The horror of Toronto’s condo market “ghost town”

Plus, an LCBO negotiation snag at last call, our decathlon champ adjusts his approach and Katy Perry’s pop bubble bursts [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. An incident at a cybersecurity firm yesterday led to [major operational outages at a wide variety of organisations reliant on Microsoft services]( including hospitals and airlines. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Ramon Ferreira/Dreamstime/Toronto Star illustration Real Estate [Toronto’s condo market is a “ghost town.” Desperation to sell is only adding to the horror]( One hopeful seller listed his downtown, one-bedroom condo in April but he hasn’t received a single offer — even after a substantial price drop. With prospective buyers waiting for lower interest rates, more than 6,000 condos are currently listed in Toronto, Clarrie Feinstein reports. [Panic is setting in, as some must choose between selling at a loss or holding onto a unit they can no longer afford](. Steve Russell/Toronto Star Retail [End to LCBO strike hits late snag right before tentative deal’s closing time]( After initial reports that the sides had reached an agreement, the LCBO threatened to file an unfair-labour-practice charge against the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, claiming it had “introduced significant new monetary demands,” Josh Rubin and Kristin Rushowy report. [Regular operations could still resume as early as Tuesday](. Nick Lachance/Toronto Star City Life [Yes, many of you still love Toronto. Let us count the ways]( Sure, everything is exorbitantly expensive, the congestion is hellacious and some of us might be one stormy deluge away from developing gills but there’s plenty to like about life in the Big Smoke. Edward Keenan recently asked readers what they love about Toronto. From the city’s natural beauty, cultural diversity and — perhaps shockingly — some of our sports teams, [these were the most insightful responses](. Peter Rinderer/AFP via Getty Images Olympics [How pole vault is raising the bar for reigning decathlon champ Damian Warner]( Damian Warner isn’t likely to top his Olympic records in the decathlon’s 100-metre sprint and 110-metre hurdles from three years ago. So, as the 34-year-old Canadian prepares to defend his gold medal, he’ll set his sights on bolstering pole vault and javelin, two of his weakest events in Tokyo, Kerry Gillespie writes. [Here’s how he’s adjusted his approach to stay ahead of the competition](. Youtube Music [Katy Perry’s women empowerment anthem bombed but shines a light on pop stars doing feminist music right]( Despite the long tradition of pop music holding a mirror up to the state of female empowerment, Katy Perry’s latest track, “Women’s World” was met with revulsion. Mocked for fizz-less lyrics and the music video’s head-scratching imagery, Emilie Hanskamp writes that the universal backlash is actually good for music. [It’s time for the old guard to enter pop music’s new group chat](. Support THIS Shirley Evans When Carolyn Evans Hammond was a kid, her parents bought an undeveloped plot of land on an island north of Belleville and built their cottage paradise. Those scrappy summers on Lake Mazinaw changed Hammond’s life; wouldn’t it be incredible if all kids were afforded that formative opportunity? [That’s why she says the Fresh Air Fund is so important](. Thanks for reading. While writing today’s newsletter about an hour north of where Carolyn’s childhood cottage was, I’m overcome with the same appreciation for having trod a similar trail. You can reach 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_216930), and I will 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](