Alberta voters endorse a move further to the right

Plus, Toronto’s specialty school lottery and the challenges with fighting wildfires [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the Alberta election, the TDSB’s specialty school lottery and wildfires in Canada. DON’T MISS Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press Alberta election [Danielle Smith’s UCP has won a majority — and come out swinging]( Danielle Smith has been re-elected premier in a victory that can be seen as an endorsement of her plan to move Alberta further to the right. The United Conservatives’ win comes after a race that saw the party neck and neck with the New Democrats — despite the province’s reputation as a conservative heartland. On Monday night, Smith promised to prevent tax increases, asked teachers and health-care workers for their support, and took fresh aim at the federal government while promising to put division from her controversies behind her. [Alex Boyd and Kieran Leavitt report on the election and Smith’s vision for Alberta](. - Context: The campaign was characterized by discriminatory comments, fallout over ethics rules violations and contrasting ideas for one of the country’s biggest economic powerhouses. - By the numbers: As of Monday night, the UCP had won 45 seats and were leading in 6 ridings, and the NDP had won 30 and were leading in six. - Watch for: [Expecting to add 10 new MLAs to the Alberta legislature, the NDP’s Rachel Notley is pledging to fight on](. - Graham Thomson’s take: [How the campaign revealed hard truths about Alberta and its future](. Lance McMillan/Toronto Star EDUCATION [TDSB’s first year of specialty school lottery admissions opened doors — and dashed dreams]( Aiming to improve equity in specialized programs and schools focused on areas like arts, math and sciences, the Toronto District School Board has, for the first time, applied changes to the admissions process. But it has proven contentious. Students no longer need to demonstrate merit but are selected through an interest-based lottery — a move critics call a “talent drain.” [Isabel Teotonio reports on a group of friends whose dreams of attending high school together were dashed — and how they feel about what’s next for them](. - Wait, what? The TDSB said there were systemic barriers to accessing the specialized programs, which disproportionately advantaged kids from privileged backgrounds. It also said the student body didn’t reflect the broader population of students. - Watch for: Two school board trustees are presenting a motion on June 7 to pause the change and replace the lottery with a more equitable merit-based system. They, and some parents, think the lottery is unfair, will water down programming, and will hurt students. Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press climate crisis [Does Canada have the firefighters we’ll need to battle more wildfires?]( On the outskirts of Halifax, an “out-of-control” fire threatens homes and residents, Allan Woods writes. Firefighters are working to settle the flames, but such fights can be completely unpredictable, one expert said. With 213 fires underway across the country and 81 of them “out of control,” Canada is facing a very fast start to the wildfire season, according to another expert. Do we have the resources to prepare for battle? [Here’s a look at the issues facing firefighting efforts and how experts say we can be better prepared for the next emergency](. - By the numbers: According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, most fires are currently burning in Western Canada, with Alberta and British Columbia fighting more than a hundred between them. - Go deeper: While several young people are ready to take up firefighting for the summer, there have been nationwide problems retaining senior-level firefighters with the training and experience needed to lead the fight. WHAT ELSE Drop David Johnston from the foreign-interference job, [Jagmeet Singh tells the Trudeau government](. Has Toronto become less safe? [These are the real facts behind the public safety-focused mayoral election](. [An OPP officer and a school bus driver have died]( in a crash northwest of Woodstock, police say. Some mayoral candidates’ ideas on financial stability are doomed to fail. [But one has made an honest assessment](. Is Toronto hurtling toward a “city-cession”? [New data is painting a gloomy picture](. [Mayoral hopeful Brad Bradford is pitching himself as a change candidate]( despite his ties to John Tory. It’s not just you. Here’s why it feels like [your neighbourhood is getting louder](. [Why this outsider insurgent is getting traction in the race for mayor](. How do Canadian newcomers affect real estate? [The answer may surprise you](. A landlord has been sentenced to 20 years for [letting a drug lab set up in the basement of his Pickering rental home](. This family did everything “right” — [they’re still struggling to make ends meet](. How one scene in Succession’s finale [perfectly captured lessons about life, work — and mediocre men](. ICYMI Unsplash [“Stay at home girlfriend?” Inside the trend sparking outrage — and envy](. CLOSE-UP Mira Jones-Sasaki TORONTO: Richard Sasaki, 40, is pictured with his one-year-old daughter. The 40-year-old who was killed on May 12 in a daytime stabbing near Yonge and Dundas Square is [being remembered as a loving father with “a giant heart.]( 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_184268). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get unlimited access to the Star Last chance: Only $1/week for 52 weeks [Get This Offer]( 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. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](