The seniors "panicked" by Toronto's rental market

Plus, Ottawa sending tanks to Ukraine and an ultimatum for mothers in Syrian detention camps  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

First Up   By Ashley Okwuosa   Good morning. Here’s the latest on seniors entering the rental market, the war in Ukraine, and Canada’s alleged ultimatum to mothers in Syrian camps.        DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star   housing “It’s the wild west out there.” The soaring cost of rent is hitting home for seniors After losing her apartment of six years, Dorothy Poste, is on the hunt for somewhere new to live. A senior in her 70’s, Poste faces a rental market where prices have been climbing rapidly. Between her savings, a few investments and the pension dollars she receives, she can manage about $1,400 or $1,500 on rent. But as of December, even bachelor units on Rentals.ca averaged $1,937. One expert says seniors navigating today’s overpriced rental market are “an incredibly vulnerable group” because of the financial and emotional toll created by a lack of affordable housing. Victoria Gibson reports on the impact of rising rental prices on seniors and why the situation is making them “panicked.” By the numbers: Last year, Statistics Canada data showed 49 per cent of senior renters across the country are spending more than they can afford on housing, versus 18.8 per cent of overspending senior homeowners. Go deeper: A 2019 multi-government report highlighted that seniors are particularly vulnerable to bad living situations — senior women especially, given their likelihood of living alone combined with their likelihood of living on lower incomes. Another angle: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said rent prices in Canada grew at a record pace last year as the country saw the lowest vacancy rate since 2001.   John Thys/AFP via Getty Images   war in ukraine Canada is sending tanks to Ukraine Canada’s Defence Minister says Canada will send four of its Leopard 2 heavy battle tanks to bolster Ukrainian forces. Anand told a news conference the Canadian Forces may increase its contribution in the months ahead, and contended that supplying just four out of Canada’s fleet of 82 battle tanks is more than symbolic, as it includes the deployment of trainers, ammunition and spare parts. The Canadian government was initially reluctant to send lethal weapons at the outset of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, reports Tonda MacCharles, but Anand defended the decision now, saying the war “has changed.” Here’s how Canada’s recent actions align with an international push to help Ukraine defeat Russia. What we know: Canada has 82 Leopard 2 tanks in three different battle and training configurations, and another 30 designed for field support. The tanks are heavily armoured and highly protected vehicles, which the military says provide a tactical advantage in terms of mobility and firepower “survivability.” By the numbers: In total, Canada has contributed about $1 billion in military support — and about $5 billion overall, including financial and humanitarian aid — to support Ukraine since last February’s Russian invasion.   Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images   canada Mothers in Syrian camps say Canada has given then an ultimatum: Give up your kids now or they’re stuck there The federal government is offering to repatriate 10 Canadian children from Syrian camps for Islamic State followers but are refusing to allow the kids’ mothers — who don’t have Canadian citizenship — to accompany them, reports Allan Woods. Of the 10 children, one is a non-verbal, autistic boy who is about nine and requires medical treatment for injuries suffered in a bomb blast. The offer for repatriation comes as Canada plans to bring back six Canadian women and their 13 children from the Roj and Al-Hol detention camps in northeastern Syria, which are home to tens of thousands of people believed to have supported, fought with or lived under the Islamic State terrorist group. Here’s why one expert says Ottawa is presenting the mothers with “an unconscionable choice.” Point: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Canada is a signatory, says that a child should not be separated from a parent except when “competent authorities subject to judicial review” deem it to be in the best interests of the child. If such steps are taken, the convention states, “all interested parties shall be given an opportunity to participate in the proceedings and make their views known.” Counterpoint: Phil Gurski, a former analyst with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, defended the decision to deny entry to the non-Canadian mothers, “they made a conscious decision to travel to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS,” he said. “They knew what they were doing. The kids didn’t. The kids didn’t make that choice whether they were born in Canada or under the so-called caliphate, the children are there solely because of the decision made by their mothers or fathers.”       WHAT ELSE   Brampton man pleads guilty to murdering his sons and staging their bodies as if nothing had happened.   A boom in opium from countries in Southeast Asia could mean more deadly heroin on Toronto’s streets. What’s the cost of COVID disinformation? One organization says without it, there could have been 2,800 fewer COVID related deaths.   In light of recent violence, Toronto police say it will increase the number of officers on TTC. Here’s why experts are questioning the approach. Ontario’s chief medical officer says respiratory infections are stabilizing in Ontario, but urges people to stay vigilant.   The federal industry minister says he’s in no particular hurry to sign off on Rogers-Shaw merger. The Peel District School Board says it is the first board in Canada to create and adopt a detailed plan to dismantle Islamophobia.   Ottawa has named Star contributing columnist Amira Elghawaby the country’s first special representative to combat Islamophobia. Via Rail admits it could have done more to help storm-trapped passengers.   Former TIFF co-director Noah Cowan is dead at the age of 55.       POV Steve Russell/The Star Random attacks on transit. A city in profound decline. Is a safe subway really a fantasy too far?       CLOSE-UP Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo   KIBBUTZ HAZOREA, ISRAEL: As the world marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day today, remaining members of Hungary’s Jewish underground are calling for their story to be told. Just before Nazi Germany invaded Hungary in March 1944, Jewish youth leaders in the eastern European country formed an underground network that in the coming months would save tens of thousands of fellow Jews from the gas chambers. Here’s why one historian describes it as “the largest rescue operation” of European Jews during the Holocaust.      Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I’ll see you back here tomorrow.   Get unlimited access to the Star Last chance: subscribe annually and save $35 for a limited time Get This Offer   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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