World Headlines: What's all this talk about ditching the RCMP?

First Up

By Manuela Vega

Good morning. Here’s the latest on changes to the TTC, housing prices in Toronto and talks across Canada to ditch the RCMP.

DON’T MISS

Paige Taylor White/The Star

transit

A plan to boost TTC fares and security is drawing fire from critics

A day after John Tory said he plans to increase Toronto police’s $1.1 billion budget by another $48.3 million, the mayor announced the TTC will see fare prices rise by 10 cents and would get a $53 million subsidy increase to hire 50 more special constables. The move — which comes as the service wrestles with a spike in violent crime — is being criticized for its reliance on force, Alyshah Hasham and David Rider report. Here’s what other plans are in the works for the TTC and what alternative methods critics say would help people feel safe on transit.

Go deeper: “We can’t keep thinking that if we have these reactive responses or a punitive policy approach, we’ll have better health outcomes, greater public safety and a wider sense of well-being,” said Dr. Andrew Boozary, executive director of population health and social medicine at the University Health Network.
Another angle: A spokesperson for transit user group TTC Riders said that instead of hiking fares, the agency should focus on attracting riders back to the service.
More: Under the plan, 10 more Streets to Homes outreach staff would be hired to work with people who are homeless. Monthly pass costs for seniors would be frozen and 50,000 more users would be added to the low-income discount program.

Lance McMillan/The Star

housing

Even fast-rising mortgage rates couldn’t stop the rise of Toronto real estate prices in 2022

GTA home prices rose 8.6 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021 — averaging $1.19 million — according to the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board. Although the central bank’s rising interest rates slowed activity and caused prices to dip, it didn’t immediately reduce prices on a year-over-year basis, the real estate board’s chief market analyst Jason Mercer explained. The red-hot market that saw prices peak at $1.33 million last January and February played a big role in keeping the yearly average high, Tess Kalinowski reports. Take a look at how prices fluctuated over the year across neighbourhoods and types of homes.

Watch for: This year’s housing market will be determined by heavy demand for housing, fed by rising immigration and higher interest rates that temper buyer activity, Mercer said.
Why it matters: An affordable housing lottery drew 900 winners. There were only 100 units to fill.

Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

policing

Why are so many places talking about ditching the RCMP?

From British Columbia to Nova Scotia, several jurisdictions across the country have been having discussions about replacing, transforming or defunding the RCMP. While it’s sometimes seen as a political discussion — as is the case in Alberta — factors such as transparency and accountability are at play, too. Surrey, B.C., for one, is now caught up in a years-long drama over a bid to replace the national police force with one of its own, Kieran Leavitt writes. Here’s a closer look at the challenges the municipality is facing.

Context: Surrey, which has a large South Asian population, is likely better served by officers who can speak the languages and connect with the community, said Curt Griffiths, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University in B.C., adding it’s easier for the city service to hire people from that background who are likely to stay and give back to the community in other ways.
By the numbers: Sticking with the RCMP in Surrey would save it $235 million over five years, although Griffiths noted there are also costs to RCMP “just passing through” the community.
ICYMI: These women say they experienced racism, sexual harassment and gender-discrimination in the RCMP. Here’s a closer look at the systemic problem.

WHAT ELSE

Toronto is proposing extending leases at temporary shelter sites. Take a closer look at the capacity squeeze.

A Christmas Eve storm. Burned-out generators. These homeowners still don’t have power almost two weeks later.

Is Ontario’s bail system broken? A closer look at the process behind the constitutionally-protected right.

Grief. Rage. Clarity. The funeral of Const. Grzegorz Pierzchala brings it all into focus.

Canada and the U.S. both have House Speakers. For one of them, the stakes are a lot higher.

Quebec’s new French language law is unmistakably draconian — will it hold the province back?

Scarborough’s beloved Real McCoy hoped for a reprieve — and got an amicable settlement.

Residents are “fuming” at being trapped by daily gridlock on this tiny Toronto street.

A quarter of COVID patients become long haulers after 12 months, but “there is no point in being alarmed.”

The silver lining of those rising rates: Your pension plan is probably doing better than you think.

Omelette for dinner, a comfy curry and other dinner recipes to try this week.

What every homeowner needs to know about Toronto’s new vacant home tax.

ICYMI

Canadian Press File Photo

Here’s how 2022 became COVID’s deadliest year in Ontario and Canada.

CLOSE-UP

Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images

SAUDI ARABIA: A man watches as a biker competes during the fourth stage of the 2023 Dakar rally around Ha'il province on Wednesday.

Before I go: we’re still keen on seeing what plans you have for this year. Are they to try a new sport or instrument? Snap a photo of you in action — let’s see that gym selfie or the home-improvement project you’re starting — and send it to us at firstup@thestar.ca. We may feature you in an upcoming edition.

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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