Ontario's strong mayors are getting 💪 even 💪 stronger 💪

Plus, Qatar's migrant workers and the dad who opened fire at his child's first birthday [Get access now!]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. [Ontario emergency room wait times have reached a record high]( according to a new report. Here’s the latest on migrant workers in Qatar, additional strong mayor powers and last year’s shocking Baby Shark-themed birthday party shooting. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Nathan Denette opinion [The story of Qatar’s migrant workers is bigger than the World Cup]( In Qatar, “there is no fun,” a Ugandan worker tells columnist Bruce Arthur, except for this: the event at the Asian Town Cricket Stadium Fan Zone, where labourers can watch the games for free. They can’t afford the other fan zones, another migrant worker says. On the job, they face some of the hottest summers, armed with few real labour standards. Speaking with migrants from Kenya, Uganda, India and elsewhere, Bruce provides [a glimpse into the lives of some of the 70,000 migrant workers who have built up Qatar — and faced death, exploitation and broken promises throughout](. - Context: When the World Cup was awarded by FIFA in 2010, the scale of work was enormous. There were not just stadiums to be built, but also highways, a metro system, malls, entire neighbourhoods. Workers were imported on a massive scale, at cutthroat salaries and with no ability to bargain. - Go deeper: The family of World Cup workers’ whistleblower Abdullah Ibhais said he was tortured after revealing the abuses. They say FIFA was informed and ignored it. - By the numbers: The Guardian has counted 6,500 dead workers in the past 12 years. Canadian Press File Photo provincial politics [Doug Ford has increased controversial “strong-mayor” powers for Toronto and Ottawa]( Doug Ford’s government has just handed the leaders of Toronto and Ottawa even more power than the strong mayors had before — now allowing them to pass bylaws with only one-third support of city council. The move, opposed by the provincial NDP, Liberals, Greens and Independents, was passed in a 76-31 vote, as the Progressive Conservatives have the majority in the legislature. [Here’s why Green Leader Mike Schreiner and others worry “democracy is under attack in Ontario.”]( - Wait, what? Mayor John Tory requested the additional power, which was not included in the strong-mayor legislation passed in September. That legislation granted sweeping authority to Ottawa and Toronto mayors over municipal budgets and the hiring and firing of senior city staff. - Word from Queen’s Park: Ontario’s municipal affairs minister said in a social media video that the change would aid the construction of 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. - ICYMI: A majority of Toronto city councillors sent a joint letter to the province [urging them to ditch the bill earlier this week](. - Edward Keenan’s take: [Our new minority-rule mayor law has left global experts baffled](. Paige Taylor White/The Star crime [A Toronto man was found guilty in the shocking gunfight at his infant son’s Baby Shark-themed birthday party]( Happy children were playing among balloons, red carpets and bouncy castles, when at least 22 shots were fired into the crowd, Alyshah Hasham reports. The June 19, 2021 shooting in Rexdale shocked the city as it left a five-year-old shot in the head, an 11-year-old boy shot in the buttock and one-year-old birthday boy Kaiden grazed on his forehead, possibly by a stray bullet. [Here’s how dramatic security camera footage and a photo provided by a confidential informant helped the judge determine that the baby’s father played a key role](. - Context: The father, Kevin George, was the first of four men to open fire, the Ontario court justice found, targeting the boyfriend of Kaiden’s mother, Demar Cadogan. - More: The judge found George not guilty of attempted murder, but guilty of discharging a firearm with intent to endanger Cadogan’s life and the life of the five-year-old girl who was in his line of fire and now has vision and hearing problems. WHAT ELSE Celine Dion announced she was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome. [Here’s what we know about the incurable disorder](. Federal leaders rehashed promises of reconciliation — [including trying to release everything about the residential school system](. Metrolinx says there’s [no “credible plan” for the completion of Eglinton LRT]( an internal report shows. [Here’s why TDSB ruled out the return of armed police]( in schools amid rising student violence. This Toronto speed camera has [caught more drivers than any other for six months running](. Brittney Griner’s prison swap was [a scene — and a warning — out of our Cold War past](. A woman is dead and another seriously injured after stabbings at High Park station. [Here’s what we know](. Ontario’s chief coroner is investigating the [“sudden and unexpected” death of a two-year-old in an Ajax hospital](. Run by independent first-time entrepreneurs, [this food hall is Toronto’s latest dining destination — if you can find it](. Journalist Leah McLaren’s memoir [misrepresented a sexual assault as consensual]( a woman alleges. Toronto health inspectors found [major infractions at these 19 restaurants over the past week](. Buying holiday gift cards at the drugstore or supermarket? [Watch out for this scam](. POV Canadian Press/John Woods [Brandi Morin: We are rising in strength and power — it’s time to end the genocide of Indigenous women.]( CLOSE-UP Paige Taylor White/The Star CHURCH OF SAINT STEPHEN-IN-THE-FIELD: The statue known as Panhandler Jesus is put in a cage as a protest against criminalizing homelessness. [Here’s what you need to know about the latest notice against a Toronto encampment that sparked the demonstration](. 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_157857). Ashley will see you back here tomorrow. Become a Star subscriber and save! Best offer of the year: 12 months for $12 [Get This Offer]( 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. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](