Doug Ford trounced the opposition. Now what?

Plus, falling GTA home prices, and a couple separated 14 years by immigration woes.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

First Up   By Manuela Vega   Good morning. Here’s the latest on Doug Ford’s election victory, falling housing prices in the GTA, and a married couple that has lost 14 years to immigration delays.       DON’T MISS Paige Taylor White/The Star   election results NDP and Liberal leaders stepped down as the PCs claim victory Doug Ford won another four years in his post, as the Progressive Conservatives took 83 seats — up from 67 at dissolution. Liberal leader Steven del Duca, on the other hand, will step down after losing in his own Vaughan-Woodbridge riding. Though they won one more seat than in 2018, the Liberals failed again to reach official party status. Meanwhile, Andrea Horwath announced she will resign as the head of the New Democrats. Green party leader Mike Schreiner holds onto his seat in Guelph. Here’s more on the results and what comes next. By the numbers: The NDP won 31 seats, the Liberals won eight, and the Greens and an independent each won one. Only 43 per cent of eligible voters went to the polls. Wait, what? Here’s why experts say Doug Ford proved immune to COVID-19 criticism. Now what? Here’s what Ford promised to do if re-elected. Winners and losers: New Democrat Kristyn Wong-Tam and the premier’s nephew Michael Ford claim seats. Here’s more on the candidates who won and lost. Interactive: How did your riding vote? See Ontario election results from across the province.   Julie Jocsak/The Star   housing GTA home prices have dropped $121,000 from their February peak Due to rising interest rates, Greater Toronto Area home prices fell from an average $1.33 million in February to $1.21 million in May, according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB). Home prices increased 9.4 per cent on an annual basis, but May saw the third consecutive month-over-month drop. Detached suburban homes, which were most in-demand throughout the pandemic, saw the biggest price drops. Here’s more on how the market is changing. By the numbers: Detached home sales declined 42.6 per cent year over year in the 905 and 34.8 per cent in the City of Toronto. Watch for: TRREB’s president says the downward trend will likely continue through the summer. A market analyst says that despite less competition, it’s too soon to call this a buyer’s market. ICYMI: The Bank of Canada hiked its key interest rate Wednesday to cool the housing market.   Supplied Photo   immigration They’ve lost 14 years as they’ve fought to be together in Canada Bernadin Kossi Ben Djikounou has been trying to bring his wife, Ayawa Awuno, from Togo to join him in Canada since 2008. During years of struggle with the Canadian immigration system, the former refugee missed the birth — and death — of his two infant sons, a decade apart. Now, a Federal Court judge is questioning whether the family would have had the same fate if their reunification was processed by a visa post in Europe. Here’s what we know. Wait, what? After their latest attempt at sponsorship in 2017, Djikounou’s wife was recently asked to submit new documents to a visa post in the capital city of Ghana — a good sign. But this only came after their lawyer challenged the delays, which the immigration system had blamed on the pandemic. More: “It is not consistent … to continue to process applications from Western countries while applications in Ghana were left to languish,” wrote Justice Richard Mosley in a judgment released in April.       WHAT ELSE   Is Ford’s election promise on housing already outdated?   The Progressive Conservatives dominated the GTA. Here’s how election tech malfunctions affected some voters and the efforts of parties to see who voted.   Car rental agencies predict ‘carpocalypse’ in Canada this summer as they run out of vehicles. The jury in the Jacob Hoggard sex-assault trial is deadlocked on “some counts.”   More than 300 Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion have arrived in Halifax. “Absolutely inconceivable.” Bids closed to buy the historic St. John’s, N.L., basilica.   Buckle up, the traditional winter flu and cold season is hitting us right now. A decade ago, my halal food options in the GTA were mostly limited to Popeyes. Now it’s everywhere.   Why were Chinese fighter jets “buzzing” a Canadian aircraft?       POV Toronto Star File Photos Lex Harvey: My biggest challenge fact-checking the Ontario election? I needed the leaders to make checkable claims.       PREVIOUSLY... Doug Griffin/The Star   JUNE 3, 1975: A foundling robin taken to the Society for Animals in Distress (SAD) shelter on St. Clair Avenue West was living the good life, even getting along well with Tubby, the SAD mascot and resident cat. Allan McGinn, general manager, named the bird Young Robin and kept it alive on a diet that included dog food, bits of tuna sandwiches and the odd dew worm.     Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. First Up’s new weekend writer, Ashley Okwuosa, will deliver the must read headlines to your inbox tomorrow morning.     If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below.   Unsubscribe From This Newsletter Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts Become a Star Subscriber View in Browser Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 PRIVACY POLICY