM contains a patented apple extract with a growth factor called procyanidin B2. In combination with millet, silica, and biotin, these ingredients help promote full, beautiful and healthy hair. 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The tablets provide both type 1 collagen, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, to help your skin look young and vibrant. NEW ADVERTIsem*nT (ONLINE) These beauty tablets are part of an extensive Natural Magic™ Beauty line, with topicals and tablets, to promote skin beauty from the inside and out. Does Ron DeSantis secretly wear lifts in his cowboy boots? I know. With so many real problems in the world, this is about as important as a feud on “The Real Housewives.” But now that American politics is itself a reality show, scrutinizing the height of Mr. DeSantis is getting more media play than shrinkflation. My parents taught me to judge others by their ideas and character, not if they need to stand on tippy toes to fetch a box of Special K atop the fridge. But here we are. Newsweek on Monday: “Ron DeSantis Addresses Rumors That He Wears Lifts in His Boots.” Politico on Tuesday: “3 Expert Shoemakers Say Ron DeSantis Is Probably Wearing Height Boosters.” Also this week, according to HuffPost, a podcast host challenged DeSantis to remove his alleged elevator boots and get tape measured in “a pair of very fancy Ferragamo loafers to prove he’s 5 feet, 11 inches, as he claims.” That’s not even tall. It’s not as if DeSantis is claiming to dwarf Shaq. But not since news broke about Imelda Marcos’s 3,000 pairs of shoes has the footwear of a public figure garnered this much speculation. There are more TikTok accounts now devoted to DeSantis’s boots than Kardashian stilettos. In October, Donald Trump — the lying narcissist and quadruple-indicted charlatan DeSantis is trying to dethrone — shared a meme with his speckle-raged cultists. It was a photo of DeSantis getting interviewed on HBO’s “Real Time With Bill Maher.” The image was marked up with yellow anatomical lines, calculating where a normal leg might end and a foot may sprout. The caption: “Tell me he isn’t wearing hidden heels.” That Trump is ridiculing anyone’s physique is beyond rich. This summer, during one of his many court bookings, Trump listed his stats as six-foot-three and 215 pounds. Even Stevie Wonder was like, “Come on, man.” Justin Trudeau is six-foot-two. But during a photo of G7 leaders in 2019, he was taller than Trump. What’s that all about? Given Trump’s fealty to truth and reality, is it possible two little people are paid to inhabit his pants legs and carry him around to make him look twice as tall? It’s possible. But now the impossible has happened: I feel sorry for Ron DeSantis. If ageism is the last acceptable form of discrimination, heightism remains an implicit cultural bias we can’t shake. I remember once hearing that more than 90 per cent of all CEOs are six feet or taller. A 2020 study in PLOS found there is a correlation between every additional inch of height and higher annual income. Or as the Guardian wondered this spring: “When will the obsession with men’s height end?” It’s not just men. It’s probably harder to be a six-foot-four woman than a four-foot-six man. Who cares if DeSantis can dunk a basketball without jumping or curl up and fit in your glove box? He should be measured by his ideas. Judge him by his book banning. Judge him by his desire to treat every woman’s body as a possible crime scene. Judge him by the fact he has all the charm and warmth of a Komodo dragon. My childhood talking GI Joe action figure was more engaging. Height is as meaningless as eye colour. And yet, in politics, height is under a perennial microscope. Mike Johnson, the new Republican Speaker of the House, is listed in various sites as between five-footeight and six-foot-two. Does it really matter? It’s his radical ideology and religious fanaticism that should be sized up. This maniac is against birth control and the theory of evolution. He wakes up each morning, fingers crossed, waiting for the Second Coming. To understand his world view, he recently told Fox’s Sean Hannity, all you have to do is read the Bible. Wow. I really hope Jesus does return in my lifetime so I can witness the Last Judgment, even if I end up in hell. Man alive, Jesus will pepper dolts like Mr. Johnson with questions: “Mike, how do tax cuts for the rich help the downtrodden? Why are you using my name to raise political