Toronto's mayor-elect is getting a jump on her job

Plus, Toronto's horrible air quality and why recycling may not be the answer [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on Olivia Chow’s plan for Toronto, Toronto’s air quality and the future of recycling. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey Toronto city hall [How Olivia Chow intends to do things differently as mayor]( While the transition period for a new mayor is usually more than a month, Olivia Chow has requested to take office in just two weeks. On Wednesday, she was already working from a temporary office in city hall, Ben Spurr reports. Though she aims to start the job with consultations, Chow told the Star she’s “not waiting” to address the crises facing her office. [Here’s why some pundits have predicted Chow will struggle to advance her agenda and why she feels she won’t](. - What we know: In addition to winning traditional left-leaning communities in Toronto’s core, Chow also earned votes from five out of six wards in Scarborough. - Word from Ottawa: At a press conference unrelated to the election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “really excited to have a strong progressive as mayor of Toronto.” - Bob Hepburn’s take: [Chow’s election could prove transformative for Toronto]( Richard Lautens/The Star climate crisis [Toronto’s air quality was the worst in the world due to wildfire smoke]( On Wednesday afternoon, smoke from wildfires in northeastern Ontario and Quebec propelled Toronto to the top of a list ranking cities with the worst air quality in the world. The smoke, which has spread as far as Europe, also caused Chicago and Minneapolis to claim top spots. [Here’s when Environment Canada said conditions are expected to improve and how Toronto is adjusting to the advisory](. - Go deeper: Amid smoke concerns, people are watching the Air Quality Health Index closely. But the federal government has a better way to measure smoky air. [Why isn’t Ontario using it?]( - ICYMI: Scientists say even brief exposure to smoke could affect brain function. [This is how air pollution can harm your cognition and mental health](. - More: These are more of the health risks associated with wildfire smoke, and [why some people are using respirators to protect themselves](. Oded Balilty/AP Photo climate solutions [Why recycling may not be the answer to the world’s plastic problem ]( More than 170 countries are searching for solutions to plastic waste as part of a UN committee negotiating a legally binding agreement, Patty Winsa reports. For now, the body says products and systems need to be redesigned in order to reduce plastic use and ensure plastic is being reused and recycled. But not everyone agrees. Greenpeace USA, for its part, says plastic has no place in a circular economy, while Environmental Defence says certain recycling processes can sometimes do more harm than good. [Here’s why the way forward isn’t so clear cut](. - Context: A circular economy ensures products are reusable, recyclable or compostable. - By the numbers: Due to difficulties with sorting plastics, limitations on recycling infrastructure or markets, and contamination, less than 10 per cent of plastics around the world get recycled. - On the home front: Canada’s plastic ban has a big hole in it. [What can we do about grocery stores?]( WHAT ELSE Pierre Poilievre has a likeability problem. [Here’s what Conservative insiders say he should do about it — and where he’s going wrong](. A provincial byelection is headed to Ottawa and Toronto in July. [Here’s why Progressive Conservative insiders are worried](. Pierre Poilievre says Canadians will pay way more for gas. [The Trudeau government says not so fast](. In the first quarter of 2023, Canada [broke its own record for population growth with immigration](. Fringe mayoral candidate Xiao Hua Gong wants a recount, [despite losing by more than a quarter of a million votes](. B.C.’s 7,200 port workers are ready to walk off the job for better pay. [This is what a strike could mean for the economy](. In the Mulroney and Harper years, Tories established footholds in Toronto. [What happened?]( Mortgage costs have already soared by 30 per cent. [Here’s why experts say homeowners should “prepare for the worst.”]( Trudeau says the Competition Bureau would look into the potential NordStar-Postmedia merger, [but antitrust experts say the watchdog is unlikely to oppose it](. “There is an incredible dearth and lack of care for people who are trans.” [A gender-affirming clinic in Toronto is set to privatize services after OHIP cuts]( A professor and two students were stabbed during a gender issues class at the University of Waterloo. [Here’s what we know](. Drinking could be legal this summer in 20 Toronto parks. [Find out if your park is on the list](. POV AFP via Getty Images [Western leaders don’t want us to worry about nuclear war. Here’s why we should.]( CLOSE-UP Tatan Syuflana/AP Photo INDONESIA: Muslims perform a morning prayer marking the Eid al-Adha holiday on a street in Jakarta on Thursday.  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_189005). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. BEST OFFER OF THE YEAR Canada Day sale: $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. 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](