The sixth wave looks a lot like the first for exhausted health-care workers

Plus, the latest on the GTA housing market, and HBC's gift to an Indigenous organization [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Happy [Earth Day](. Here’s the latest on COVID-19 exhausting hospital workers, the bleak future of GTA housing and the gift one big business is calling an act of reconciliation. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Nathan Denette sixth wave [COVID among health-care workers is prompting redeployment and surgery cancellations]( Infection rates in health-care workers are reaching their highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic. A Star survey of Ontario’s 14 largest hospital systems reveals that more than 2,900 workers are currently off sick due to illness or exposure, resulting in surgery delays and cancellations, fewer emergency department hours and reduced hospital capacity across the province, Kenyon Wallace reports. It also means staff are being redeployed to cover for sick colleagues, and they’re burning out. [Here’s how hospitals are confronting an overburdened system](. - More: “This could be doable in the short term, but after two long years, health-care workers are on the verge of breaking,” said the chief of critical care at London Health Sciences Centre. - Another angle: Confusion reigns on [how to behave in a pandemic wave void of guidelines](. - Go deeper: Is COVID spreading in your community? [Check out our wastewater signal map](. R.J. Johnston/The Star housing [A softer GTA housing market won’t make owning or renting any easier]( With increased interest rates and record-high inflation levels, the real estate market is expected to cool down, but that doesn’t mean owning or renting will get easier, Tess Kalinowski reports. In fact, it probably won’t get easier through 2024 — while home prices will continue to rise — according to Canada’s national housing agency. [Here are some of the challenges renters and homeowners can expect](. - By the numbers: Prices in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area, which does not include Halton Region, will average between $1.21 million and $1.51 million by 2024. Compare that to a lower forecast this year of between $1.25 million and $1.35 million. - Emma Teitel’s take: Angry about the latest housing horror story? [Save it for the politicians at election time](. - Another angle: Ontario’s top-down approach to urban growth is [reversing progress on many levels](. - Listen: This is how Canada is trying to [deal with the cost of inflation](. Hudson's Bay Company Archives business [Hudson’s Bay Company is giving its historic Winnipeg building to an Indigenous organization]( Calling it a “public act of reclamation and reconciliation,” Hudson’s Bay Company is giving its six-storey, 655,000-square-foot downtown Winnipeg building to an Indigenous organization to be used for affordable housing and a cultural, healing and arts centre. The store closed in November 2020, and the building was at one point — not long before the start of the pandemic — valued at $0, due to the expected cost of bringing it up to code. However, the company’s governor and executive chairman said it recently passed on a $60-million offer because this arrangement aligned with the company’s goals for the landmark. [Here’s what we know](. - More: Grand Chief Jerry Daniels said the plan was designed to have the highest impact on Winnipeg citizens, especially those who are Indigenous. - Context: One history professor said the building will cost millions to be usable, so financial support from the government will be key for success. - Watch for: HBC is expected to officially announce the gift today, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other government representatives in attendance. WHAT ELSE [A new official residence for Canada’s prime ministers?]( Plans are being draw up for a bigger, grander location. Two high-profile members are quitting. John Tory looks unbeatable. [Do city council’s progressives stand a chance?]( It was [“sheer luck” this Toronto inspector didn’t kill anyone while drunk driving]( a police-issued car, a prosecutor told a police tribunal. A Canadian-Chinese actress [apologized for using “brownface”]( while playing a Filipina worker on a Hong Kong show. [Manitoba Métis met with Pope Francis]( at the Vatican. Inflation is making us poorer. [Will wages ever catch up?]( These Toronto restaurants offer a taste of the [Caribbean’s deep history of plant-based cooking](. Canadians may be able to see four planets this weekend, no telescope needed. [Here’s how](. ICYMI Jeremy Nutall/The Star [This new project shows “the terrible human cost” of house-flipping.]( PREVIOUSLY... Dick Loek /The Star APRIL 22, 1989: This six-legged race entry of T.J. Malguti (left), 3, Andrew Vesters (centre), 3, and Sharif Khan (right), 5, all liver transplant recipients, were set to go at York University for Canada's first Transplant Games. 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_119373). Andrew will see you back here tomorrow. 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