Ottawa's doing the “absolute minimum” on foreign interference

Plus, traffic jams on the Gardiner and the world's on the “highway to climate hell” [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on Ottawa’s response to foreign interference, traffic on the Gardiner Expressway and the planet driving down the “highway to climate hell.” DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld analysis [Ottawa says this new law will tackle foreign interference — critics say it’s not nearly enough]( Experts say the Liberal government’s response to foreign interference has fallen short amid a damning report that unnamed parliamentarians are allegedly — and knowingly — working to advance the interests of other governments. Justin Trudeau’s administration warned about critical missing context in the document and deferred to the RCMP to investigate any actual wrongdoing, Alex Ballingall and Tonda MacCharles report. It also proposed a new law, presented as a robust response to foreign interference — but some national security experts describe it as the “absolute minimum” the government can do, without addressing the prospect of elected Canadians collaborating with foreign powers. [Take a closer look at the details](. - ICYMI: The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) dropped a new report on Monday detailing numerous alleged instances of [elected officials doing the bidding of hostile foreign governments](. - Wait, what? NSICOP stopped short of actually naming the elected officials in question. [The governing Liberals aren’t giving them up either](. - The Star’s take: Trudeau received the unredacted report on March 22, but the Liberal government appears to have done nothing about the issue since. [It’s long past time Ottawa started taking this seriously](. Steve Russell/The Star traffic [How bad are things on the Gardiner Expressway? Here’s what a new traffic study reveals]( If you feel morning traffic has gotten worse in the last few years, you may be onto something. A new report estimates travel times on the Gardiner Expressway have increased an estimated 250 per cent during the morning rush hour after construction closed lanes in both directions, Raju Mudhar reports. The analysis by Oakville-based company Geotab found it wasn’t much better at the end of the day either — travel times during the afternoon rush hour increased 230 per cent. Commercial drivers now spend 80 per cent more time each day on the road. [Here’s what that means for your commute](. - By the numbers: The average time it takes to drive from the Humber River to Strachan Avenue grew from eight to 20 minutes, while traversing the five-kilometre stretch between Jarvis and Dufferin streets now takes 25 minutes instead of 11. - Context: The 60-year-old Gardiner is in the midst of a major overhaul, including replacing 700 feet of elevated bridge surface, installing new streetlights and a new traffic-management system. It’s slated to last until 2027. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images climate crisis [The UN is warning of a “highway to climate hell” as global heat records pile up]( With the planet running a hot streak of record-shattering temperatures of late, the secretary-general of the UN warns that world leaders are running out of time to act. May marked the 12th consecutive month of record-breaking global temperatures, as the World Meteorological Organization predicts at least one of the next five years will likely break the 1.5 C warming threshold, Kate Allen reports. “We are playing Russian roulette with our planet and we need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell,” UN chief António Guterres said Wednesday. [What can be done?]( - Go deeper: While external forces from underwater volcanoes to El Niño may have played a part in the shocking global temperatures of late, experts agree climate change is the biggest influence. Studies suggest the rate of warming is only accelerating. - Meanwhile: Amid record-setting ocean temperatures, forecasters are warning of an “extraordinary” hurricane season with climate change making storms more severe and frequent. [Here’s how Canada could be affected](. WHAT ELSE Over 1 million people in Gaza could experience the [highest level of starvation by mid-July as Israel continues to restrict access to humanitarian aid](. For the first time since the pandemic, the Bank of Canada has cut its policy interest rate to 4.75 per cent. [Here’s how that will affect your mortgage](. “Plan ahead.” [TTC and union negotiators are still on different tracks as a possible transit strike looms Friday](. [Cross picket lines and show up on time even if the TTC strikes Friday]( city workers have been told. Ontario is a “world leader” in wastewater surveillance for COVID. [The province’s latest funding decision will end that](. [Men set out to “slaughter” a family at a Mississauga restaurant to protect their secret ties to ISIS]( a court heard. [Tonsil surgeries have stopped at McMaster Children’s Hospital]( after two children died. A government analysis says the [online harms bill won’t infringe on Charter rights](. Toronto’s beloved Phoenix Concert Theatre — which hosted the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Billie Eilish — [will be torn down to build condos](. “Once the guy came at me I knew there was no going back.” [How a city councillor subdued a suspected thief at Home Depot](. The debate over the game’s best player used to end in a toss-up between Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. [There’s a clear front-runner now](. At 58, the oldest Miss Universe Canada contestant ever is [pursuing her pageant “goals and dreams.”]( POV Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov [Doug Ford’s beer in corner store move makes me wish for the good old fashioned boondoggles of the past.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star CORKTOWN COMMON: Have you been dive bombed by birds recently? You wouldn’t be the only one — it’s breeding season for the city’s red-winged blackbirds and the critters are attacking anyone who strays too close to their nests. [Here’s what’s happening](. 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_214725). 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](