Meet the Greenbelt landowners on the verge of striking it rich

Plus, CUPE's talks with the province break down (again), and actors feeling betrayed by their union [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. Here’s the latest on CUPE’s strike notice, the Greenbelt landowners poised to profit, and actors stiffed by a talent agency and feeling betrayed by their union. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Chris Young provincial politics [CUPE school support staff are set to strike again after talks with the province]( down]( The Canadian Union of Public Employees, representing 55,000 Ontario education workers, filed a five-day strike notice on Wednesday, after bargaining talks with the province broke down again. While the union says they were “able to reach a middle ground with the Ford government and the Council of Trustees’ Associations on wages,” that wasn’t enough to keep talks on the rails, reports Kristin Rushowy, Rob Ferguson and Robert Benzie. If there’s no deal reached soon, education workers will return to the picket lines on Monday. [Here’s what the union is asking for](. - More: Some parents say they are [“frustrated and anxious” at the prospect of another strike shutting down in-person learning and requiring students to learn online](. - Martin Regg Cohn’s take: [Doug Ford’s bungling means CUPE now won’t take “yes” for an answer]( Christopher Katsarov Luna/The Star Star/Narwhal Investigation [These developers bought undevelopable Greenbelt land. Now the Ford government is poised to remove protections — and they stand to profit]( An investigation by the Toronto Star and the Narwhal found that developers owning Greenbelt land now set to be developed appear to have given significant sums to Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative party. The findings raise questions about whether the landowners knew the lands would soon become developable and profitable — or if they simply took a gamble and won. A Star/Narwhal analysis of property records and corporate documents shows at least six developers bought parcels of land since 2018, including portions of the Greenbelt Ford is poised to exclude from the protected area. [Here’s how much they stand to profit, and why the timing raises suspicion about the connections between the government and the landowners](. - ICYMI: Ford backtracked on a promise not to touch the protected Greenbelt earlier this month when the government announced that it would [open up 7,400 acres  so developers can build 50,000 homes on the land](. - Wait, what? Nine of the developers that stand to benefit most from Ford’s Greenbelt land swap have donated significant sums to the Ontario Progressive Conservative party, totalling more than $572,000 since 2014, the earliest year in Ontario’s political donations database. - Why this matters: Many say the province’s decision to slice into the Greenbelt will ultimately impact the long-term viability of the entire protected area. “This is not the end of it. This is the start,” says Vaughan Councillor Marilyn Iafrate. “Every single landowner with Greenbelt land will start lobbying the government. And we will see more of this.” Toronto Star star investigation [An actors’ union reportedly knew about a talent agency’s unpaid wages but didn’t warn members for weeks]( Actors who reportedly lost more than $500,000 in wages after their talent agency abruptly ceased operations say their union didn’t warn them for weeks about complaints the agency was withholding wages, reports Joshua Chong. The Star found that ACTRA, the union representing some 200 clients of Compass Artist Management Inc., knew about financial issues at the Toronto talent agency on Aug. 15 but allegedly didn’t warn some members until weeks later on Sept. 21. While affected actors are looking to the province to enact legislation to regulate talent agencies, many are blaming their union for not protecting them. [Here’s why actors are feeling “confused, angry and betrayed” by the unions’ actions](. - ICYMI: A Star investigation found that many of the actors represented by the agency were owed thousands of dollars, [with some artists being owed as much as $22,000 for completed work](. - What we know: ACTRA Toronto doesn’t dispute that the agency received complaints from other Compass artists, but it maintains it’s not their responsibility to investigate or communicate complaints about agencies, adding that it relies on “moral suasion” to encourage adherence to best practices. - Watch for: A government official who wasn’t authorized to speak on the record said the Ministry of Labour is working to bring the temporary help agency and recruiter licensing framework into effect. Though the framework, first introduced last year, does not mention talent agencies, the official said the ministry is open to amending the framework and reconsidering what kinds of businesses would be covered. WHAT ELSE The Ford government has given “strong mayor” powers to Toronto and Ottawa’s mayors. [Here’s why critics call the move “anti-democratic.”]( Children’s fever medication is reselling for as much as $300. [Here’s how desperate Canadian parents are navigating the nationwide shortage](. What will “strong mayors” be able to do? [Here’s how John Tory says he’ll use the new powers](. Speaking of Tory, he has [appointed Coun. Jennifer McKelvie as Toronto’s new deputy mayor](. Inflation Nation: Using one meal as an example, [here’s how much food prices have gone up in the last year](. What do Jim Carrey and Margaret Atwood have in common? [They’re among 100 Canadians banned from Russia](. Reactions to the brief conversation between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Justin Trudeau are [highlighting the complexity of the China-Canada relationship](. Republicans are distancing themselves from Donald Trump. [Some say it’s not because they see him as a threat but because they see him as a loser](. The SPOT, a popular youth space in Malvern has been closed since 2020. [Many who say the youth need the space “now more than ever” want to know, will it reopen?]( [Here’s how the Emergencies Act was used at Canada’s borders](. POV Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images [Racism and hate are threats to public safety. Why haven’t we heard this during the Emergencies Act inquiry?]( CLOSE-UP Richard Lautens/The Star TORONTO: As the 2022 World Cup kicks off on Sunday, bar and restaurant owners like Rocco Mastrangelo Jr. are hoping Toronto City Council will allow their establishments to serve alcohol earlier in the day. According to rules set out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, bars and restaurants in Ontario are prohibited from serving alcohol before 9 a.m. [Here’s why businesses don’t want World Cup fans watching early morning games booze-free](. Before I go, Wednesday’s First Up erroneously said Richard Taylor was a high school teacher and that he is on trial for first-degree murder in the deaths of his mother and step father. In fact, he was an elementary school teacher and he has been convicted. Apologies for any confusion.  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_154261). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 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