These kids are seeing the world before going blind

Plus, backlogs at the Landlord and Tenant Board and “new era of competition in wireless?” [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on one family’s mission to make lifelong memories, delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board and Rogers’ new lower prices. DON’T MISS Supplied Photo canada [Three of their kids are going blind — first, they’re going to see the world ]( Siblings Mia, 12, and her brothers Colin, 7, and Laurent, 4, all have a rare genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa. “Slowly they’re going to lose 180 (degree) vision and it’s going to get smaller and smaller,” their mother, Edith Lemay, said. “They say towards the end it’s like looking through a straw.” By 40, most people with the condition are legally blind. In the meantime, the childrens’ parents have undertaken a mission to fill their minds with vast landscapes and experiences, spending months travelling through Africa, Turkey, Mongolia, Southeast Asia and Egypt. [Steve McKinley writes about their cross-continental adventures and the memories — and lessons — that will last them a lifetime](. - More: The family planned as they went, guided by the kids’ bucket list of activities. They wanted to go surfing, Mia wanted to ride horses, and Laurent inexplicably wanted to drink juice on a camel. - The aftermath: “When we left, the goal was strictly to fill their visual memories, to get them to see beautiful landscapes,” Lemay said. “But then, during the trip, I realized there was so much more that they could learn from it.” Richard Lautens/The Star housing [An aggressive strategy is needed to fight “excruciatingly” long delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board]( With massive backlogs that can cause cases to take years to get a hearing, the Landlord and Tenant Board has been “failing in its role of providing swift justice,” Ontario’s ombudsman Paul Dubé has found. In a new report, Dubé says he received more than 4,000 complaints and details the negative impacts the lengthy waits have had on landlords and tenants. [Victoria Gibson reports on the perfect storm of factors causing the delays and the changes being called for](. - By the numbers: As of January, there were about 38,000 cases in the queue — an increase of about 13,000 since last May — according to Dubé’s investigation. - Case in point: One tenant who said they were being harassed by their landlord while living in a home with black mould and leaky windows waited more than a year for a hearing. “With no solution in sight, she was forced to leave her home of eight years,” Dubé wrote. Paige Taylor White/The Star telecom [Rogers has cut prices for most of its fastest cellphone plans following the Shaw takeover]( Rogers closed its deal to acquire Shaw’s cable business last month and sold off that company’s wire division Freedom Mobile to Quebecor. Now, as Rogers gears up to face new competition, the telecom giant is slashing prices for most of its fastest phone plans and is offering new deals for bundling wireless with home internet service. Do the price cuts signal “a new era of competition in wireless?” [Christine Dobby reports what we know about the changes taking place and what’s motivating Rogers.]( - Meanwhile: Quebecor’s CEO told the Star last month he has something “surprising” planned on wireless pricing. The company, which wants to grow its business in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, has not revealed what that is. - More: The president of Rogers’ wireless division told the Star that winning more customers who pay for both types of service was the main motivation for the pricing changes. WHAT ELSE Justin Trudeau is the Liberals’ only asset [and Pierre Poilievre is attacking accordingly](. Why is the U.S. pushing Ottawa to [require visas from Mexicans?]( As more details emerge about the Michael Chong allegations, the [federal government has summoned China’s ambassador](. Progressive candidate Josh Matlow says he could take inspiration from Rob Ford if he becomes mayor. [Here’s why](. More Canadian universities now say they’ll steer clear of Chinese telecom Huawei. [They include McGill and these others](. Canada is a step closer to establishing its first-ever grocery code regulating powers. [Here’s what they could mean for the industry](. Listen: On a new episode of “The Billionaire Murders” Kevin Donovan has an [unusual meeting with the Shermans’ only son](. This Ukrainian TikTokker found community with Indigenous Peoples in Canada — [and a piece of home that tied them together](. The Maple Leafs have dug themselves a big hole with [another “baffling” home loss against the Panthers](. Protesters are eyeing the Coronation of King Charles III — [and facial recognition is eyeing them](. With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3., [Chris Pratt and James Gunn reflect on their decade-long journey](. Ed Sheeran has won his copyright trial. [Here are 10 other hits that were accused of being copycats](. ICYMI Richard Lautens/The Star [A lush community garden was a source of peace and joy. Toronto Community Housing Corp. has turned it into a pile of dirt.]( CLOSE-UP Michele Nidenoff ROSEDALE: A small girl, whose name is unknown, will be remembered at a Toronto church on Saturday one year after the discovery of her remains was made public. Artist and illustrator Michele Nidenoff created this portrait of her to help inform the community. [Here’s what is planned for the event](. Thank you for reading. Before I go, yesterday’s edition erroneously said Huawei stood to lose $25 million annually if Canadian universities ended their partnerships with the company. It is actually the universities that would collectively lose that money. 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_180127). Ashley 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. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](