Inside Alberta's political shakeup

Plus, fact-checking Steven Del Duca and the housing advocate leading Toronto city hall  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

First Up   By Manuela Vega   Good morning. Here’s the latest on an unexpected change in Alberta politics, fact-checking Ontario’s Liberal leader ahead of the June 2 election and the housing advocate saying goodbye to Toronto politics.       DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Dave Chidley   alberta politics Alberta Premier Jason Kenney will step down as United Conservative Party leader After receiving just 51.4 per cent support in his party leadership review — which he said “clearly is not adequate support to continue on as leader” — Jason Kenney shocked even UCP insiders Wednesday by announcing he will step down. Months of taking heat from both ends of the political spectrum for his handling of the pandemic came to a close with the vote that barely met the threshold to continue as leader. Here’s what we know and what could happen next. Context: Kenney united Alberta’s right wing five years ago, merging the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties. He went on to defeat the NDP in 2019. Go deeper: Kenney’s pandemic response was unpopular among UCP members, with some saying he brought in too many restrictions and others saying he underestimated the pandemic. ICYMI: Here’s a timeline of Alberta’s pandemic response. The aftermath: Here’s what politicians and experts are saying about Kenney stepping down.   Toronto Star Graphic   provincial election Ontario’s Liberal leader was pretty honest last week. But when talking about Doug Ford? Not so much Friend of First Up Lex Harvey set her fact-checking focus on yet another provincial party eader this week: Steven Del Duca. Over five days, in which the party dropped three candidates, the Liberal leader attempted to amplify Premier Doug Ford’s failures, and promote the Liberals as the better option. Did he manage to remain honest? Here’s where he stretched the truth or made false claims. More: Unlike the Liberals’ decision to ditch candidates who came under fire over anti-gay remarks, Doug Ford defended a Tory MPP who oversaw a church magazine that included homophobic articles. Watch for: In the coming weeks, Lex will fact-check NDP leader Andrea Horwath, followed by Premier Doug Ford. ICYMI: Here’s how many false claims Mike Schreiner made in one week. Martin Regg Cohn’s take: There’s only one person left who can defeat Doug Ford.   David Rider/The Star   City hall The Toronto councillor most up to speed on housing issues won’t seek re-election Highly-respected housing advocate Ana Bailão will finish her term as city councillor for Davenport and then bid farewell to politics, she told the Star. Bailão is the latest veteran to leave City Hall, opening up yet another race with no incumbent. Mayor John Tory, who is seeking re-election on Oct.24, said he doesn’t know who will fill the housing gap that will be left by the departure. Here’s more on Bailão’s legacy and how she hopes housing in the city will change. More: “For me, politics is always a means to make change. It’s not about the position — it’s about the work that I do,” Bailão said, noting she doesn’t know what’s next, but she hopes to put her expertise on affordable housing to use. Go deeper: Councillor departures guarantee new faces in districts where many representatives had served for decades.         Get a front-row seat this provincial election. As the Ontario election heats up, you need This Week in Politics, featuring exclusive analysis from Queen's Park bureau chief Robert Benzie and columnist Susan Delacourt. Sign up here, and you'll start receiving their insight on what just happened, what it means — and what's coming next.         WHAT ELSE   Here’s why Conservatives fear Pierre Poilievre or one of his rivals could split the party.   Althia Raj takes a close look inside the Conservative Leadership Race. A Russian soldier pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian in Ukraine in the first war crimes trial of the war.   Russia shut down CBC’s Moscow bureau in retaliation for Canada’s ban of its state broadcaster. Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19.    ... and so has NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, prompting her to cancel her northern campaign stops. The Toronto Catholic school board integrity commissioner quit over the response to a report on a trustee’s conduct.   The Chinatown community is rallying to keep Crimson Teas in business after the owner was assaulted. Montreal is investigating up to 13 possible cases of monkeypox.   The cost of grocery staples has surged again and there’s no end in sight. Leafs star Mitch Marner is “doing well” after being carjacked.   Should High Park be car-free all the time?       GET THIS McKenna Deighton/The Star Check the Star’s map of where car thefts were reported in Toronto from 2014 to 2021, and learn what you can do to reduce your risk.       CLOSE-UP Ashley Landis/AP Photo   CALIFORNIA: Gabe Kipers kneels at a memorial for his neighbour Dr. John Cheng outside his office building on Tuesday. Cheng, 52, was killed in Sunday’s shooting at Geneva Presbyterian Church when a man who professed political hatred for Taiwan allegedly opened fire on the congregation.     Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.     If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. 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