Want to tell the future? Watch today's byelections 👀

Plus, a stalled modular housing project and another Trump assassination attempt [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Andy Takagi] By Andy Takagi Good morning. Here’s the latest on the predictive importance of today’s byelections, a languishing modular housing project and another attempt on Trump’s life. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Peter McCabe federal politics [Today’s byelections could be a sign of things to come]( Two byelections — one in Montreal and another in Winnipeg — could be a glimpse of our electoral future. To the east, the Liberals are fending off challengers from the NDP and Bloc, hoping to prevent another surprise loss like they suffered in Toronto—St. Paul’s not long ago. To the west, the New Democrats hope to stave off a strong Tory candidate. [Raisa Patel sets you up for tonight’s nail-biters](. - A game of chicken: The Liberals have said they won’t stand in the way of a parliamentary vote that could trigger an election, [a move that likely has Pierre Poilievre ready to pounce](. - Past is prologue: Want a sneak peak into the campaign trail? The Star tracked where all three big party leaders went this summer. [Here’s what they itineraries say about their priorities for courting voters](. David Rider/The Star housing [Why is this modular home project rotting in a warehouse?]( It’s a tale of two supportive housing projects. Though announced at the same time, the one in East York is housing 59 people with rent geared to their income, while its counterpart in Willowdale has been stonewalled. [David Rider explains how a quick solution to the housing crisis turned into a slog](. - Collecting dust: [The shelved modular project has inflated the cost of the Willowdale project to $36-million]( from an earlier estimate of $14.6 million, for the 59-unit project. - Cho’s woes: [Part of the delay is attributable to local PC MPP Stan Cho]( who has called for more and more community consultations for the past two years. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images u.s. politics [Donald Trump is safe after another assassination attempt]( The former U.S. president and Republican presidential candidate was the target of “what appears to be an attempted assassination” at his Florida golf club on Sunday, the FBI said. Agents fired at a gunman whose AK-style rifle was sticking out through the bushes, nearly 400 yards away from where Trump was playing. The man fled but was taken into custody. [Here’s how Trump has responded](. - Not the first time: Trump was the target of an assassination attempt in July, [when a bullet grazed his ear at a rally](. - Just a coincidence, probably: The former president sent out a social media post earlier in the day that read, [“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”]( The pop star endorsed Kamala Harris last week. WHAT ELSE [Air Canada has offered its pilots a 42 per cent pay raise]( over four years to avoid a potential strike. Doug Ford’s government helped speed development on this parcel of GTA land. [So why have no houses been built?]( Roughly half of mortgage holders have yet to face higher rates. [Here’s how to start preparing now (and the one thing you should never do)](. The story of a stolen Winston Churchill portrait has captivated industry experts. [Here’s why its retrieval is surprising to them](. Why a U.S. military academy welcomed this Canadian general’s [irreplaceable documents about Rwanda](. The return of ISIS? How a Toronto case fits into the global [resurgence of a terror group we thought had been defeated](. More child-care supports are coming [for women working in the trades](. [Ontario is considering expanding pharmacists’ scope]( to include more minor ailments. Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is almost here. [Inside the megastar’s long history with Toronto](. Davis Schneider was lost at the plate. [Here’s how the Blue Jays fan favourite got his groove back](. [These Canadian movies won TIFF’s audience awards]( at this year’s festival. [What Toronto meant to Raptors icon DeMar DeRozan]( both on and off the court. POV Nick Lachance/The Star [Accept it, Toronto: traffic will never go back to the way it was. Here’s why that’s a good thing.]( CLOSE-UP Alex McPhee/Supplied TORONTO: Alex McPhee is known for his maps. Colours came to life in the mind of the cartographer from small town Saskatchewan as he walked through Toronto in May — purple for Mandarin, green for Italian, a dark red for Tagalog. [Here’s how McPhee’s map shows the colourful coexistence of diverse language and cultures in the city](. 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_2250). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get [thestar.com]( + ePaper edition. Only $1 for 6 months! Save over $100. [Get This Offer]( 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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