If elected, could Josh Matlow play nice?

Plus, TCHC houses in disrepair and the hole in Canada's plastic bag ban [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on Josh Matlow’s bid for mayor, Toronto Community Housing complexes in disrepair and Canada’s plastic ban. DON’T MISS Susan Kao Photo Illustration can they lead? [Josh Matlow is a politician who never backs down. Could he play nice as mayor?]( Since he was first elected to city council 13 years ago, progressive Josh Matlow has been known to not back down, Ben Spurr writes. Those who have worked with him say it’s a strength that he won’t compromise on his principles to get ahead, while critics see him as inflexible and unable to work with colleagues to improve the city. However, no one the Star spoke with questioned his intelligence or his grasp on policy. [Here’s a look at his history at city hall and as an environmental activist — and what the people who have worked with him have to say](. - More: “You need softer edges as a mayor and he doesn’t have them,” a former city hall insider said. - Another angle: Matlow is a “refreshing” politician who “doesn’t just go along with things,” former councillor John Filion said. - Word from Matlow: The idea that the city councillor doesn’t cooperate with others overlooks that he has worked with peers to advance initiatives like the city’s senior and youth equity strategies, and to create the RentSafeTO tenant protection program. - Undecided? [Use our tool to see which candidate is right for you](. R.J. Johnston/The Star housing [Progress is “steady” — but 34 Toronto Community Housing complexes remain in disrepair ]( More than 2,300 Toronto Community Housing Corp. (TCHC) households across 34 complexes are identified as being in critical disrepair, according to an internal database shared with the Star. While the public housing agency has made advancements — and most complexes are better now than they were in 2017 — 24 complexes are in even worse shape than the agency had expected, Victoria Gibson reports. [Here’s what’s behind the “dire” conditions for the lower-income households](. - Go deeper: The TCHC sees the data as a positive trend, but one Toronto housing expert says it has “nothing to brag about” as tenants continue to grapple with broken homes. - By the numbers: Facing inflation and rising construction costs, the agency says there are no signs that any level of government will provide an inflationary boost. - Meanwhile: Ontario’s soaring rent prices are putting people on the street. [Here’s how much the housing index says it increased between 2016 and 2021](. Lance McMillan/The Star environment [Canada’s plastic ban has a big hole in it. What can we do about grocery stores? ]( Sliced mushrooms on trays of polystyrene foam, wrapped in plastic film. Peppers in clear plastic packaging. Ahead of its 2030 goal for zero plastic waste, the federal government has made some bans on single-use plastics, but a look inside the grocery store reveals a bigger problem, Patty Winsa reports. [Here’s why the norm for grocers remains “totally unsustainable from a waste perspective and from a plastics perspective.”]( - Why it matters: Canadians throw away three million tonnes of plastic waste every year, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada, and less than 10 per cent of it is recycled. - Watch for: “Probably the most successful long-standing reuse and refill program that never has gone away is beer bottles,” said the plastics program manager for Environmental Defence, referring to the deposit return program at Ontario’s beer stores. “How could we adapt that to other things that come in jars? Or even cans with lids that can be resealed.” WHAT ELSE [Justin Trudeau will be remembered for his “leadership”]( — not “the trash and the rumours,” Brian Mulroney says. The PPC’s Maxime Bernier failed to win a byelection seat in Manitoba. [Here’s what it says about his party — and Poilievre’s Conservatives](. Yes, Olivia Chow is a candidate from the ’90s. [Here’s why that’s not a bad thing, Matt Elliott writes](. In the final week before voting day, these are the poll numbers that have [Olivia Chow leading in every corner of Toronto](. Here’s why the next mayor of Toronto needs to be a transit champion — [and how voters can determine who that is](. [My plan is to make Toronto safer, cleaner and kinder]( mayoral candidate Rob Davis writes. The RCMP have begun interviewing survivors of the Manitoba bus crash. [Here’s what we know about them](. [This demographic has been “overlooked and ignored”]( — and it has the highest rate of poverty in the country. Was the killing of a Sikh temple president in Surrey, B.C. linked to his advocacy? [Those who know him said he had received past death threats](. [This is what we know about the search for the missing submarine]( on an expedition to view Titanic wreckage and its crew. WestJet’s decision to shut down Sunwing could lead to short-term benefits, but long-term drawbacks for passengers. [Here’s what experts say](. A Canadian Snowbirds pilot is facing a sexual assault charge. [Here’s what officials are saying](. POV Canadian Press/Chris Young [I have hope for the future of our city, because I have faith in us, Olivia Chow writes.]( CLOSE-UP Lance McMillan/The Star CEDARVALE PARK: A person goes for a run along a trail near Bathurst Street, north of St. Clair Avenue West, in Toronto on 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_187485). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. BEST OFFER OF THE YEAR Last chance to get unlimited access for $3.33/month for 12 months [Get This Offer]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. 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