What you need to know about Ontario's “Plan to Stay Open”

Plus, CTV struggles to control the backlash and the Pope declines to investigate a Canadian Cardinal [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on Ontario’s controversial plans to reduce the burden on the health system, CTV’s attempt to calm backlash for Lisa LaFlamme’s departure and the Pope’s decision not to investigate sexual misconduct allegations against a Canadian Cardinal. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Chris Young health care [Doug Ford’s Tories unveiled health-care changes to free up hospitals]( Critics feared the province would turn to further privatization to alleviate Ontario’s overburdened health-care system, and Health Minister Sylvia Jones and Long-Term Care Minister Paul Calandra announced Thursday they would explore courses of action to do just that. “We will also consider options for further increasing surgical capacity by increasing the number of OHIP-covered surgical procedures performed at independent health facilities,” the ministers wrote in the province’s “Plan to Stay Open.” [Here’s what you need to know](. - Context: “Privatizing our health care means most Ontarians will wait even longer for care as remaining staff are poached from the public system to work in for-profit clinics,” said NDP MPP Doly Begum. - More: Ontario will also expedite accreditation of foreign-trained nurses and expand a pilot project that allows paramedics to treat patients out of hospital. It also promises to tackle the high rates hospitals are paying for private agency nurses. - Emma Teitel’s take: [This is the key to retaining nurses and encouraging more to enter the profession in Ontario](. Richard Lautens/The Star trouble on the tv [CTV News held a town hall after Lisa LaFlamme exit]( Bell Media tried Thursday to wrest back control of the narrative over the ouster of its star anchor and senior editor. During a company town hall and in a memo, CTV acknowledged it had suffered reputational “damage” from fierce public backlash to LaFlamme’s dismissal, and highlighted tensions within the newsroom. The company denied terminating LaFlamme due to her age or gender. [Here’s how executives — including the highly criticized Michael Melling — are rationalizing the decision to cut ties with LaFlamme](. - The aftermath: “The general consensus amongst the newsroom is that meeting was a joke,” a CTV producer told the Star. “Lots of empty words and platitudes, absolutely no substance. They called together a room full of professional, career journalists and got absolutely grilled, and had no answers ready. Nobody is happy.” - Context: The meeting followed an internal memo that stated LaFlamme’s termination had been marred by “false narratives.” - More: [Was LaFlamme’s silver hair weaponized against her?]( - ICYMI: [CTV employees told the Star about the high tensions in the newsroom after LaFlamme’s exit](. Canadian Press/AP/Gregorio Borgia the vatican [The Pope won’t probe a Canadian Cardinal’s alleged misconduct]( In a statement that has enraged an alleged victim and victims’ rights advocates, Pope Francis says there are no grounds to proceed with a church investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet. The allegations are part of a class action lawsuit against the Diocese of Quebec that targets more than 80 priests and church officials said to have abused more than 130 victims. [Here’s what you need to know about the case and reaction to the Vatican’s response](. - Go deeper: The Pope’s conclusion follows a preliminary investigation conducted last year by a Belgian priest with close professional ties to Ouellet.  - More: “There is great disappointment,” said Justin Wee, a Quebec lawyer leading the suit in which Ouellet is named, “but I can say that our client is more determined than ever to demonstrate that what she says is true.” - The aftermath: How the Vatican handles the allegations against Ouellet [sends a deafening message from the highest echelons of the institution](. WHAT ELSE A Toronto police superintendent has been [suspended after an alleged incident at Canadian police chiefs’ conference](. The OPP was hunting for a rapist. [Here’s why a tribunal found they ended up walking over migrant farm workers’ rights](. [Here’s why teachers are bracing for a “tooth and nail” fight]( with Ontario over wages and benefits. A Peel police officer of 22 years was charged with uttering threats. [Here’s what comes next](. Here’s why Ottawa’s police chair says [the federal government was right to invoke the Emergencies Act](. The Bay reinvents itself with … Zellers? [Why Hudson’s Bay is resurrecting the beloved discount store](. Yes, crime is on the rise in Toronto. [Here’s why it’s not worse than in 2019](. A two-year-old boy died after being struck by a driver in Mimico. [Here’s what we know](. Tired of Tinder? [These Ontario towns will pay to “date” you for a year](. [Here’s what I learned from my Mum’s abortions in 1970s Canada](. A worker injured his leg preparing a slide — [read about the latest on safety at the CNE](. The CNE is back. [Here’s what you need to know](. POV Steve Russell/The Star [Moms are bearing the brunt of the soaring cost of living. Here’s how to support them.]( CLOSE-UP STR/AFP via Getty Images BIJIE: A farmer dries marigold flowers in China’s southwestern Guizhou province on Wednesday. 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_140374). Ashley will 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](