When shoplifting becomes a necessity

Plus, here’s how long-term Airbnb stays are putting tenants at risk [Get access now!]( [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. Sorry for the delay with today’s First Up. Following the news of increased assaults on the TTC, police say [a man was assaulted by a group of young people aboard a TTC bus in East York yesterday evening](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star photo illustration BUSINESS [As food costs soar and self-checkouts multiply, more people are stealing — and they’re not sorry]( Shoplifting is surging across the country. Several Toronto residents say they feel justified in stealing more as food prices increase, with one resident confirming he lifts 80 per cent of his groceries, reports Ghada Alsharif. Big supermarket chains aren’t feeling it on their bottom line yet, but they are concerned that grocery theft will continue, especially if a recession hits in the coming months. [Here’s why this Toronto resident says he has no “moral quandary with stealing food,” and this Richmond Hill law firm says it will defend anyone arrested for shoplifting for free](. Abigail Romeril/For the Toronto Star THE THIRD ACT [Can Canada Post workers be the answer for checking on lonely seniors?]( On Jersey Island, the Call & Check program engages postal workers to look in on the elderly living at home with a five-minute doorstep greeting to see how they’re doing and take care of any immediate needs. Jersey Post workers have made 79,867 official visits since its inception. Could something like this work in Canada? The National Institute on Ageing thinks so. NIA's paper found that a similar program could boost revenue for Canada Post and help more older Canadians age comfortably at home. [Moira Welsh reports on the possibility of replicating Call & Check here and what it would mean for our seniors](. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star Housing [How long-term Airbnb stays may leave Toronto tenants at risk]( When Tianning Ning and her family booked an Airbnb home for 10 months while her husband worked as a visiting professor, it seemed perfect. But six months into their lease, the landlord abruptly pulled the plug on their booking. May Warren reports that “mid-to-long-term” Airbnb stays are becoming more common in Toronto, and so are reports of tenant abuse. Homes rented for longer than 28 days are exempt from the city’s new short-term rental regulations, meaning tenancies can end with a single click. [Here’s why housing advocates say the loophole for mid-to-long-term Airbnb stays is creating a concerning shadow market for tenants](. Lance McMillan/Toronto Star Opinion [Violence on the TTC has been horrifying. Here’s what I found really alarming when I rode this week]( As more incidents made headlines, city columnist Edward Keenan rode the TTC for hours in the mornings, afternoons, and evening rush hours over two days. While nothing of note occurred, he observed a system suffering signs of neglect, one that has increasingly and troublingly sheltered vulnerable people without other options. The city’s immediate response is to deploy dozens of officers across the TTC, but will that be enough? [Here’s why Edward believes the real work to fix the TTC will take more time and why it’s essential to do it](. Fred Thornhill/For the Toronto Star Real estate [One big happy experiment: Here’s how a group of friends turned a Haliburton lodge into a co-living dream]( Doug and Mardi Tindal are two of seven people ranging from their 50s to their 70s who are transforming a Haliburton-area inn and marina into a shared home. They are excited about the living arrangement they envision — a lakeside house with a full veranda ringing with laughter, boisterous and quiet conversations, and shared meals and wine. One expert says the experiment in co-living could help alleviate two urban afflictions: the high cost of housing and social isolation that is especially prevalent among seniors, reports Tess Kalinowski. [Here’s a look at how this group launched their unique housing plan with community at its core](. POV Bruce Arthur: Our leaders have a simple solution for TTC violence. [Of course, it won’t work](. Susan Delacourt: [Has Ottawa been convoy-proofed? This weekend will tell us](. Shazma Mithani: [Our system needs real change or doctors will burnout](. Thomas Walkom: With the addition of tanks, [the scene is set for a new and bloody chapter in the war in Ukraine](. Bob Hepburn: The dream of affording a decent place to live [may get worse before it gets better](. Michael Levitt: [Remembering the Holocaust and pledging “Never Again]( EAT THIS Paige Taylor White/Toronto Star Tâm, a pho restaurant at 369 Keele St., offers a pared-down version of the expansive menus most Torontonians are used to in Vietnamese restaurants, writes Karon Liu. Of the dozen or so items on the menu, almost half are vegan, drawing on the cuisine’s centuries-old history with meatless cooking and satisfying hungry vegetarians in the area. If you want to try a restaurant with a unique spin on traditional Vietnamese dishes, [here's how this restaurant stands out](. Thanks for reading. You can reach 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_164082), and I will see you back here tomorrow. 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