Plus, the kids facing long surgery wait times and the artists being driven out of Toronto [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on surgery wait times for children in Ontario, the weight of rent prices on Toronto artists and the human rights complaint launched against Bell Media. DON’T MISS
Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star healthcare [Thousands of Ontario children are waiting for surgery — and the problem is only getting worse]( Kids were already enduring long wait times before the pandemic, but COVID disruptions and prolonged staffing shortages are compounding the issue, Megan Ogilvie reports. Now, with more than half of those on surgical wait lists waiting beyond the safe clinical window, the long-term health of thousands of children is on the line. [Here’s what hospital leaders say is needed to alleviate the “desperate situation.”](
- Context: Five-year-old William Kazan was supposed to have corrective surgery for his club feet, which turn inward at the toes and cause him to trip, in 2020. Doctors determined that would be the best time; his bones wouldn’t be fully developed yet, his condition wouldn’t affect his growth and development, and he wasn’t in school yet. More than two years later, he’s still waiting.
- By the numbers: Last spring, about 5,600 children were waiting for a scheduled surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children. That number has since increased to 5,959.
Paige Taylor White/Toronto Star Photo Illustration CAN’T WE DO BETTER? [Toronto artists are being “run out of town” by soaring rents]( As rent prices for living, studio and performance spaces climb, city councillor Paula Fletcher says she’s seeing members of the city’s creative community being “run out of town.” Earlier this year, for instance, 70 artists lost a space they had occupied since 2003, Bruce DeMara reports. Is Toronto losing the very people that “make the city fantastic”? [Here’s how two city councillors say the city should step in and make changes](.
- Wait, what? Here’s how interest rates have [pushed Toronto homeownership costs higher than during the February peak](.
- Another angle: In just a year, Toronto went from 8,479 people considered actively homeless to 9,724 as of August. Encampments are less visible now than they were last year, [but many signs point to a worsening crisis](.
Supplied Photo media [A former CP24 personality is speaking out after launching a human rights case against Bell Media]( “I gave my everything to the company — literally my blood, my sweat and my tears,” Patricia Jaggernauth said in an emotional nine-minute video posted to social media Monday evening. But the former weather specialist, remote reporter and co-host on CP24 said she was “treated like a token and a commodity by CP24 and Bell,” — passed over for promotions more times than she could count. Now, she’s filed a complaint against Bell Media with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. [Joshua Chong reports on Jaggernauth’s experience with the company](.
- More: In her complaint, Jaggernauth said she was discriminated against based on race, sex and disability.
- ICYMI: After scrutiny over Bell Media’s ouster of Lisa LaFlamme, it was revealed that the company had launched investigations into allegations of a “toxic” environment prior to the veteran journalist’s dismissal. [Here’s what documents reveal about the workplace culture](. WHAT ELSE Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau could [share a harsh spotlight when the convoy inquiry begins](. Video doorbell chats, invites for soup: [How the pandemic has changed door-knocking in Toronto’s election](. Athletes in these other sports with toxic cultures are [hoping Hockey Canada’s reckoning is just the start](. The emergency room at this Ontario hospital is [closing until December due to a staff shortage](. The federal Liberals pledged to ban the export of live horses. [Why are the remarkable animals still being crammed into wooden boxes?]( Why didn’t an $800K Toronto condo townhome sell after more than two months? [Here’s how it compares to other homes on the market](. Diagolon’s founder has been denied release after his bail hearing concluded in Saskatoon. [Here’s what we know](. It’s bad enough that Toronto feels broken. It’s also failing to be transparent. [Here’s how it compares to other municipalities.]( Amar earned $117,799 last year, but his freelance income can be unpredictable. [Here’s how he can boost his savings](. Want to reduce your 2022 tax bill? [Here are five things to do before the end of the year](. ICYMI
Toronto Star Photo Illustration [Canada’s recession will hit earlier, harder and last longer than expected. This is who is most at risk.]( CLOSE-UP
Roman Hrytsyna/AP Photo UKRAINE: A firefighter helps his colleague out of a crater as they extinguish smoke from a car burning in the wake of Russia’s bombardment of Kyiv Monday. As Russia’s lethal strikes bring the grim reality of war back into focus, a [Russian diplomat is warning the U.S. and its allies of the possibilities of an open conflict](. 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_148801). 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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