World Headlines: Can't stand the housing market heat? Go to the suburbs

First Up

By Manuela Vega

Good morning. Here’s the latest on the disorder sending young girls to the hospital, where the housing market is cooling and Canada’s next steps in securing abortion rights.

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mental health

Eating disorder hospitalizations are up nearly 60 per cent among girls aged 10 to 17

A new report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information provides a look at how the first year of the pandemic affected youth mental health. While there was an increase in anxiety and depression and an overall decline in mental health, young women and girls and youth living in poorer neighbourhoods took the biggest hit. The year saw a sharp rise in eating disorder admissions, and Ontario hospitals say those numbers remain high today. Isolation, uncertainty and pressure from social media are likely driving the trend, experts say, and this data is only the tip of the iceberg. Here’s more on how youth fared as COVID spread.

More: Experts said more lower-income kids may be in hospitals due to financial stressors at home and because parents may not have the means to seek care outside the hospital, one expert said.
By the numbers: Of people aged five to 24 hospitalized in 2020, one in four were admitted for a mental health condition, and 58 per cent of those were women and girls.

Julie Jocsak/Torstar

real estate

Suburban home prices and sales are dropping faster than the downtown core

Thanks to rising interest rates, sales and selling prices in Toronto suburbs are trending downwards — and fast. Unusual for spring, the last six weeks or so have seen a dramatic decline in sales, said the president of a real estate brokerage. With fewer buyers, sellers are feeling the pressure to sell. And although prices are still increasing compared to this time last year, they’re decreasing month-to-month. Downtown homes prices and sales are decreasing too, but not as quickly. Here’s more on how the market is adjusting to borrowing costs.

By the numbers: The average selling price of a GTA home dropped 6.4 per cent from March to April and one per cent from February to March after nearly a year of consistent increases.
Interactive: How have home prices changed in your neighbourhood over the last decade? Use our interactive tool to find out.

Alex Brandon/AP Photo

abortion

Justin Trudeau promised more protection for abortion rights in Canada

As access to abortions comes under threat in the U.S., Liberal MPs met Wednesday to debate measures to secure those rights in Canada. Why? Provinces have jurisdiction over health, and can restrict access. Although the Conservative Party’s official policy is that they would not introduce laws to restrict abortion rights, one leadership candidate has said she would. Justin Trudeau said he has two ministers looking into the “legal framework” of services to ensure abortion rights are protected not just under the Liberals, but under any government. Here’s what could come next.

Watch for: Anti-abortion activists are trying to appeal to Canadians by distancing themselves from religion and using young women to present their message. Here’s how the movement has changed over the years.
Campaign trail: Ontario’s Liberal Leader says public funding for Catholic schools must continue despite anti-abortion moves by some — but there should be repercussions.
Bruce Arthur’s take: Roe v. Wade’s undoing isn’t reason for Canadians to be smug. It’s a reason for us to finally do better.
ICYMI: Abortion may be legal in Canada, but not just anyone can get the procedure. These are the challenges faced by lower-income people, those in rural areas and some in Eastern Canada.

WHAT ELSE

Russia’s changing missile strikes in Ukraine could signal supply shortages.

Doug Ford won’t say what Highway 413 will cost taxpayers.

Big questions loom in the aftermath of the Emergencies Act to deal with the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”

CERB is done, and it’s not coming back. Staring down the barrel of a recession, how are we going to fix this?

Toronto’s plan for cheap, fast internet is still alive, but may be years away.

The Green party hopes for a breakthrough in key Ontario ridings.

No foul play is suspected in the deaths of four cadets at Royal Military College.

Last summer’s B.C. and Alberta heat wave were the most extreme since the 1960s.

Halton police issued a warning to high school students about the popular “Assassin” game.

Wayne Gretzky is predicting another first-round exit for the Maple Leafs.

Hate it when the final bill is higher than the original price due to surprise fees? Ottawa is now planning to ban the practice.

Critics accuse Loblaws of profiting from inflation as profits surge by 40 per cent.

ICYMI

Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star Illustration

How do you lose $3 billion in a booming market? A massive Ontario pension comes clean on what happened.

CLOSE-UP

Sportsnet Broadcast

TORONTO: A young Yankees fan was in tears after receiving a home run ball hit by Yankees star Aaron Judge. Blue Jays fan Mike Lanzilotta caught the ball and selflessly gave it to him. “I was overwhelmed, I was like, ‘There you go kid,’” Lanzilotta told the Star. “He was like ‘I love you so much man,’ and was crying. It almost brought me to tears, it was special.”

Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.

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