It's time to mandate masks again, experts say

Plus, one man's journey to MAiD, and the closure of a hotel shelter [Get access now!]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Snowy colder weather is in the forecast for Toronto. [Here’s when it’s expected to arrive](. Here’s the latest on medical assistance in dying, experts calling for a return to mask mandates and the lessons learned from a hotel-turned-shelter. DON’T MISS Paige Taylor White/The Star star/ijb investigation [After a lifetime of trauma, Michael Fraser was housebound by incurable disease and poverty. He made a choice.]( Canada loosened the rules to qualify for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) last year, removing the requirement that applicants have a fatal or terminal condition that would make their natural death “reasonably foreseeable.” For Michael Fraser — who, at 55, was struggling with childhood sexual trauma, chronic liver problems from drinking and poverty on the Ontario Disability Support Program — the change made him question whether life was worth living. [This is Michael’s story, and why he decided to end his life](. - Go deeper: Michael met his “soulmate” at church in 2003. He also bonded with people there who described him as witty and selfless. He drank Pabst Blue Ribbon at a bar where he was lovingly called “Church Mike.” - Context: Designed as a compassionate legal alternative for those facing life with intractable disease, pain and anguish, MAiD has largely been celebrated in Canada as humane and visionary public policy. But a growing chorus of critics – including the UN – are calling it a grim alternative to falling through Canada’s shredded social safety net. - Andrew Phillips’ take: Canada is going too far with medical assistance in dying. [The danger of abuse is becoming ever more apparent](. Lance McMillan/The Star health [Will Ontario mandate masks again? More and more medical professionals say the moment has arrived]( Already in a fragile state after years of pandemic stress, hospitals are feeling the pressure of flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID this season — and cases are only expected to spike over the next two months, Megan Ogilvie and Kenyon Wallace report. “If masks made sense in early 2022, then they make even more sense in late 2022,” one expert said. As a mandate seems to be Ontario’s very last option, [here’s a look at the factors that have an increasing number of experts pushing for it](. - Why it matters: While experts agree that being vaccinated against COVID and influenza is important — there is no RSV vaccine — they say urging more people to mask will also make a difference. - Context: Pediatric hospitals are moving critically ill teens into adult ICUs, while the ICUs of big Toronto hospitals have reached capacity several times in recent weeks, and more than a dozen hospitals in primarily rural areas have had to close their ERs this year. September data shows patients waited about 21.3 hours to be admitted. - Meanwhile: [Ontario’s ER backlogs are only getting worse]( a leaked report says. - More: [Here’s what else doctors are asking the government to do](. Paige Taylor White/The Star housing [Inside the short-lived effort to turn an Esplanade hotel into a homeless shelter]( After less than two years as a homeless shelter, the Novotel on the Esplanade is going back to being a tourist hub — part of a gradual closure of 27 temporary shelter sites by the end of 2023. Meant to house people who had previously been sleeping in encampments, the shelter became the site of more overdoses than experienced at almost any other facility in the city, had a housing rate of only 10 per cent and saw tensions with neighbours. Now the 226 occupants that remained at the hotel in late October are being forced to move. [Victoria Gibson reports on the lessons that can be learned, in the words of residents, neighbours and the shelter operator](. - Go deeper: The head of the city’s shelter department said what got in the way of better housing results was a lack of deeply affordable homes. He sees it as a reason to re-evaluate the city’s housing targets in contrast to the depth of need. - More: In response to community pushback against the use of the hotel as a shelter, a former resident highlighted the need for supports. “A homeless person was acting out their trauma in a violent way? Maybe deal with the underlying trauma,” he said. WHAT ELSE Why Doug Ford has no regrets about using the notwithstanding clause and [what it means for bargaining with CUPE](. Donald Trump declared “a very big victory” — [but did U.S. midterm elections reveal his golden touch is gone?]( Insiders say Doug Ford smartened up when [labour leaders warned him to back down](. The Ontario government is [broadening Holocaust education amid rising antisemitism](. An Ontario official revealed the hidden tensions plaguing the “Freedom Convoy” response and [said the Emergencies Act was “not necessary.”]( [Here’s how Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is responding to the Convoy evidence]( emerging from the Emergencies Act inquiry. An Amber Alert has been cancelled [after a toddler was found safe](. A Star reporter fled Twitter to check out rival Mastodon. [Here’s what she found](. A sudden shortage of a vital isotope is hitting Canadian hospitals. [Here’s what that means for patients in need of diagnostic imaging](. An ex-classmate bullied by NHL prospect Mitchell Miller is giving new details, [recalling being spat at and called the n-word](. How critics say Ontario’s deal with doctors devalues phone appointments and [why it will cut access to health care for many](. Mary Jo Eustace and Dean McDermott — together again? [“We do have this very good chemistry still.”]( ICYMI Paige Taylor White/The Star [Canada hasn’t embraced “natural” retirement communities. But these High Park condos could succeed where many have failed.]( CLOSE-UP Leo Correa/AP Photo SENEGAL: Environmental activist Modou Fall, who many simply call “Plastic Man,” poses for a picture while walking on trash-covered Yarakh Beach in Dakar on Tuesday. Plastics dangle from his arms and legs. On his chest is a sign in French that says, “No to plastic bags.” 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_153242). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get full digital access Limited-time offer: Just $3.33/month [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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