Another Tory leader bites the dust

Plus, the "Freedom Convoy" digs in and everything you need to know about the Beijing Olympics [The Star] First Up [By Lex Harvey] By Lex Harvey Good morning. Here’s the latest on O’Toole’s ousting, the “Freedom Convoy” protests and the Beijing Winter Games. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld federal politics [Erin O’Toole is out as Conservative leader]( Veteran Tory MP Candice Bergen was named interim leader last night after 73 of 119 Conservative MPs voted to boot O’Toole from the party’s top job, Stephanie Levitz reports. Many said they were relieved to be done with O’Toole, who will still rep Durham in the House, and what they described as a toxic political environment inside the party. Bergen is the second woman to be elected interim leader of the Conservatives. [Here’s more on the Tory shake-up](. - Susan Delacourt’s take: Truckers came gunning for Justin Trudeau. [They got Erin O’Toole instead](. - Martin Regg Cohn’s take: With Erin O’Toole out of the way, [will Doug Ford make a bid to become prime minister?]( - Word from O’Toole: In his parting remarks, the outgoing Tory leader urged his fellow Conservatives to keep an eye on events unfolding across the country. “Hear the other side. Listen to all voices, not just the echoes from your own tribe,” he said. - Now what? The contest to choose the next permanent leader will be the party’s third since Stephen Harper resigned in 2015. [Here are some potential contenders](. Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld freedom convoy [Ottawa police may seek military assistance as the “Freedom Convoy” protesters dig in]( Canada’s capital is bracing for a resurgence of protesters this weekend as Chief Peter Sloly admitted Ottawa police alone may not be able to resolve what’s becoming an occupation of the city’s downtown core, Alex Ballingall and Raisa Patel report. After days of protesters honking and hollering in downtown streets, with reports of harassment and the display of racist symbols, Sloly said all options to end the protest are on the table — including bringing in the military. [Here’s what you need to know](. - What we know: The protesters say they’re not going anywhere. Vehicles remained parked along major thoroughfares. Outside a downtown transit station, a group of men cooked pizza in wood-fired stoves. People were seen dragging jerry cans of fuel to idling vehicles. - Double standard? In Nov. 2020, 12 protesters were arrested for gathering for less than three days at a single intersection in downtown Ottawa in support of Black and Indigenous people. - Another angle: From “Freedom convoy” to border blockade: [The tale of two towns — Ottawa and Coutts, Alta. — caught in the middle of a protest](. Andy Wong/AP Photo beijing olympics [Everything you need to know about the 2022 Winter Games]( It’s only been six months since the last Olympics, but tomorrow morning marks the official beginning of the Beijing Winter Games. A Canadian delegation of 215 athletes — including a record 106 athletes competing in women’s events — have entered in Beijing’s “closed loop” COVID management system to participate in the Games, which run through Feb. 20. [Kerry Gillespie has your Beijing Olympics primer](. - The athletes: Team Canada includes 45 athletes who have won Olympic medals at previous Games and 117 athletes attending their very first Olympics. Hockey team captain Marie-Philip Poulin and short track speedskater Charles Hamelin will be Canada’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremonies tomorrow morning. - Bruce Arthur in Beijing: Canadian athletes are being told not to speak on human rights while at the Olympics. [It’s the “why” that catches your eye](. - Rosie DiManno in Beijing: China has home-ice advantage and more Olympics talent than ever before. [This is about the athletes, after all](. [Medal Alerts] Find out fast whenever Canada makes it to the podium. Get up-to-the minute email alerts from Beijing with the Star’s Medal Alerts. [Sign up for free today](. WHAT ELSE Protesters at the Alberta border blockade opened some lanes — [but the RCMP think it might just be temporary](. [Ontario is eyeing the creation of a “portable” benefits program]( for workers who might otherwise be shut out. “It’s bigger than us.” [Canada is one step closer to the World Cup]( with a win in El Salvador. [Staff questioned the mayor’s transit plan]( in the wake of COVID-19, emails show. Ontario’s integrity commissioner [found no wrongdoing]( in the proposed rerouting of the Bradford Bypass. Why wait two weeks for your pay? [New services allow Canadian workers to access pay as they earn it](. [Do you have an object that will always remind you of the pandemic?]( Send the Star a description and a photo and you may be featured in an upcoming story. [Canada is about to get a chief nursing officer]( a much-needed blast from the past, advocates say. ICYMI Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star Illustration [Spread hatred. Face courts. Repeat. Why Canada’s “weak” laws are failing to address the rise of hate.]( CLOSE-UP Barry Reeger/The Associated Press PUNXSUTAWNEY, P.A.: Handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, as he delivered his dreaded forecast Wednesday during the 136th Groundhog Day celebration on Gobbler’s Knob: six more weeks of winter. Thanks 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_103547). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. [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]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [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](