Delayed passport? Don’t hold your breath on that refund

Plus, here’s how much you need to buy Doug Ford’s house, a spike in homeless deaths across Canada, and a guide to not getting COVID on your summer vacation [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. Did you get tickets to Drake’s OVO fest? If so, you were among the few [who didn’t balk at the $900 to $2,000 price range](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Realtor.Ca REAL ESTATE [Could you afford Doug Ford’s house? Here’s the asking price]( The two-storey, 4,500-square-foot detached house with six bedrooms and four bathrooms could be yours — if you have $3.2 million to spare. The Premier and his spouse purchased the home, located in a posh Etobicoke enclave, back in 1998 for $535,000. Ford and his wife will move to his late mother’s nearby home, which has sat empty since her death in January 2020. [Read Robert Benzie and Kristin Rushowy's reporting on the Premier’s big move and his recently listed home here](. Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press PASSPORTS [Are you one of 300,000 Canadians who got their passports late? Here’s why you won’t be compensated — despite policy saying you should be]( Almost 300,000 Canadians have not received their passports on time and they won’t get a penny for their troubles. While a 2021 fee-remission policy ensures refunds for affected applicants, officials say that short timelines and the “exceptional circumstance” of the COVID-19 pandemic prevents them from doing so. This is only the latest in a Service Canada saga that has seen the worst of bureaucracy. [Read Nicholas Keung's reporting to see who is affected by this and what it means](. Omar Mosleh/Toronto Star CANADA [Homeless deaths are spiking in major Canadian cities. Is yours one of them?]( Overall, deaths in city-run shelters increased by 78 per cent from 2020 to 2021. While toxic drug supply is one factor, experts suggest COVID-19 related trauma, inflated living costs, and a housing crisis have created “a perfect storm of lethal danger.” [Omar Mosleh reports on the recent spike, and how cities are responding to it](. AFP via Getty Images COVID-19 [Here’s how to (hopefully) avoid COVID on your summer vacation]( After two and a half years of hunkering down, Canadians are rushing to the airport in droves, even as an ultra-contagious COVID variant drives a new wave, and cases surge in several countries. It’s clear the pandemic is not over and precautions are still needed. With expert insight, [May Warren reports on some practical steps you can take to have a safer holiday this summer](. Realtor.Ca GTA HOME HUNT [This one-bedroom Toronto rental apartment was priced at $400 below average. So why wasn’t it leased?]( An underpriced one-bedroom home in the city has been on the market for over 60 days. Realtor Othneil Litchmore tells First Up’s Manuela Vega that the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood where the apartment is located has seen a lot of condo construction over the last decade. The problem? The unit’s age is starting to show against newer options. But unlike the new condos, it’s highly unlikely that this rental apartment will be sold suddenly, forcing its tenant to move out. [Read more in the latest instalment of GTA Home Hunt](. [Food Crawl launch] Eat your way through the best of the GTA. From strip mall standouts to downtown gems, nobody knows Toronto like the Star’s food team, and our new newsletter Food Crawl is your guide to where to go, what to order and why you’ve got to try it. [Sign up for free here](. POV Althia Raj: [Why was Patrick Brown kicked out of the Conservative leadership race]( David Olive: [We should keep our eye on inflation, not a recession](. Rita Smith: [Don’t close the Uber Files — this story is not over in Toronto](. Vinay Menon: Pay a monthly subscription for your car’s heated seats? [It’s time for Big Auto to hit the brakes on cash grabs](. Carol Thiessen: [The war in Ukraine is being felt in empty bellies thousands of miles from Eastern Europe](. Gregor Chisholm: The Blue Jays are the ones disadvantaged by COVID-19 vaccine mandates, [but Americans can’t seem to grasp that](. VISIT THIS Liz Guber Three hours from Toronto, Gananoque is the tourist gateway to the 1000 Islands, which encompasses destinations in Canada and the U.S. [Liz Guber breaks down why you should visit this eastern Ontario town]( where the water is more than just a wiggly border, it’s a lifestyle rooted in unhurried ease. Thanks for reading. You can reach 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_134939), and I will see you back here tomorrow. 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