The race to replace Tory could get interesting

Plus, a shooting at a Toronto school and the increasing costs of homeownership  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

First Up   By Manuela Vega   Good morning. Here’s what’s open and closed this Family Day — plus things to do in Toronto. Here’s the latest on a shooting at a Toronto school, John Tory’s departure and the cost of homeownership.       DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star   crime A student is in critical condition after drive-by shooting at Weston Collegiate Institute As students returned to campus from their lunch break, they were shocked to see police rushing into their school and staff trying to help a 15-year-old boy who had been shot in the parking lot. According to police, the Grade 10 student was shot from an unknown vehicle carrying an unknown number of suspects. As of Thursday night, he was in critical condition. Police have made no arrests. Ivy Mak, Jennifer Pagliaro, Isabel Teotonio and Dhriti Gupta report on the resulting tension at the school and the incidents leading up to this moment. More: The officer at the scene didn’t have a description of the suspects or the car. He asked for anyone with surveillance footage in the area to provide it to police. Go deeper: “We need to actually think about what is causing this,” said TDSB’s director of education. “We know from speaking with our students, as well as working with our community partners, that substance abuse, homelessness, poverty, food insecurity, and education are all areas that we need to address and that’s why we need to work together.”   Richard Lautens/The Star   city hall John Tory steps down as mayor today — here’s what happens next Tory officially resigns today and he’s spending his final hours in office transferring most of his powers to his temporary replacement, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie. At his request, McKelvie won’t have strong-mayor powers. She’ll only be in office until a new mayor is chosen in a byelection and has announced she won’t be running. Aisling Murphy and David Rider report on the upcoming election process and the candidates preparing to throw their hats in the ring. More: One expert says the election will garner more public attention and higher voter turnout than usual since it’s not happening at the same time as school trustee and ward councillor races. There will also be candidates with name recognition and varying political perspectives, plus the city can focus on what it needs after Tory. Word from Queen’s Park: ​​Doug Ford says he’ll stay out of Toronto’s mayoral race — but don’t elect a “lefty.” Go deeper: Tory is 68 and his former staffer is 31. Who does the age gap serve, who does it hurt, and should it matter? The public editor’s take: The Star faced harsh criticism after our exclusive story on Tory. Here’s how the coverage met journalistic standards.   R.J. Johnston/The Star   cost of living How much income do you need to buy a home in Toronto? Thousands more than last year Sure, home prices have dropped in Toronto — but you actually need more money to afford one now than you did at this time last year, May Warren reports. Blame that on rising mortgage rates. Among 10 Canadian cities, including Toronto, Hamilton is the only one where homebuyers didn’t need a higher income this year to be able to afford their purchase, according to new data. Take a closer look at the numbers. On the home front: To afford an “average” home in the city, which costs about $1.08 million, prospective homebuyers have to be raking in $207,000 — $7,620 more than the $199,380 they needed to earn in January 2022. More: Buying or selling a home? You should budget for these costs. Meanwhile: The Bank of Canada’s rate hikes are meant to trigger job losses — but Canadian employers are “desperate for workers” and hiring growth is expected to continue.       WHAT ELSE   We could see the report on the Trudeau government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act today. Here’s what you need to know.   As part of an inquiry into profiteering, these grocery store CEOs say they would appear before a parliamentary committee. Canada may see another abortion pill shortage soon. An expert says the consequences can be serious.   Episode 2 of The Billionaire Murders takes on the police theory of murder-suicide in the Sherman case. Canadian engineers wear the iron ring with pride — but some are sparring over the mysterious ceremony that goes with it.   “We have no time to grieve.” Syrian and Turkish students say the University of Toronto isn’t addressing the trauma of the earthquake. Want to camp in a national park this summer? Here’s what you need to know about Parks Canada’s new booking system.   The Underground Comedy Railroad tour lets Canada know Black comedians exist and deserve to be supported. Were these Canadian pilots the first to lay eyes on the Chinese spy balloon?   Toronto breweries are offering beer lovers more booze-free options than ever. Brampton residents want a McDonald's India menu here. Could it happen?   Toronto health inspectors found major infractions at these restaurants over the past week.       POV Chloe Cushman Illustration By delaying the expansion of MAID, Liberals can ensure the proper safeguards and protocols are in place.       CLOSE-UP Bernat Armangue/AP Photo   ANTAKYA, TURKEY: Men sit in front of the rubble of an area destroyed during the earthquake that devastated southeastern Turkey and Syria on Sunday, Feb. 12. Ever since the quake — Turkey’s deadliest disaster in modern history — some survivors have been gathering outside destroyed buildings, refusing to leave. Many others are hunkering down to sleep in tents, factories, train cars and greenhouses.     Before I go, yesterday’s edition erroneously said Toronto’s 2023 budget was passed on Thursday. It was actually passed on Wednesday. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. Ashley will 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. 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 View in Browser Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 PRIVACY POLICY