Today's Star Headlines

Including: Toronto’s top doctor wants restaurants to close — Doug Ford wants them open. Health experts say those mixed messages could result in more cases [The Star]( Morning Headlines [Toronto’s top doctor wants restaurants to close — Doug Ford wants them open. Health experts say those mixed messages could result in more cases]( With COVID-19 cases on the rise, experts say public health messages are being ‘diluted’ by politics, while business owners feel the stress of a potential return to stricter measures with little warning. [Federal health minister calls Toronto’s surging COVID-19 test positivity rates ‘very alarming.’ Ontario officials say they hadn’t seen the data]( Province announces no new public health interventions following an explosive Star report showing areas with test positivity rates above 10 per cent. [Dozens died in long-term care as they waited for Ontario’s COVID-19 action plan, inquiry told]( Warnings about the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes were relayed to the Ontario government in late January, but Premier Doug Ford’s action plan didn’t come until mid-April. [Readers' Choice] It’s your last chance to vote in the Star’s 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards. Tell us which businesses are the best at what they do, from your favourite restaurants to the stores and services you like best. Voting closes October 11, so [vote now](. [‘What kind of barbarian would mow buttercups?’: The city tried to rip up a local ecologist’s natural garden. Now she’s fighting back]( Nina-Marie Lister and her husband Jeremy Guth turned their lawn into a wildlife and pollinator paradise. But complaints from neighbours led them to lawyer up and ask the city to rethink its rules for gardens. [Hundreds of teachers to be switched from in-person to virtual school as TDSB announces huge reorganization]( Up to 324 TDSB schools set to lose classroom teachers in reorganization. [Supreme Court hears arguments over whether Barry Sherman’s will should be withheld from public view]( Trustees of slain billionaire’s estate are fighting a lower-court ruling that the documents should be unsealed. [Ottawa approves a new rapid test for COVID-19 as case numbers continue to rise]( The federal government expects first shipments of new rapid tests next week, and is negotiating a distribution deal with the provinces and territories. [What smart, safe reopening of Canada’s borders can look like]( When borders do reopen, what should that look like? Who should be allowed in? What public health protocols and benchmarks should Canada meet before we even consider it? Dr. Vivek Goel, professor at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and member of the federal government’s COVID Immunity Task Force, talks to Adrian Cheung about the research of reopening borders and why a “blanket ban” on all visitors might not be a long-term answer. [High call volumes. Being placed on endless hold. Ontarians share frustrations over new COVID-testing system]( Ontarians struggle to book COVID-19 tests as the province shifts to appointment-based system [Sheriff’s deputy claims he blocked and shoved Masai Ujiri to prevent possible ‘mass murder’ and terrorism]( Sheriff’s deputy says he had to shove Raptors President Masai Ujiri because allowing him to get on the court risked incidents similar to the Monica Seles stabbing or slaying of Israeli athletes in Munich. OPINION [Bruce Arthur: From Thanksgiving dinners to provincial COVID-19 trends, a muddled Doug Ford is flattening credulity]( Ontario’s premier seems to be hearing the opposite messages from everyone else. [The Star]( 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]( [Manage Your Email Preferences]( [Become a Star Subscriber]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY]( - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -