The importance of Toronto's shrinking green spaces

Plus, a human rights complaint against CBSA, and what was revealed at the Emergencies Act inquiry Tuesday [Get access now!]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. A man was arrested Tuesday night as police said an [“active shooting” situation in Scarborough]( came to an end. Here’s the latest on a human rights complaint against Canada Border Services Agency, the Emergencies Act inquiry and why green space in Toronto has become an election issue. DON’T MISS Steve Russell/The Star courts [A man detained at Pearson airport will get a hearing into his human-rights complaint against CBSA]( Royland Boothe, a telecom field technician from Newmarket, Ont., was sent for secondary inspection at Pearson in 2019 on suspicion of drug smuggling. Returning from Jamaica, he was held in a small cell, searched with his pants down and forced to defecate in an open space to provide a stool sample, but no drugs were found on or in his body. Now, Canada’s top human rights watchdog has referred Boothe’s case to a hearing, overruling its own investigator’s recommendation to dismiss the complaint. Nicholas Keung reports on [what’s next as the court examines whether border agents were being discriminatory](. - More: The Canadian Human Rights Commission found its investigator failed to adequately examine whether border officials were driven by “unconscious bias.” - Word from the Chief Commissioner: “Discrimination need not be overt and can be subtle. Discrimination is not generally practised overtly or intentionally, which is why the entire context of this complaint should be assessed to determine whether the ‘subtle scent of discrimination’ was present,” she wrote in her referral letter to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. - Go deeper: [Boothe previously opened up to the Star about the “traumatic experience.”]( [This Week in Politics] Want exclusive analysis of the Toronto election? Get that and more political news from the Star’s This Week in Politics newsletter. [Sign up for free here](. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images Public Order Emergency Commission [Justin Trudeau privately accused Doug Ford of “hiding” during the convoy protests]( Notes from a Feb. 8 phone call between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson were the focus of the Emergencies Act inquiry Tuesday, revealing Trudeau accused Doug Ford of “hiding from his responsibility… for political reasons.” At that time, Watson was pleading for help from different levels of government to deal with protestors who had been occupying the capital for almost two weeks. Alex Ballingall and Tonda MacCharles report on [what else the inquiry heard about the challenges Ottawa was facing](. - By the numbers: The federal government said it had sent 250 RCMP officers to help Ottawa police, but testifying at the inquiry, Watson said about 150 of them were actually guarding federal buildings. The provincial government claimed it had sent 1,500 OPP officers, but Watson said the real number was closer to 50 or 60. - Context: The federal government invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, a controversial move that some describe as an unconstitutional overreach but that Trudeau’s government called a necessary “last resort.” - More: As pressure mounts, [Doug Ford won’t say if he will testify](. - Meanwhile: Here’s why the inquiry heard that [the “Freedom Convoy” didn’t need help from foreigners to overwhelm Ottawa police](. Richard Lautens/The Star park life [Parkland is shrinking, but this booming Toronto neighbourhood has made green space an election issue]( As developers buy up what little land is available downtown to build residential towers, more and more people are being packed into smaller living quarters, creating more demand for diminishing public spaces. Downtown Toronto’s population is growing rapidly, projected to nearly double from 2016 to 2041, and Spadina-Fort York (Ward 10) is making access to green spaces an election issue. Francine Kopun reports on [the obstacles the city is facing as candidates pitch their best ideas for improving green space](. - Context: Based on the developments in the pipeline, the city’s own research found that the amount of park space per person is expected to decrease by 14 per cent by 2033 if no new parkland is acquired. - More: The ambitious Rail Deck Park project, touted as a Central Park for Toronto, was canned last year because the city didn’t own the air rights; more condos are being proposed, instead. Now, residents are looking to the future of Ontario Place as candidates propose other, fresh ideas. - Undecided? [Take the Vote Compass survey to see which municipal candidate is right for you](. WHAT ELSE Economists think inflation has peaked but warn about a recession. [Here’s what to expect when September’s inflation data is released today](. Doug Ford was dangerously short-sighted when he killed Ontario’s renewable energy projects. [This is what he should do next](. Danielle Smith has apologized for her “ill-informed” remarks on Ukraine. [Here’s why it struck a chord in Alberta](. [Here’s how anti-vaxxers managed to get such a stranglehold on Alberta politics](. Running into difficulty after returning from space, [a Russian cosmonaut ran over a colleague](. [A $250,000 reward announced for an escaped mob leader]( Toronto and B.C. murders. A Quebec father faces first-degree [murder charges in deaths of two of his children](. A driver has died after a [flying tire collided with multiple vehicles on the QEW](. $54 million was spent on the ArriveCAN app?! [Here’s why tech experts are shocked but also sympathetic over the price tag](. The U.K. had one. [Is Canada ready for a menopause revolution?]( ICYMI R.J. Johnston/The Star [Toronto’s independent grocers are keeping prices low. Here’s how much money you can save.]( CLOSE-UP Paige Taylor White/The Star WEST TORONTO: Rockcliffe Smythe residents Alex Mereu and Pietro Scelsi are opposed to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority's plan to pave over the “beautiful” Lavender Creek in order to prevent basement flooding in the area. [Here’s why residents say the move isn’t based on data — and]( the TRCA is responding](. 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_149880). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get unlimited access to all articles Only $0.50/week for a limited time [Subscribe Now!]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. 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