Inside the latest delay to hit the Eglinton Crosstown LRT

Plus, proposed new bail measures and wildfires burning in western Canada [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Ottawa’s proposed new bail measures and wildfires ravaging western Canada. DON’T MISS Lance McMillan/The Star transit [The companies building the Eglinton Crosstown LRT are seeking a court’s permission to stop construction]( Millions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is now facing another setback. Metrolinx confirmed Tuesday the troubled light-rail transit line — which has been under construction for more than a decade — won’t be completed this year after the consortium that’s building it sought a court’s permission to stop construction. In a legal proceeding, Crosslinx accused Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario of taking an “irresponsibly hands-off approach” to their management of the project. [Lex Harvey reports on the held up $12.8 billion undertaking](. - More: In a statement, Metrolinx called the allegations against it a “delay tactic.” Infrastructure Ontario did not respond to a request for comment from the Star. - Wait, what? When Crosslinx first won the contract to build the LRT, it was scheduled to be running by September 2021 — 10 years after construction began. The opening date was pushed to early 2023, but in September 2022, Metrolinx said that deadline would not be met. The public still has no sense of when the project will open. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick federal politics [Ottawa has proposed new bail measures in the face of “catch and release” criticism]( With a new bill, the federal government says it wants to send a message to the courts: that repeat violent offenders should never be released on bail. A person accused of most offences must be released from jail unless a Crown prosecutor can show why they should be detained. But under Bill C-48, the list of serious charges for which the accused people must show why they shouldn’t be detained will grow. [Jacques Gallant reports on the pressure prompting the changes and what the measures could mean for the justice system in Canada](. - Word from Queen’s Park: Ontario said the measures will bring “meaningful and much-needed changes,” adding that “too many innocent people have lost their lives due to dangerous criminals being on our streets instead of behind bars.” - Word from the Opposition: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre blasted the proposal as too soft to protect the public. - Another angle: Criminal defence lawyers called the measures a “knee-jerk reaction” that will undo progress made to tackle the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous people in jails. Canadian Press Handout climate crisis [Behind the smoke, Canada’s worsening wildfires are exacting a hidden toll]( The West is on fire again, Omar Mosleh writes. With 87 wildfires in its forest protection area and 24 out of control, Alberta has declared a state of emergency, while B.C. has had an early start to its season with 61 wildfires currently burning. Perhaps even more devastating than the images emerging of the fires is their ecological impact, which will change the landscape, hinder the regrowth of forests and contribute to a higher frequency of deadly floods and mudslides in B.C. [Here’s a closer look at the “new reality” of worsening fires and what it means for the environment](. - The scope: “If you look at a map of evacuations, it goes from sea to sea to sea in Canada,” wildfire expert Mike Flannigan said. “We’ve been focused on Western Canada but it can happen anywhere when things are right … What may surprise people is one of these days it may be someplace out east, a Timmins, Sudbury, even a Halifax.” - The aftermath: Air particles from wood burning are among the leading contributors to illness and death. Experts also say air pollution is linked to the development of neurological disorders. [Here’s what else you need to know about the effects on our health](. [Living Here newsletter relaunch] Need a trusty guide through the housing crunch? Living Here, the Star’s free newsletter, can help. Each week, it’ll bring you the analysis and expert advice you need to navigate renting, buying, owning or just getting by in and around Toronto — plus more of the Star’s essential real estate coverage. [Sign up for free here](. WHAT ELSE How Justin Trudeau will try to [salvage the Stellantis EV deal during a visit in Seoul](. Pierre Poilievre is courting voters by [capitalizing on immigration fears in Quebec](. [MP Michael Chong accused Trudeau of failing to inform MPs when they’re “targets of foreign influence”]( — and made some recommendations. Ontario is ramping up battery — and natural gas — capacity. [Some clean energy advocates are struggling to parse long-term and immediate effects](. They fled the Taliban. [But how do these Afghans start over in Canada without a credit score or work history?]( [Canada’s inflation rate has increased for the first time since last June]( driven by higher rent and mortgage interest. Why is this ER in cottage country closing? [Doctors and health officials say they’re baffled](. With real estate prices on the rise, an RBC report forecasts [the housing market correction is over](. An Amber Alert has been canceled after a Thunder Bay [boy was found safe and police made an arrest](. [What the news media gets wrong about covering tragedy]( according to a longtime crime reporter. [A chemical in Canadian homes is linked to a 70 per cent increase in developing Parkinson’s disease]( a groundbreaking study has found. A sex symbol at 81? On Sports Illustrated, [Martha Stewart shows it’s not only possible — it’s desirable](. POV Steve Russell/The Star [Toronto’s mayoral debate season has kicked off with a protest, many winning lines — and one clear loser.]( CLOSE-UP Ariel Schalit/AP Photo TEL AVIV: Yulia, an endangered Mediterranean monk seal rests on the beach Tuesday, [drawing crowds of curious onlookers](. The seals’ populations have dwindled due to historic levels of hunting, fishing and habitat destruction, leaving only an estimated 350 mature specimens in the wild. Before I go, yesterday’s newsletter stated the first major debate of the Toronto byelection took place on Tuesday, but it was actually Monday. 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_182127). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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