Are supertall skyscrapers what Toronto needs?

Plus, Poilievre's controversial endorsements and police conduct in the Umar Zameer case [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. As U.S. protesters called on universities to cut financial ties with Israel and divest from companies enabling the war, schools turned to the police. [Take a look at the fallout](. Here’s the latest on skyscrapers in Toronto, Pierre Poilievre’s questionable endorsements and looming questions for Toronto police. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey real estate [Seven new “supertall” buildings are coming to Toronto]( Toronto’s skyline, with looming towers stacked like Tetris pieces, is one of the city’s major attributes — and it’s about to radically change, Ana Pereira writes. By 2030, at least seven “supertall” skyscrapers will be erected. But the buildings — each slated to exceed a height of 300 metres — are dividing housing observers. Proponents say the towers will provide housing supply needed to alleviate Toronto’s affordability crisis, while critics call the structures impractical, luxury housing that will likely serve as investment vehicles for the city’s wealthiest. [Here’s what else we know about the approved buildings](. - More: The prices at a proposed 105-storey building range from $1.2 million to more than $3 million, while units at The One range in price from $3 million to $31 million, according to real estate platform Livabl. - Watch for: If each project is completed, Toronto will have the fifth largest number of mixed-use residential supertalls in the world, alongside New York City and Hong Kong, said Isaac Work, building data co-ordinator at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick federal politics [Trudeau slammed Poilievre for not denouncing an infamous American conspiracy theorist’s endorsement]( A video circulating online shows Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre telling people at an anti-carbon price demonstration that everything Justin Trudeau says is “bulls–t.” Briefly, the symbol of a group that police have linked with ideological extremism is shown on a trailer door, Alex Ballingall reports. On Wednesday, the prime minister responded by linking Poilievre with Alex Jones, an American conspiracy theorist who endorsed Poilievre and who infamously spread lies about the mass murder of schoolchildren. [Here’s what Trudeau had to say](. - Word from Poilievre: The Conservatives “do not follow” or listen to Jones and the party is only working for the endorsement of “hard-working, everyday Canadians,” a spokesperson told the Star. - Althia Raj’s take: [Poilievre is courting support from groups that spew hate. Is this really the alternative to Trudeau we want?]( Toronto Police Photo policing [Toronto police face big questions in the wake of the Umar Zameer verdict]( After his client Umar Zameer was acquitted of murdering Toronto Const. Jeffrey Northrup, lawyer Nader Hasan was asked what lessons police could take from the high-profile case. “Number one: don’t lie when you’re testifying in court under oath,” he said. “Don’t commit perjury. And don’t put up witnesses who commit perjury.” Although the officers that testified in the case denied colluding and the Crown prosecutor said they had no reason to lie, the actions of Toronto police have nonetheless come under heavy scrutiny, Wendy Gillis reports. [Here’s a look back at the concerns raised by the trial judge and six questions now facing the Toronto Police Service](. - Context: Zameer said he thought criminals were ambushing his family, that he didn’t know Northrup was a police officer and that he didn’t realize he had run him over. Police, however, testified Zameer made manoeuvres to run Northrup down head-on — which was later contradicted by video evidence and the report of a Toronto police expert, and definitively rejected by the jury. - Watch for: Toronto police announced last Monday that they [asked the Ontario Provincial Police to conduct an independent investigation into their officers’ evidence](. WHAT ELSE Ontario is about to change [when your boss can ask you for a sick note](. He won a million-dollar lottery. [It was “the worst thing that ever happened.”]( Health care is in shambles. [I wish our politicians saw what I did when I recently had to visit two Toronto ERs](. Which Toronto neighbourhoods have the most dangerous dogs? [These graphics shed light on problem canines](. [Even with budget changes to capital gains, wealthy Canadians get huge tax breaks]( Neil Brooks and Linda McQuaig write. Washington finally overcame infighting to deliver aid for Ukraine. [It can’t arrive soon enough, the Star Editorial Board writes](. This woman is coming out of the shadows to [urge Canada to keep its promise to undocumented migrants](. This tent listed for $700 per month in Hamilton started as a “joke.” [After overwhelming demand, it may become reality](. AGO workers have reached a tentative deal with management after a month-long strike. [Here’s what we know](. Speed limits on several parts of major highways are set to rise. [Here’s what you need to know](. Smoother sailing is ahead for restaurants as the [city says it’s on track to have the majority of CaféTO patios open by May long weekend](. Perfectionism defined the first decade of Charlotte Day Wilson’s career. [With her new album, the Toronto artist is letting go](. ICYMI Waterloo Region Record [This teen’s hit-and-run death consumed his small town for 14 years. The truth rocked it.]( CLOSE-UP AFP via Getty Images RAFAH: A medic cares for Sabreen al-Ruh al-Sheikh at the Emirati hospital in Gaza on Wednesday. The Palestinian baby was delivered preterm by emergency caesarian section, minutes before her mother died of injuries from an Israeli airstrike on a family home that also killed the infant’s father and sister. 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_212791). I’ll 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. 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