Could the RCMP become the FBI of the North?

Plus, a Toronto-based advocacy group that’s finally got a foot in the door and what you can do to pull through the cost of living crisis [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the RCMP, a progressive group lobbying city hall and the cost of living crisis. DON’T MISS Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press file photo federal politics [Sources say Justin Trudeau wants to transform the RCMP into Canada’s FBI]( An ambitious but controversial concept that would see the RCMP operate more like the FBI has gained support from the prime minister, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and senior Mounties, the Star has learned. The transformation would see the force out of front-line, day-to-day policing, and focused on issues like national security and terrorism, financial crimes and organized crime, Tonda MacCharles reports. [Here’s what critics and supporters of the idea have to say](. - Context: The change would come at a time when the RCMP faces allegations of harassment, systemic racism and excessive force. - Word from the Public Safety Minister: Mendicino said his “vision” sees the force as “the gold standard when it comes to matters that fall within its subject-matter expertise, like fighting against terrorism, like fighting against cyber (crime), like fighting against ideologically motivated extremism.” Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star TORONTO CITY HALL [After years of trying to push city hall to the political left, advocacy group Progress Toronto breaks through]( Progress Toronto — a group dedicated to a “more democratic, socially just and progressive city”  — spent years in opposition to city hall, David Rider and Alyshah Hasham report. Now, it suddenly has an in. Former executive director Michael Hay is Mayor Olivia Chow’s chief of staff, and some councillors are sympathetic to the non-profit’s goals. [Here’s how Progress Toronto plans to challenge — and champion — Chow](. - Context: The group faced two major setbacks under Doug Ford, first when it had a slate of progressive candidates ready to vie for one of 47 seats at city hall in 2018. Ford’s government slashed the seats to 25. - More: The strong mayor powers John Tory privately requested from Ford in 2022 dashed progressives’ hopes of tilting council to the political left. However, the group’s current executive director noted they worked with Tory to get Ford to cancel major cuts to public health funding in 2019. Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star photo illustration PERSONAL FINANCE [How to get through the cost of living crisis]( With a soaring cost of living — not to mention the climate crisis — it can be hard to plan for the future, Renee Sylvestre-Williams writes. But certified financial planner and adviser Jackie Porter says the key is to focus “on the things you can control” and to confront financial fears head on. “If it’s your mortgage, it’s talking to a mortgage broker. If it’s opening up credit card statements to see what you owe, reach out to a financial or debt professional for your options.” [Here’s how she and another expert suggest you start](. - By the numbers: According to one 2022 study, 71 per cent of Americans under 35 aren’t confident they can achieve their retirement goals. The same study found gen-Xers are the least prepared for retirement. - More: Certified financial planner Iftikhar Mahmood doesn’t suggest people cut off all their spending — instead, they should take small steps towards change. WHAT ELSE The Manitoba bus crash has claimed its 17th victim after a woman died in hospital. [Here’s what you need to know](. Pierre Poilievre’s office and a Calgary MP are [silent over the latest photo with a homophobic message](. Some Canadian news outlets are already seeing content blocked on Instagram. [Take a look at the aftermath of the Online News Act](. [Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic in five sets to win Wimbledon for a second Grand Slam trophy.]( [An apparent vandalism campaign on a Roncesvalles floral shop]( has revealed tight community bonds. Colleagues and family are honouring [Devyn Gale, the 19-year-old who died putting out B.C. fires](. Ottawa is now finalizing regulations to speed up the electrification of cars. [Here’s what it needs to do to ensure success](. [The City of Toronto has deemed these three beaches unsafe]( due to high bacteria levels in Lake Ontario. Are unproductive business team meetings taking over your calendar? [Here’s how to make them more effective](. Was your car stolen? [Here’s what your insurance does — and doesn’t — cover](. Don’t list your house for sale yet. [Here’s how to rebuild your budget first](. This detached Toronto bungalow was sold for $800K — [$100K less than it was bought for](. POV David Bebee/Waterloo Region record [Waterloo’s tiny homes for unhoused people are an impressive feat — but there are lessons to learn, and they’re not all good](. CLOSE-UP John Locher/AP Photo FURNACE CREEK: A demonstrator protests visitors to Death Valley National Park, California, on Sunday as a thermometer displays a temperature of 54 degrees Celsius. A blistering stretch of hot weather has put roughly [one-third of Americans under some type of heat advisory, watch or warning]( 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_191633). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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