The homebuilding program that hasn't built any homes

Plus, mental health of immigrant detainees and a big year for scammers [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on immigration detention in Ontario jails, the prevalence of scams and Toronto’s lagging homebuilding program. DON’T MISS Anne-Marie Jackson/The Star caged by canada [An “alarming” number of jailed immigration detainees have mental health problems]( Human rights activists, immigration lawyers and occasionally the courts, have long expressed concern for the mental health of immigration detainees, while detainees themselves have spoken about the harshness of the conditions in which they’re held, particularly in light of their mental health. Now, a Star analysis has found that of 60 cases in Ontario jails it has reviewed since last summer, more than half of immigration detainees reported mental health issues, ranging from drug addiction to schizophrenia. Several immigration lawyers interviewed by the Star said the findings align with their own experience. [Brendan Kennedy reports on the analysis and the movement that has led five provinces to vow to end the controversial use of jails for immigrant detention](. - More: The decision to put a detainee in a provincial jail or the less-restrictive immigration holding centre is made by a single CBSA officer using a “risk factor” form. - Go deeper: Using language that is “clearly discriminatory,” according to Human Rights Watch researcher Hanna Gros, the CBSA’s website suggests immigration detainees may be sent to jail because of their mental health issues. Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star Illustration Scammers [With grandparent scams and roofing cons, 2023 is set to be another year of fraud]( Whether they’re pulling on heart strings or emailing a phishing link, fraudsters have “never had so many tools available to them that they have now,” an expert in financial crimes says. Particularly in cases where a caller is posing as someone in urgent need of help, there is concern that scammers could use artificial intelligence to make their lies more believable. So how can you protect yourself? Experts say the two best defences are looking out for urgent requests and using common sense. [Kelly Skjerven lays out some of the top scams police are investigating and how else to be careful](. - Go deeper: Some people may think they’ll never fall for a scam, but those who may not be fooled by one scam could get caught up in another — regardless of the type of fraud, one expert said. - By the numbers: In the first quarter of the year, more than $130 million had already been lost to fraud, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. That number is on pace to match last year’s $531 million — and that’s only accounting for what has been reported to authorities. In 2020, the total for the year was $165 million. Victoria Gibson/The Star housing [Why Toronto’s rapid homebuilding program has yet to build a single home]( Building should have begun on the parking lot beside the Wilson TTC station in 2020. By now, the grand opening of a mixed-use development would be nearing, with hundreds of affordable rental homes, plus market-priced rentals and condos, a daycare and an acre-sized park. That was city hall’s promise about four years ago. But construction hasn’t started — on Wilson Heights or anywhere across Toronto’s 21-site Housing Now initiative — despite more than a billion dollars worth of land and resources. Victoria Gibson reports on [how high hopes and good intentions have crashed into bureaucracy, ill-equipped infrastructure, cost overruns, community ire, staff shortages, a pandemic and — mostly — a city slowly learning to do something new](. - Go deeper: Housing Now is touted as the city’s “signature” affordable housing program, but those lower-cost homes are still out of grasp while rent continues to climb. - ICYMI: From boardrooms to bedrooms, [take a look inside the effort to turn an aging office tower into downtown housing](. WHAT ELSE June is Indigenous History Month. [Star reporter Jamin Mikes explains why he’s living proof his ancestors fought for a future](. Here’s why the Liberals are suddenly talking about “ghost guns” — [and why Conservatives say it’s a cynical distraction](. A new poll says Olivia Chow has [widened her lead over her rivals as advanced voting is set to begin](. At a time when Canadians normally crave change, [Pierre Poilievre is wasting his chance to become prime minister.]( Parents and students are disheartened after [anti-Pride protests lead to empty desks at some Ontario schools](. Recent news is cause for concern. [Are Canadians becoming more MAGA American?]( Without using guns or bombs, [the return of the Taliban is killing young Afghans](. A violent spring weekend has [left a trail of people injured and dead](. Self-employed and not sure how to plan for retirement? [This is how to get started](. Should you shower in the morning or at night? [Experts weigh in](. With plans for a new development, Buttonville Airport is closing after 60 years. [Here’s why it’s a “huge hit” for students and airport employees](. Airlines owe you money if you volunteer to be bumped from a flight. [Here’s how much](. POV Canadian Press/Mark Blinch [Pride isn’t just a party, it’s a protest — and this year, that matters more.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Wass/AP Photo MARYLAND: Fourteen-year-old Dev Shah from Largo, Florida., wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals on Thursday with the word “psammophile.” What drives the champion spellers and others like him? [Hard work, community — and sometimes their parents](. 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_185192). I’ll 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. 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