The Torontonians waiting hours for food

Plus, how SickKids avoided disaster, and investigating an immigrant detainee's death in custody [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on a strained Toronto food bank, how Ontario children’s hospitals narrowly escaped disaster and the death of an immigration detainee in custody. DON’T MISS Paige Taylor White/The Star economy [This Toronto food bank is being stretched thin trying to keep up with inflation-driven demand]( At a time of rising food costs, with a line of people waiting several hours to receive food, volunteers at the Allen Gardens Food Bank are facing new challenges to serve some of the most vulnerable and high-density neighbourhoods in Toronto. The number of individuals served has increased by 48 per cent from 2021 to 2022 — largely just in the past three months — said one of six directors at the food bank. The figures reflect one part of a larger food insecurity crisis in Ontario, Dhriti Gupta reports. [Here’s how volunteers at Allan Gardens are working to keep Toronto fed](. - By the numbers: “When I started here (in 2012), in two days we’d feed 150, maybe 200 people. Now, it’s a thousand,” longtime volunteer and now president Meryl Wharton said. “And it goes up every week.” - Go deeper: “Sometimes I wonder what the government is really doing to eradicate food insecurity,” Wharton said, gesturing to the encampments across the street in the park. “There are almost 100,000 people waiting for housing… There are people willing to work who can’t find jobs.” - Interactive: [Use our grocery inflation tool to see how prices have changed](. Steve Russell/The Star star exclusive [An “unprecedented response” helped Ontario children’s hospitals survive the viral surge]( Facing a record number of infants and children sick from respiratory infections, hospitals moved teens to adult ICUs, pediatric transport teams relocated young patients and the Hospital for Sick Children cancelled surgeries (except for life-saving and the most urgent procedures). Leaders at SickKids say the push to free hospital beds saved lives and avoided “catastrophe.” But they also say the measures revealed the fragility of a pediatric hospital system that has long been too small to meet demand, Megan Ogilvie reports. [These are the challenges that lie ahead and where there is room for improvement](. - By the numbers: From early November to the end of December, more than 100 teens received care in adult ICUs — a practice that was not routine before the viral surge, said the chief of SickKids’ department of critical care medicine. Ontario has about 100 pediatric critical care beds but can add more during surges, he said. - More: It’s “morally distressing” when nurses don’t have time to get to know their patients and speak with families, or when they feel like they can’t keep up with the hectic pace, said a pediatric ICU charge nurse. Supplied Photo immigration [Advocates want answers on an immigration detainee’s death in custody]( For years, Abdurahman Ibrahim Hassan, 39, was detained at a maximum-security jail in Lindsay, Ont., as he awaited deportation to Somalia. In June 2015, the Toronto man, who had a history of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, was hospitalized. Two paid-duty officers were present when the final hours of his life began to unfold as a grim series of events, Nicholas Keung reports. More than seven years later, a 15-day inquest begins to examine the events surrounding his death. With the Special Investigations Unit having cleared the police involved of wrongdoing, [here’s why advocates say many questions remain unanswered](. - Go deeper: “Why did he not receive the support and care he needed from the start when he came (here)? Why did he not get his citizenship and instead lose his refugee status?” asks Syed Hussan of the Migrant Rights Network. “Why was he in a maximum-security prison in Ontario when he was arrested for federal immigration detention?” - More: Over the past decade, there have been at least three inquests into immigration detainee deaths in Canada. WHAT ELSE Former lieutenant-governor [David Onley leaves a memorable legacy of advocacy](. Pierre Poilievre is unpopular in Canada’s second-largest province — [so are his policies](. A Toronto lawyer is facing a discipline charge for [arguing a 14-year-old girl is not a child but a “sexually mature young woman.”]( With no room in shelters, [Toronto’s homeless population is fighting off snow, freezing temperatures and … a mechanical claw?]( A loss of artist studio space for housing signals more than lack of affordability; [it’s intentional displacement of people](. COVID-19 curbed school boards’ anti-racism work, a study has found. [These are the stats.]( Here’s what’s behind an urgent [plea for the Canada Disability Benefit to become law in 2023](. Which is best when you’re saving for retirement: [TFSA or RRSP?]( [Prince Harry calls the royal family a “death cult” in his new book.]( drink to that, Heather Mallick writes. Writing off Mexico as a travel destination? [Consider this first](. POV Canadian Press File Photo [The F-35 fighter jet is about serving American interests, not protecting Canada.]( CLOSE-UP Levelfilm REVUE CINEMA: Toronto playwright Ellie Moon stars as protagonist Rosy in a new film. After ageing out of the foster care system years ago, Rosy is searching for companionship. When she finds a website for other lonely, older adults, something clicks that feels like it could be the key to happiness. [Take a closer look at the process behind her creation](. 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_161978). 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. 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