Is cluster care the answer for older adults?

Plus, questioning Tarion's impartiality and the school cellphone ban [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on home care for older adults, Ontario’s consumer protection agency for new builds and the incoming school cellphone ban. DON’T MISS Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star Third act [Susan’s community is keeping her out of hospital and long-term care]( Susan Vickberg, 71, has a private room at a “cluster-care” household for older adults on Queen Street East, with an in-house supervisor and round-the-clock care from personal-support workers she has known for years, Moira Welsh reports. “It’s almost like having a mother,” said Susan, who lives with multiple sclerosis. “Somebody cares about you and that is an emotionally positive experience — you lose that sense of loneliness.” According to the not-for-profit, 75 per cent of its older renters at sites across Toronto remain in cluster care until the end of their lives, avoiding nursing homes. [Here’s why experts say it could offer a prototype for new home care services](. - By the numbers: Ontario has nearly 2,000 buildings defined as Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), which are home to 217,000 older adults, according to data from the NORC Innovation Centre.  - Go deeper: “Ontario’s current home care system is underfunded, disjointed and not working for the many older adults who rely on it the most,” the report by the NORC Innovation Centre at UHN says. Nick Lachance/The Star Star investigation [How impartial is this program to help homeowners challenge Tarion’s warranty decisions?]( Lesana Mohammed was left with nearly $90,000 worth of unfinished work on her home after a dispute with a builder, so she requested warranty coverage from Tarion, Ontario’s consumer protection organization for new builds. When the agency declined her claim, she fired off a terse email to the CEO and got an invitation to its independent mediation program. “I thought finally they were gonna turn this around and do the right thing,” she said. But looking up the names on the roster of mediators suggested the program wasn’t as independent as the agency claimed. At least one third of the nine mediators have ties to Tarion that a consumer rights advocate says should have been disclosed, Sheila Wang reports. [Can they really be impartial?]( - ICYMI: Tarion put the mediation program in place after a searing 2019 auditor general report found [the agency was putting builders’ interests ahead of consumers](. - Word from Tarion: The agency has started an internal review of the mediation program, CEO Peter Balasubramanian told the Star. It has since updated its roster with disclosures and says it plans to make “improved disclosures” as of May 1. Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck education [How effective will Ontario’s cell phone ban be?]( The majority of students the Star spoke with about the province’s incoming school cell phone ban think the policy is generally a good idea. But they say enforcement and the awkward position educators may find themselves in — as guardians of expensive devices filled with personal information — is problematic given that schools are already struggling with discipline, staffing and underfunding, Emily Fagan and Raju Mudhar report. “It’s personal, you coming to me and taking my phone. I feel like it’s too authoritative,” one 17-year-old student said. [Take a closer look at their concerns — and those of the teachers union and other stakeholders](. - Go deeper: “I don’t like seeing students walking around looking at their phone screens all the time, and not talking to each other, but they see their parents and adults doing that too,” said the president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. - Edward Keenan’s take: Doug Ford’s school cellphone ban is too easy. [There’s a bigger education problem he needs to fix](. - Another angle: The TDSB loans thousands of Chromebooks to students. [Parents are raising the alarm on what their kids can access on them](. WHAT ELSE International students will face a new work hours cap this fall. This is the new limit — [and how the immigration minister is justifying it](. [A judge has rejected the “extraordinary” request for a publication ban]( on the names of Peel cops involved in the death of Ejaz Choudry. Sarah Jama was told to remove her kaffiyeh while in the legislative chamber. She won’t of course, Heather Mallick writes. [Why should she?]( [Twelve people have been arrested and more than 100 charges laid]( in a major fraud scheme one expert calls “appalling.” Developers are luring buyers with these incentives as [demand for preconstruction units continues to plummet](. A Toronto poker player was killed in a home invasion last week. [Here’s what we know about him and his death](. “Why does the city make it so hard to do business?” [This popular Toronto patio is at risk amid a licensing dispute](. King Charles is getting back to work, [but some say his health is worse than the palace is letting on](. It’s Drake versus everyone: [Here’s what to know about the sprawling rap beef that won’t end](. Conservative media personality Donald Trump Jr. is coming to Toronto next week. [Here’s why](. POV R.J. Johnston/The Star [There’s an effective way to ease Toronto’s traffic woes. But it’s up to city council to allow it.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: A sign around King’s College Circle on Monday says the university grounds are temporarily closed due to concerns about “unauthorized activity” amid convocation planning. [Here’s how else U of T is bracing for potential student encampment protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza](. 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_213010). 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. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](