The inside story of how $10 daycare was clinched

Plus, a fatal Brampton house fire and Ottawa's absence at the Vatican [The Star] First Up [By Lex Harvey] By Lex Harvey Good morning. Here’s the latest on a fatal Brampton house fire, the story behind Ontario’s $10-a-day child-care deal and why Ottawa didn’t make the trip to the Vatican. DON’T MISS Supplied Photo house fire [A family of five are dead after a Brampton house fire]( Nazir Ali, Raven Alisha Ali, and their three children, Alia, 10, Jayden, 8, and Layla, 7, are dead after a fire torched their two-storey Brampton home Monday morning. First responders arrived to find a dangerous combination of heavy smoke and flames coming from the home’s windows — but it was too late. One child and two adults were pronounced dead at the scene, and the other two children were pronounced dead at the hospital. A third adult, Raven’s mother, remains in critical condition. [Here’s what we know about the tragedy](. - Context: Monday’s fire was the second blaze in a Brampton home to kill multiple children in recent months. In January, [three kids died in a house fire]( while their mother was dropping her youngest child at daycare. - What we know: Firefighters battled the blaze for hours but eventually had to retreat to save their own lives. The cause of the fire is unknown. Canadian Press/Nathan Denette child care [How Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau struck a deal for $10 daycare]( Calls for a national child-care plan had been ringing out for five decades — but Ottawa’s new $10-a-day daycare program really kicked off during the pandemic. In April 2020, Ahmed Hussen, then minister of families, children and social development, brought his vision to Trudeau, who responded, “Build your case.” Yesterday, Ontario became the last of the provinces and territories to sign onto the national program, fulfilling a federal Liberal ambition and setting Premier Doug Ford’s government on the road to re-election. Tonda MacCharles and Robert Benzie have [the inside story of how we got here](. - The aftermath: Advocates and families cheered Ontario’s 11th-hour signing of the deal. But with demand growing, some worry: [will there be enough spots?]( - Go deeper: What does Canada’s $10 child-care program mean for you? [Here’s what we know so far](. - Martin Regg Cohn’s take: Doug Ford and Justin Trudeau are [Canada’s real governing coalition](. Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images reconciliation [Why Ottawa is absent as Indigenous delegates meet with the Pope]( As Métis and Inuit delegates recounted their painful experiences with Canada’s church- and government-run residential school system to Pope Francis yesterday, one entity was notably missing: the federal government. The reason, federal officials and Indigenous groups say, is because the visit is meant to be personal, not political. “I would say this isn’t our place,” Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller told the Star. [Raisa Patel reports on the first day of meetings at the Vatican](. - Context: The weeklong visit — featuring a delegation of six Catholic bishops and 32 Indigenous elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors and youth — was organized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and several Indigenous organizations. - Go deeper: A major focus of the visit, which has been in the works for three years, is to push the Pope to apologize for the Church’s role in the residential school system. We’ll find out if it worked on Friday, when Pope Francis is set to respond. [Help the Star make a difference for SickKids] Help the Star make a difference for SickKids. SickKids treats the sickest patients with the most complex needs, and for three days only, readers who become monthly donors will have their donations triple matched for a year. Join the fight with us and [donate here by March 31](. WHAT ELSE MPP Randy Hillier is [facing nine charges related to the Ottawa convoy protest](. Canada’s World Cup soccer quest was [dipped in ink and forged by fire](. “It’s a war zone.” First officers on the scene of the Portapique massacre describe the [search for a killer in the dark woods](. “My mom is not the only person COVID has killed this week.” [Who is still dying from the virus in Ontario?]( [Ukrainian forces claim to have retaken ground]( ahead of another round of talks today. A federal U.S. judge found [Trump likely committed crimes]( over the 2020 election. Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock after the Oscars incident: [“I was out of line and I was wrong.”]( Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Ottawa Senators, [is dead at 62](. ICYMI Susan Kao Photo Illustration [Is the mall dead? How surprising new plans for shopping centres like Yorkdale and Square One could redefine the mall as we know it.]( CLOSE-UP Anatolii Stepanov/AFP KYIV: A woman stands in an apartment that was damaged Monday when a Russian missile strike targeted a village on the Kyiv region’s northern frontline. 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_114923). 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. 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