Why are electric vehicles out of reach in Toronto?

Plus, an exclusive excerpt of John Honderich’s posthumous memoir, "Above the Fold" [Get access now!]( [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. In preparation for Halloween weekend, [avoid these three holiday hazards](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Toronto Star Photo Illustration star Investigation [Want an electric vehicle in Toronto? The wait times are shocking]( Prospective zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) buyers in Toronto are waiting nearly 11 months on average, while waits in Quebec are almost half of that, reports Marco Chown Oved. Manufacturers are pointing to supply chain issues, while others say Ontario’s lack of a legislated sales mandate is also a factor. What does this mean for the environment and the economy? Drivers will have to keep gas-guzzling vehicles on the road much longer while gas prices increase. [Here’s what Torontonians can expect if they want to join the electric-driving revolution](. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press EMERGENCIES ACT INQUIRY [Former Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly denies allegations at inquiry]( Testifying Friday at the ongoing Emergencies Act inquiry, Sloly defended how he led the Ottawa police response to the protests, saying that no other police organization of any size had the clear level of success his force did. Sloly’s testimony conflicts with the image painted by his former subordinates and policing partners, who said the former chief struggled under stress and was suspicious of other police agencies’ efforts to help. [Alex Ballingall and Tonda MacCharles break down everything you need to know about Peter Sloly’s testimony](. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press Health [Hospitals are in as much trouble as ever. Is there a plan?]( Health workers want to know the plan to deal with what they say could be the worst pandemic winter we’ve seen. The health-care system is already under pressure: waits in the emergency rooms are nightmarish, and with a lack of technical staff, diagnostic treatments are delayed, writes Bruce Arthur. With winter around the corner, things could get worse. [Here’s what we could be facing without a plan to fix staffing and structural problems in our system](. Mathew McCarthy/The Record BOOKS [John Honderich became the Star publisher at the beginning of the newspaper wars. It was the fight of his life]( In an exclusive excerpt of his posthumous memoir, John writes about his reluctant rise to the top job, against his father’s wishes. [Read the excerpt here]( learn [how his son and editor published “Above the Fold” after John’s death in February of this year]( and discover the challenges and surprises in the late Star publisher’s memoir. Keith Bernstein/Netflix Television [Is "The Crown" malicious or just escapist TV?]( Set in the 1990s, the fifth season of the Netflix series will plunge a new generation into the most turbulent decade in the monarchy’s modern history. With many of the events well within living memory and the recent death of Queen Elizabeth, new debates are rising about how damaging the show is to the Royal Family’s image, writes Patricia Treble. [Here’s what royal watchers have to say about why the distinction between fact and fiction in ]( Crown](. POV Rick Salutin: Want to see an honest cop show? [Look no further than the convoy inquiry](. The Star Editorial Board: [It’s time for Bank of Canada to pause interest rate hikes](. Bob Hepburn: Why is Pearson still a disaster zone? [Stop pointing fingers and fix this mess](. Vinay Menon: [Football will never love Tom Brady like Gisele Bündchen did](. Mariana Valverde: In municipal politics, [diversity and transparency must go beyond who sits on city council](. Martin Regg Cohn: Doug Ford kept a promise to balance Ontario’s budget. [Why is he not celebrating]( Susan Delacourt: Donald Trump couldn’t deal with it. Andrea Horwath did just fine. [What is it about politics and defeat]( Steve Russell: [How I got around the electric-car waiting list with just a bit of work. OK, a lot](. Stream THIS Justin Lubin/Universal Pictures Looking for something with that fright factor to watch this Halloween weekend? You’re in luck. James Grainger has listed [ten creepy Halloween films you can find on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and more](. 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_151474), and I will see you back here tomorrow. 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