donations or not help Ukraine? Can you please cite the biblical passages that champion insurrection and election denialism? Mike, you claim to be in a ‘covenant marriage’ and yet you worship Trump, a thrice-wed sinner who had affairs with p*rn stars, never goes to church and doesn’t know Moses from a McChicken?” DeSantis should lean in to this height “controversy.” His sputtering campaign is already crashing and burning. He’s got nothing to lose. Ron, call a press conference and jog out barefoot in boxer shorts as a nurse measures your height on one of those telescoping scales with the steel level that rests on your skull. Wheel out your cowboy boots and dump them upside down until the wooden doll moulds fall out and reporters gasp. It’s time to put an end to heightism. Do we not live in a world of push-up bras and Ozempic and LASIK eye surgery? We are a society full of body cheaters. DeSantis should deliver his future speeches while wobbling on stilts. He should announce new policy platforms after getting shot out of a cannon. It might not help him beat Trump. But it would send a global message that transcends the smallness of his politics. It is time for heightism to have a seat. TWITTER: @VINAYMENON Judge politicians on ideas, not height Controversy over whether DeSantis is wearing lifts misses more important issues VINAY MENON OPINION A lot of focus has been placed on the boots of Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, with rival Donald Trump suggesting they contain lifts. JESS RAPFOGEL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHATTY WORDS ACROSS 1 — and rave 5 Nothing but 10 Covered with layers of metal 14 It's north of Mex. 15 Din 16 Brick maker 17 None 18 Meaning 19 Not changing much 20 “I can't thank you —!” 22 Social events 24 Say grace 26 Rental period 27 Made welcome 31 Kitchen gadget 34 — — carte 35 Folk singer — Seeger 36 City in Egypt 38 Root veggies 40 Dressed to the — 43 Detergent brand 44 Place 46 Diplomacy 48 Flower necklace 49 New York island 51 Source of caviar 53 Curved paths 55 Speak unclearly 56 Hideaway 59 Plateaued 63 Name of Vishnu 64 Restriction 67 Except 68 Canal in a song 69 Great Greek thinker 70 Accused's answer 71 Charity 72 Lead 73 Feudal laborer DOWN 1 Tear down 2 Prayer ending 3 Pianist Peter 4 Company of players 5 Bestubbled 6 Stubbed thing 7 Metallic element 8 Composition 9 “— Madness” 10 Unambiguous (hyph.) 11 Big name in jeans 12 Ripening agent 13 Puts on 21 Hold 23 Miss the mark 25 Himalayan legend 27 Shafts of light 28 Gladden 29 Beast of burden 30 Dimples 32 Banished person 33 Roundup 37 Means of control 39 HR expense 41 Consumes 42 Artist with a chisel 45 Desperate 47 Loyal 50 Cheats a ticket buyer 52 Seizes 54 Supporting pole 56 Actress — Perlman 57 Nobleman 58 Decorate 60 Cabbage variety 61 All the time 62 Unhearing 65 Actress — West 66 Chemical ending CROSSWORD FOR WEDNESDAY WORD SLEUTH BY KING FEATURES INC. Find the listed words in the diagram. They run in all directions — forwards, backward, up, down and diagonally. Tuesday's unlisted answer: MORE LESS Today's unlisted clue: A FRENCH COUNTRY HOUSE YESTERDAY'S ANSWER YESTERDAY'S PUZZLE SOLVED DON'T QUOTE ME BY WIGGLES 3D INCORPORATED “The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in ANSWERS ce. You its music. Bodies never lie.” • “You look ridiculous if you dan look ridiculous if you don't dance. So you might as well dance.” www.dontquoteme.com THEME Rearrange the words below to complete the quotes. BODIES DANCE LIE MUSIC PEOPLE TRUEST “The _______ expression of a _______ is in its _______ and in its _______. _______ never ____.” - Agnes de Mille (1905-1993) U.S. choreographer and dancer DANCE IF LOOK MIGHT RIDICULOUS SO WELL “You look __________ if you _______. You ____ ridiculous ____ you don't dance. ____ you _______ as ____ dance.” - Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) U.S. author Let's Dance the Night Away! SUDOKU Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. YESTERDAY'S WORD SLEUTH ANSWER TODAY'S WUZZLES ANSWER — OR — WUZZLES BY TOM UNDERWOOD ON0 ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2023 TORONTO STAR B12 | PUZZLES Presenting Sponsors Mary Janigan & Tom Kierans The Reitberger Family in honour of Renate Reitberger Noreen Taylor & David Staines Media Partner Magdalene Odundo, Untitled, 2003. Ceramic, Gardiner Museum, Donated in loving memory of Susanne Louise Roberts (“Bede”), a fellow potter, by Camille, Daniel and Neal Roberts.