How would a total transit shutdown look? We may soon find out

Plus, a health-care fight in cottage country and the excessive-demand provision [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. You may want to pack an umbrella — [rain and gloomy skies are on the way this week](. Here’s the latest on a potential TTC strike, a health-care fight in cottage country and immigration law’s excessive-demand provision. DON’T MISS Lance McMillan/The Star labour [Toronto faces a total transit shutdown by Friday as a TTC strike looms]( Torontonians could face a total shutdown of the TTC as early as Friday unless transit and union officials can agree on a new contract, David Rider, Ben Spurr and Mahdis Habibinia report. Union leaders and TTC officials have tried and failed since February to ink a deal to replace their previous agreement; sticking points include wages, job security and benefits. A walkout by the agency’s roughly 12,000 front-line employees could mean the first full shutdown of Toronto’s bus, streetcar and subway network in 16 years — expected to worsen already terrible gridlock and fill the city’s bike lanes and sidewalks. [Here’s how things could play out](. - By the numbers: Sources told the Star the union rejected a four-year TTC offer that included annual raises of 3.75 per cent, 3.5 per cent, 3.5 per cent and three per cent — instead seeking a three-year deal with hikes of seven, six and five per cent. Neither the TTC nor the union would confirm those numbers. - Context: The TTC had been legally prohibited from striking for more than a decade. That changed last year when the [Ontario Superior Court ruled the ban violated workers’ charter rights]( Rob Ferguson/The Star health care [How a Doug Ford promise set off a health-care fight in cottage country]( As cottage season arrives, a feud over hospital beds is raging in Bracebridge and Huntsville — two years after Doug Ford allotted a $14-million planning grant to the Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare system, Rob Ferguson reports. That’s because the latest plan for $1 billion in replacement hospitals in the communities would see Bracebridge losing in-patient beds and Huntsville gaining them. “A lot of people are very angry,” said one of the dozens of Bracebridge doctors concerned about the long-term future of health care in the cottage-country community. With the Muskoka region population expected to double over the summer months, tensions are rising — [is a community consensus still possible?]( - By the numbers: The latest plan will see 36 in-patient beds in the new Bracebridge hospital — down from 67 in the town’s current hospital. Huntsville is slated for 121 beds, up from the 56 beds in its current facility. - Why it matters: Bracebridge doctors fear the 36 beds won’t be nearly enough to meet the needs of the aging community, especially as the population swells over summer. But proponents of the plan argue it’s not practical to have hospitals in the two nearby towns duplicating services. Rene Johnston/The Star immigration [He was refused a study permit extension because he’s HIV positive]( All his life, R.A. has lived in fear of being judged and disowned by his family and friends because he’s attracted to men. His hopes rose after he was accepted to a Toronto college, offering him a path to a new life far away from the Philippines and out of the closet, Nicholas Keung reports. But R.A.’s plans have been put in jeopardy after his application for a study permit extension was rejected over his HIV-positive status — despite his excellent prognosis with proper medication. The 29-year-old has now launched a Charter challenge over the immigration law provision barring his study extension. [Take a closer look at the situation](. - Context: The excessive-demand provision of the immigration law bans people with disabilities and excessive needs from Canada to prevent strain on its health and social service systems. It’s long been criticized as discriminatory. [Historically, applicants with HIV and conditions like autism made up the bulk of cases](. - Wait, what? An expert said the Immigration Department was aware of R.A.’s HIV status when it issued its initial study permit. It only denied an extension at the discretion of another officer, with no analysis of whether his medical status and needs constituted “excessive demand.” WHAT ELSE [Israeli airstrikes on refugee camps in central Gaza have killed at least 11 people]( as the U.S. pushes a cease-fire plan. Secrets of the side hustle. [Here are some tips for earning extra cash while keeping your full-time gig](. He was born in the Soviet Union and launched an armoured vehicle company in Canada. [Now he’s shipping vehicles to Ukraine for the war](. Changing a tire? First aid? Ontario is getting ready to update its home ec courses — [and wants your input on what needs to change](. “Soldiers of remembrance” retrace the D-Day path in France — [but how long will the memory live on as veterans fade away?]( This laser hair removal specialist turned her experience with discrimination into a [new career and the safe space she could never find]( Those reusable bags aren’t actually recyclable in Ontario. [Here’s why — and what you can do with them instead](. “I just got it.” [Lisa Loeb figured out why the Blue Jays play her hit song after every Yusei Kikuchi strikeout](. [Rupert Murdoch, 93, ties the knot for the fifth time]( in a ceremony at his California vineyard. The no-buy challenge that [has TikTokkers racking up millions of views](. “He’s been a punching bag.” [Angel Hernandez had plenty of detractors, but not everyone is piling on the retired umpire](. Could Canada’s Stanley Cup drought end? [The Oilers knocked off the Dallas Stars to reach finals](. POV Steve Russell/The Star [I asked Justin Trudeau’s Liberals why they broke a promise to ban three controversial police practices. Their answer says a lot]( CLOSE-UP Steve Russell/The Star TORONTO ISLANDS: As we enter Pride Month, Toronto artist Travis Myers has unveiled his latest project: a 600-metre painted rainbow road, titled “The Long Walk to Equality.” Located at Beach Road on Hanlan’s Point — the site that held Canada’s first Pride in 1971 — [Myers’ project is the longest rainbow pathway in the world](. 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_214528). 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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