Toronto hospitals could be in for a “s---storm” this winter

Plus, the province's return to the bargaining table, and the power struggle between "Freedom Convoy" leaders [Get access now!]( [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. Here’s the latest on bargaining with school support workers, the power struggle between convoy organizers, and a growing strain on Toronto hospitals. DON’T MISS Steve Russell/The Star provincial politics [The Ford government could resume bargaining with school support workers]( News came late Tuesday that talks are back on between the government and CUPE union leaders, after the government tried to push through controversial legislation that would ban the 55,000 school support workers from striking and impose a four-year contract on them. The president of CUPE’s school boards bargaining unit said a planned protest will go ahead Friday unless a deal is reached — a protest will shutter public and Catholic schools in Toronto for the day, Kristin Rushowy reports. [Here’s the latest on mediation efforts and why parents say they “can’t afford for a strike to happen.”]( - Watch for: Union negotiators say they presented a counter-offer to the government late last night and are [hoping to hear back today](. - What we know: [Here’s what different school boards across the GTA have planned if support staff walk out Friday](. - Go Deeper: What’s the notwithstanding clause? And how does Doug Ford plan to use it to stifle a strike? [Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial clause and how it]( been used over the years](. - Word from Ottawa: [Justin Trudeau spoke out Tuesday against Ford’s plan to invoke the notwithstanding clause in back-to-work legislation](. “Using the notwithstanding clause to suspend workers’ rights is wrong. I know that collective bargaining negotiations are sometimes difficult, but it has to happen,” the Prime Minister said. Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld emergencies act inquiry [Testimony shows the power struggles that played out among “Freedom Convoy” organizers]( During the Emergencies Act inquiry hearing on Tuesday, key organizers of the so-called “Freedom Convoy” insisted the demonstrations started out peaceful, even as it grew into something beyond their control. Organizers testified they intended to get the attention of the federal government to drop cross-border vaccination requirements and not to disrupt citizens, Alex Ballingall and Tonda MacCharles report. But their testimonies revealed how factions within the convoy and tensions with different protest groups contributed to chaos in Ottawa. [Here’s what else three convoy leaders told the commission](. - More: Federal government lawyer Andrew Gibbs suggested core organizers peddled conspiracy theories about the World Economic Forum holding sway over government leaders, with a particular focus on Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. - Watch For: Doug Ford is still trying to get out of testifying. Lawyers for Ford and former solicitor general Sylvia Jones argued Tuesday that compelling them to appear at the inquiry would do “irreparable harm” to the independence of legislatures. [Here’s what the judge had to say about their argument](. Canadian Press/Nathan Denette health care [Critical-care bed alerts at Toronto Hospitals show a system under strain]( In October alone, Toronto General Hospital issued three critical care bed alerts indicating its ICU was at capacity and might not have enough staff to keep all critical care beds open. Toronto Western Hospital issued a similar alert Tuesday evening. Health experts say this worrying trend shows hospitals are struggling to meet demand, even before an expected winter surge of COVID-19 infections and peak influenza season, Kenyon Wallace and Megan Ogilvie report. [Here’s why one expert says reduced masking and low booster shot uptake will contribute to a “s---storm in the next couple of months.”]( - By the numbers: Hospitals primarily serving rural areas have been forced to close their emergency rooms more than 110 times this year. The average wait time for patients admitted to hospital from the ER is anywhere from 20.7 to 33.4 hours. - Context: Health experts say record ER wait times and overcrowding are compounded by severe staffing shortages, which have skyrocketed since 2020. As of March 2022, the provincewide vacancy rate for registered nurses at hospitals was 12.63 per cent, up from just 4.85 per cent in March 2020. WHAT ELSE TD Insurance has reached a $5.1 million settlement in a [pandemic related trip cancellation class action](. Here’s how Ottawa plans to hand-pick [500,000 immigrants a year by 2025 to address Canada’s skill shortages](. Critics say Doug Ford’s new housing bill [guts the green building law he voted for as Toronto councillor](. [The NDP is calling for clear rules for government oversight of the RCMP]( amid allegations of political interference. PSWs in Ontario hospitals are still waiting on permanent wage increases. [Here’s what they had to say about it](. [Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau joined Meghan Markle on her podcast]( to discuss the pressures of life in the public eye. On Tuesday, Toronto councillor [Michael Thompson made his first court appearance on sex assault charges](. [A fatal shooting outside a Scarborough high school]( sparking fresh worries about gun violence. The 14 Quebec politicians who refused to swear an oath to King Charles III have been told [they must do so or risk expulsion from the legislature](. [A new report shows Canada continues to fail Black and Indigenous people in prison]( as overrepresentation, racial discrimination and bias persist. A Toronto man caught a fish that likely hasn’t been in the harbour for hundreds of years. [Here’s what it tells us about Toronto’s aquatic ecosystem](. The hip-hop community is paying tribute to Takeoff after the [28-year old Migos rapper died in a shooting on Tuesday](. ICYMI Blair Gable for The Star [GTA high schools are seeing an explosion in A+ students. These interactive charts show what it means for your kids.]( CLOSE-UP Lee Jin-Man/AP Photo SEOUL: Days after more than 150 Halloween revellers died in South Korea’s deadliest crowd surge, [police have assembled crumpled tennis shoes, loafers and Chuck Taylors]( — part of 1.5 tons of personal objects left behind by victims and survivors — in hopes that the owners, or their friends and family, will retrieve them. 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_152019). Manuela will 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. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. 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