It's budget day, folks + a cautionary tale about raising raccoons as pets
Good morning. This is the Thursday, May 15 edition of First Up, the Star's daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox.
Have you heard of fifth disease? The illness commonly known as 'slapped cheek' syndrome has been reported in Toronto schools. Here's how to protect yourself and your children.
Here's the latest on Ontario's upcoming budget, the renaming of a busy subway station, and a cautionary tale about raising wild animals as pets.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
DON'T MISS
Ontario's new budget continues crusade against bike lanes
Sources say the spending plan will target more Toronto bike lanes. Here's what we know.
Judge pauses Toronto bike lane removals until Charter challenge is decided
Live updates: Doug Ford's government to table 2025 budget
John Lorinc: Here is one thing Doug Ford could do tomorrow to ease gridlock in the GTA and it involves Highway 407
The TTC board approved a station name change
Dundas Station will become TMU station. Here's why — and how much it will cost.
Renaming Dundas Street: Inside the fiery debate that led to the decision, and why it's back in the public eye
Macro the raccoon: A story of caution and redemption
Macro was euthanized on Saturday after spending a life in captivity. Here's what happened.
How Toronto lost its wild 100-year war with raccoons
WHAT ELSE
Crown Meaghan Cunningham, and the complainant, depicted on video, are seen in a courtroom sketch in London, earlier this month.
Alexandra Newbould The Canadian Press
Here's what we heard from the Hockey Canada sex assault complainant over nine days of testimony.
Meanwhile, a Hockey Canada teammate testified the complainant was asking players to have sex with her.
The election campaign has made crime 'top of mind' for the Carney government.
Two pollsters talk about why they think Mark Carney could be a transformational leader.
Ontario and Manitoba signed a trade deal — and it's good news for wine, whiskey and craft beer nerds.
David Olive: Thomson Reuters is a tech giant in disguise with a resilience others can only envy.
'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' is back and it's juicier than ever.
The Toronto Sceptres season ended last night in a Game 4 loss. Here's what happened.
Alejandro Kirk beat the Rays with one swing. Gregor Chisholm has your recap.
Bruce Arthur: Is it the right time for the Raptors to trade for a superstar?
The Leafs came out flat in last night's Game 5. Kevin McGran has your recap.
Can the Leafs recover from their current spiral of embarrassment? Here's Rosie DiManno's take.
POV
Mark Carney should remember that making the rich richer is not a nation-building strategy.
CLOSE UP
Mayor Olivia Chow, second in line, joins CUPE Local 79 team.
R.J. Johnston Toronto Star
NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE: Teams took part in the Second Harvest Truck Pull Challenge on Wednesday, attempting to pull 20,000 lb transport trucks across the square. Toronto mayor Olivia Chow joined the CUPE Local 79 team yesterday. The challenge aims to raise awareness and money for hunger relief in Canada.
The Star is doing a story about the city's favourite servers, bartenders and baristas, and we want to hear all about yours. Email reporter Briony Smith at brionysmith@thestar.ca with the following information: your name, the server's name, their place of work, and what makes their service so special.
Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I will see you back here tomorrow.
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CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Sex assault trial reforms followed Ghomeshi case. Some experts worry Hockey Canada trial could spark more
Social Sharing Following the public outcry over the Jian Ghomeshi case, some legal scholars and sexual assault survivor advocates lauded changes made to the Criminal Code that would prevent defence lawyers from surprising complainants at trial with past emails or text messages with the defendant. However, those changes have proven frustrating for many defence lawyers, and some legal experts say they've significantly delayed and complicated sexual assault trails and made them more unfair for defendants. Now, experts are concerned that the high-profile trial of five former World Junior hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2018 may also lead to legislative changes that could further complicate the system. "I think there are many who … would be concerned or very troubled if some or all of the players were acquitted, as there were many in the public who were concerned or troubled by Ghomeshi's acquittal," said Lisa Kelly, an associate professor of law at Queen's University. She says her concerns are about what she called "this kind of reactive lawmaking." WATCH | Closing arguments wrap up in Hockey Canada sex assault trial: Closing arguments wrap at hockey sexual assault trial 6 hours ago Duration 1:56 'Ghomeshi rules' introduced after trial In 2016, Ghomeshi, the former CBC Radio host, was acquitted of all charges relating to sexual assault allegations made by three women. During the trial, Ghomeshi's lawyer, Marie Henein, surprised some of the complainants during cross examination by confronting the with emails they had sent to Ghomeshi, suggesting inconsistencies in their testimony about contact they'd had with him following the alleged assaults. In 2017, Parliament introduced bill C-51 that amended sections of the the Criminal Code, in part, to remove deterrents that might prevent victims of sexual offences from coming forward. The amendments, referred to by defence lawyers as the "Ghomeshi rules" or "reverse disclosure," meant that defence lawyers could no longer surprise complainants with such communications. Now, if the defence wants to include them at trial, they must make an application to the judge, who determines their admissibility. Complainants can then hire their own counsel to get access to these communications and also argue whether they should be admitted as evidence. "It prevents trial by ambush, which we really shouldn't be having in Canada," said Daphne Gilbert, a law professor at the University of Ottawa. "The surprise factor shouldn't be a part of how trials get won or lost." Often, these records are letters or texts that sometimes contain sexual content that should be vetted under prior sexual history before coming to trial, Gilbert said. "But because there was no screening mechanism, all of that was coming in without that vetting," she said. "It was inappropriate evidence all along that should never have come in, but there was no way to catch it ahead of time." Yet some criminal defence lawyers argue that these rules violate their clients' Charter rights to a fair trial and eliminate a potentially important legal tool to challenge the credibility of the complainant on the spot. Rules mean element of surprise 'undermined' Vancouver-based criminal defence lawyer Sarah Leamon says the amendments definitely have impacted the way defence lawyers handle sexual assault cases. "Before, you could just hang on to those [communications] and not disclose it and present them at a nice, pivotal point in your cross-examination to have the effect," she said. "And now, that element of surprise is undermined." Defence lawyer Nick Cake says the amendments give the complainant an opportunity