Meet the women fighting ageism at work

Plus, safety at TMU and the possible end of a virtual ER program [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. The Bank of Canada is expected to make an interest rate announcement today. [Here’s what economists say we can expect]( Here’s the latest on gendered ageism in the workplace, safety on TMU’s campus, and the virtual ER program running out of time. DON’T MISS Unsplash Photo women at work [Diminished. Devalued. Demeaned. Ageism is pushing women out of work – and they’re over it]( Studies from every facet of the workforce show that women over 50 are increasingly being passed over for promotions, face shrinking salaries and have a harder time getting hired for new jobs, Sydney Loney reports. Instead of being judged on their qualifications and experience, women find they are being judged on their appearance as they age. So, what does this mean for women in the workforce? And how are they fighting back? From civil engineers to communications professionals, [here’s what Canadian women had to say about aging visibly when it’s clear jobs are on the line](. - More: This one-two punch of ageism and sexism is described as “gendered ageism” by gerontologist and Nipissing University sociology professor Ellie Berger. Her book, “Ageism At Work,” cites studies indicating employers view older workers as less flexible, in poorer health, less creative and less trainable than younger workers — all stereotypes that have been disproven. - Why it matters: When people internalize ageist stereotypes, it leads to negative health outcomes such as depression and a shorter life expectancy, according to a review of 422 studies on aging from around the world. Lance McMillan/The Star star investigation [TMU said it increased security after a string of campus sex assaults, but some students and staff feel misled]( Following a second case of sexual assault on Toronto Metropolitan University’s downtown campus in October, staff and students worried for their safety. The following month, the university said it had beefed up security — measures that included having six security staff “stationed” in Kerr Hall, where the assaults took place. However, months later, staff and students say they haven’t seen the promised boost to security and rarely, if ever, encounter guards while walking through Kerr’s dimly lit, mazelike hallways. [Morgan Bocknek and Brendan Kennedy break down the community response to TMU’s safety measures and why many say they’re not enough](. - Go deeper: After the Star published an investigation into the school’s handling of the sexual assaults, a member of TMU’s security team contacted reporters alleging the university wasn’t being honest about its security operations. They provided staff schedules and other internal documents to support their claims. - Word from TMU: Administrators said the leaked docs paint “an incomplete picture of our security operations” and the person who shared them was not necessarily “privy to TMU’s full strategic and detailed security plans.” TMU provided the Star an additional internal document — dated Oct. 27, the day after the second sexual assault in Kerr Hall — detailing a security plan to “incorporate additional uniform and non-uniform” security patrols within the building. - ICYMI: “This campus isn’t safe.” [Following a string of sexual assaults inside a Toronto university, the school’s response is under fire](. Johnny Guatto/University of Toronto health care [Toronto hospitals have a successful virtual ER program — but its time is running out]( A virtual emergency department set up by some of Toronto’s biggest hospitals has been a big success, reports Patty Winsa. But, with temporary provincial funding slated to run out at the end of March, the partnership between the University Health Network, Sunnybrook and Unity Health may not last much longer. If that happens, the virtual service won’t be sustainable, says Dr. Sameer Masood, an emergency physician and director of emergency department quality, safety and innovation at UHN. [Here’s what patients in Toronto — and across Ontario — would lose if the program ends](. - By the numbers: More than 3,000 patients have avoided an unnecessary trip to a bricks-and-mortar emergency department in the past two to three years by using the virtual service. - Now what? Dr. Masood said if provincial funding isn’t extended, and family doctors who work in the virtual emergency department have to bill OHIP $20 for a video appointment in line with the latest physician services agreement, the program couldn’t make ends meet. WHAT ELSE A new poll shows Doug Ford’s government is weathering the Greenbelt scandal better than he is. [But there’s more to it](. “We have become the walking dead.” [International Women’s Day is a day of grief for Afghans](. Ontario’s chief medical officer warns that Ontario was “largely unprepared” for COVID-19, and [the risk of another pandemic is growing](. Three staffers at a midtown school have been put on home duty as the TDSB investigates [allegations of anti-Black racism involving a 6-year-old boy](. Pierre Poilievre is accusing Justin Trudeau of “covering up” support from China. [Here’s what he’s](. Councillor Stephen Holyday is considering running for mayor of Toronto. [Here’s what his platform would include](. Riskier private mortgages have soared by 72 per cent in Ontario — [and now brokers fear a wave of defaults](. Young Canadians were asked how they felt about climate change and their future. [Here’s what they said](. [More Canadians believe they’ll never own a home]( new survey finds. Here’s how immigration is [saving the Toronto region’s shrinking economic base]( [A 21-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in Toronto’s PATH Network]( near St. Andrew station. [This Toronto chef is boycotting the TTC]( after he says he was assaulted and nearly burned at Castle Frank station. POV Dreamstime Photo [A four-day week could solve some of the work-life balance problems facing women.]( CLOSE-UP Markus Schreiber/AP Photo BERLIN: [Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees celebrated the Jewish holiday of Purim on Tuesday](. Many of those at the celebration organized by Berlin’s Chabad community were students and young children, among them dozens of orphans who fled from Ukraine a year ago. 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_170468). 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