Et tu, condos? Fees are soaring, pricing out buyers

Plus, Ontario's cash-strapped universities and the latest from Gaza [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on Toronto’s soaring condo fees, a cash shortage at Ontario’s universities and why some say Hamas is “rebuilding.” DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star housing [Condos are supposed to be cheaper than houses — but soaring fees are narrowing the gap]( Despite their comfortable incomes, Aniket Jadhav and Anjali Jachak knew they stood no chance of purchasing a house in Toronto, Victoria Gibson reports. The young couple was confident they could afford a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment costing up to $800,000 — until they began speaking with realtors and mortgage brokers. They simply hadn’t realized condo fees — which can add an extra $1,000-plus a month — could be so high. “If we’re finding it difficult, we can’t imagine others — with a single-income family, or a low-income family — how they would even survive in the city,” Jadhav said. [With condo fees continuing to climb, how affordable is a Toronto apartment really?]( - By the numbers: The average condo fee in 2020 was 73 cents per square foot, or roughly $475 per month for a 650-square-foot home. Fees increased 2.98 per cent in 2021 and 2.72 per cent in 2022, and then 5.51 per cent from 2022 to 2023. The owner of that 650-square-foot unit would now be paying $620 more per year compared to 2020. - Why it matters: It’s little wonder why thousands of young people and new graduates are fleeing the city and its prices. The mass exodus is expected to hamper Toronto’s economy — [could expanded housing types be the answer?]( - Another angle: At the same time, [new home supply in the GTA reached levels not seen since 2016]( a new report finds. But buyers are still on the sidelines, waiting for interest rate relief. Canadian Press/Nicole Osborne education [Doug Ford said new funding would help Ontario’s universities — but many are still struggling]( Despite Ontario announcing about $1 billion in one-time funding for cash-strapped universities, one-third are still in the red and half expect to struggle to balance the books next year, a new analysis found. The government’s funding “falls far short of what the sector needs to be financially sustainable,” said a group representing the province’s 23 publicly assisted schools. It’s calling on the Ford government to follow the advice of its own expert panel, which recommended immediate boosts to funding grants and tuition fees, and an overall $2.5 billion in spending over the next three years, Kristin Rushowy reports. All eyes are now on the province as it gears up to deliver its 2024 budget tomorrow. [Take a closer look at the state of universities and what they want from the province](. - Context: University funding is expected to be hamstrung by Ottawa’s new limits on international students, who pay as much as five times the tuition of domestic students. [Here’s how Ottawa will decide which universities can receive foreign students](. - Meanwhile: [A staffing crisis is playing out in Ontario schools]( with more than a quarter experiencing teacher shortages and nearly half struggling to fill educational assistant positions, a new survey finds. Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images israel-hamas war [What remains of Hamas after five-plus months of war in Gaza?]( The killing of Hamas’ number three leader this week was heralded as a clear sign of Israel’s success in the war in Gaza, Allan Woods reports. But renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza’s main hospital — which Israel claims sits directly above an underground Hamas command centre — could be a sign of something else. Shifa Hospital was the site of a major confrontation last November; the fact it had to be targeted again “tells me that Hamas is rebuilding,” experts tell the Star. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “We are determined to complete the elimination of Hamas” — but a more nuanced view holds the odds of destroying the decades-old militant entity as being slim to none. [Take a closer look at the situation](. - Word from the front line: Palestinians fleeing the raid on Shifa Hospital, which began last Monday, [reported mass arrests and forced marches past the dead as tanks crushed ambulances and bodies alike](. The Israeli army claims it killed more than 170 militants and arrested about 480 suspects in the last week. - Go deeper: [Aid groups that visited another packed Gaza hospital described an “unimaginable” situation]( with severe supply shortages and with healthcare workers either unable to access the site or forced to flee. - Watch for: The United Nations Security Council will [vote today on whether to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan](. If approved, it would last just two weeks until Ramadan’s end on April 9. WHAT ELSE Four suspects charged in the Russia concert hall attack [appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday](. A motor home parks for weeks at a time on a Toronto street. Police said it was fine. [Lawyers disagree](. [Here’s how the deadliest attack on Russian soil in years unfolded over the weekend](. Rent hike? No A/C? [A tenant advocate answers questions about renting in Ontario](. This teacher works a second job to help pay off $55,000 in debt. [How can she get out of the downward spiral?]( [Guillermo del Toro shouts out some of his favourite Toronto bookstores]( while he’s in town filming. Here are our top five moments from the Juno Awards, [from a dazzling performance to touching tributes](. Paul Simon, 82, is a music legend. [This song he wrote 60 years ago would “irrevocably change” his life]( OG Anunoby returns to Toronto Wednesday — [but only he knows if he’ll play against his old team](. Caleb Malhotra is certain he will play in the NHL one day. [He’s not so sure about the OHL](. This $3.4-million downtown Toronto home was [designed and renovated by the winners of HGTV’s “Renovation Resort.”]( Another of Toronto’s beloved diners is [closing after more than 30 years](. POV Associated Press [Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis is a reminder the Royals are still human. So back off, online jackals.]( CLOSE-UP Andrew Medichini/AP Photo THE VATICAN: Pope Francis’s cap was blown away by the wind as he arrived for his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square last Wednesday. [Here’s how veteran Associated Press Vatican photographer Andrew Medichini captured this unexpected shot](. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_211072). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get unlimited digital and ePaper access Spring Sale: Only $1.25/week for 52 weeks! 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