to prepare and shore up their evidence. If the communications are relevant to the defence, he says they should have the right to use them without the application process. The amendments mean the defence now has to disclose the communications it wants to use, but also swear out an affidavit that outlines what it will do with those communications and why it's relying on them, Cake said, noting that this means clients can be cross examined on that affidavit. "It runs contrary to the principles of fundamental justice that our legal system is based on," he said. "If you make this application … you open your client up to that loss of the right to remain silent and you have to show your hand." In 2022, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of amendments, ruling that "the broad principle of trial fairness is not assessed solely from the accused's perspective; fairness is also assessed from the point of view of the complainant and community." This decision meant "women can breathe a sigh of relief," Elizabeth Sheehy, a law professor emerita for the University of Ottawa, wrote in a column for the Globe and Mail shortly after the ruling. "Parliament and the Supreme Court have taken a vital step to protect complainants." Amendments can result in trial delays Lisa Dufraimont, a law professor and associate dean at York University's Osgood Hall Law School, says these amendments help ensure complainants' voices are heard regarding the admissibility of evidence that could violate their privacy and dignity before it's aired in court. "There's value in that, and that really is the purpose behind the legislation and I think that's laudable," she said. The bigger problem with these amendments and application processes, Dufraimont says, is that they can slow down trials at a time when the Supreme Court of Canada has been trying to move them along and generally reduce delays in the criminal justice system. Dufraimont says it's become very challenging for judges to keep sexual assault trials on the rails when communications between complainants and defendants come up all the time as evidence in just about every sexual assault case. Criminal defence lawyer Peter Sankoff says the new amendments mean sexual assault trials are putting enormous stress on the system and he isn't convinced they've done anything positive for anyone when it comes to the treatment of records. "The biggest problem is that every sexual assault trial has become a lengthy ordeal, and that's not good for the accused or the complainant." Sankoff says he believes most of the material that defence lawyers submit for applications are text messages and communications between parties and says judges are spending much of their time scrolling through text chains that are thousands of pages long. "It seems insane to me that anyone thinks that a lengthy vetting process through this is actually helping anybody." Lawyers worry more changes could follow Sankoff says he's concerned the World Junior sexual assault trial could prompt more of what he calls "reactionary legislation," particularly as it pertains to the definition of consent, something that's been at the centre of the trial. He says it wouldn't shock him if he started to see new laws that make the definition of consent even more grey, for example, by making presumptions that consent could not be given for certain sexual acts. Kelly, the associate professor of law at Queen's, says that when Parliament acts quickly to make or change legislation in response to public outcry, it doesn't necessarily allow the careful weighing of consequences for various parties in the criminal justice system.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
Doug Ford returning to U.S. to fight Donald Trump's tariffs
Premier Doug Ford and his counterparts from the Atlantic provinces are headed stateside to promote trade with New England governors. Ford, who quietly met with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp last week at Queen's Park, has been stepping up the lobbying of U.S. leaders against President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods. 'You can keep tariffing everything, but it's hurting the American people,' the premier told a Toronto business conference last Monday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That's a reference to the fact that U.S. companies importing products from Canada are already passing along their higher costs to consumers. Ford also noted Ontario alone does $500 billion in annual two-way trade with the U.S., and the province is the largest trading partner with 17 of America's 50 states. 'I've had an opportunity to speak to many governors and senators and congresspeople — Republicans or Democrats … (and) every single person I speak to says we can't pick a fight with everyone in the world — and especially you can't pick a fight with your number-one customer,' he said. 'We need to move on.' Along with another wave of appearances on American cable news shows to underscore the importance of trade with Canada, the premier is moving to further strengthen ties with state governors. To that end, Ford, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan and Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz will be in Boston on Monday. The premiers will be meeting with Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. During last winter's provincial election campaign, which the governing Progressive Conservatives successfully framed as a referendum on which party could best deal with Trump, Ford twice visited Washington, D.C., to lobby U.S. lawmakers. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Protester gets on Ford Fest stage in Etobicoke at annual Ontario PC event
A protester made it onto the stage at a Ford Fest event in Etobicoke organized by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party on Friday. Ontario Premier Doug Ford was speaking in Centennial Park, when the protester confronted him and was quickly ushered off the stage. The annual event this year was billed as a celebration of the party's third straight majority provincial government win. In February, Ford led the party to victory in a snap winter election fought amid the spectre of U.S. tariffs. The protester shouted about Grassy Narrows as they were pulled off stage. Ford accused the protester of spray painting "everything" and putting up stickers "all over the place" on Thursday night. "That's not what the people want. We live in a peaceful province and we're going to continue to build... That's what we're going to do," Ford told the crowd. Grassy Narrows First Nation, a northwestern Ontario community, has faced decades of mercury contamination. The poisoning has impacted an estimated 90 per cent of the population of Grassy Narrows, also known as Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek. Earlier, Ford thanked Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow for renaming Centennial Park Stadium after his late brother and former Toronto mayor Rob Ford. The stadium, renamed in May, is now called Rob Ford Stadium. "It was Mayor Chow that named that stadium after Rob. I'll be forever, forever grateful. So when you see her, just thank her. She is really amazing," Ford said. The premier also highlighted his government's work on infrastructure, citing progress on transit lines, the construction of two new Catholic schools and a new community centre in Etobicoke
