The unusual secrecy in an Ontario court case

Plus, business leaders call for a new property assessment and a flood ravages Nova Scotia [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on property taxes in Ontario, secrecy in Ontario courts and “biblical” floods in Nova Scotia. DON’T MISS Chris Young/The Canadian Press STAR INVESTIGATION [Business leaders warn Doug Ford is compromising Ontario’s economic competitiveness with a property assessment delay]( A group of municipal, business and real estate industry representatives have warned Doug Ford in a letter that he’s putting the province’s economic competitiveness at risk and making taxes less predictable by continuing to delay a new property reassessment, Kenyon Wallace and Diana Zlomislic report. Most properties in Ontario are taxed based on their 2016 value, but property values have shifted considerably since then. While a reassessment was scheduled for 2020, the Ford government took the unique step of postponing it due to the pandemic. [Here’s what else you need to know](. - Context: A recent Star investigation found that Toronto homes are routinely taxed more than they should be, while others aren’t taxed enough. [Take a closer look at our analysis](. - Word from Queen’s Park: “The reassessment postponement does not have a financial impact on municipalities, as the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. continues to maintain the assessment roll and ensure it is regularly updated to reflect changes such as new construction,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance told the Star in an email. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star GTA [“The [Redacted] Court of Justice”? Ontario courts held an apparently secret trial]( Almost all basic information has been redacted from a recent appeal ruling at Ontario’s highest court  — a “highly unusual” contrast to the long-standing principle that courts must be open to the public in order to maintain trust in the administration of justice. The name of the offender, the lawyers, the trial judge and even the level of court handling the case are being kept secret, Jacques Gallant reports. Additionally, the way the decision was written suggests “the trial itself was secret and in camera,” one expert noted. [Here’s what we do — and do not — know about the case](. - Context: The case, which deals with a confidential informant, appears similar to one in Quebec in which a CI was tried in secret and then appealed. The revelation by newspaper LaPresse last year led to uproar in the province, and an upcoming Supreme Court of Canada appeal. - More: While it’s a well-established law that identifying information on a confidential informant must be kept secret in most cases, experts expressed concern at the level of redaction and the idea that the whole trial may have been held in camera. Province of Nova Scotia handout CANADA [The search for four people missing in the “biblical” Nova Scotia floods]( Two children believed to have been in a now-abandoned pickup truck, and a youth and man in another vehicle 50 kilometres northwest of Halifax, were still missing Sunday night after torrential downpours suddenly flooded the province. A helicopter searched from the sky as the fire department tried to lower the water level in the area, Steve McKinley reports. [Here’s what we know about the flood’s impact so far and what comes next](. - Word from the RCMP: “Our thoughts remain with those families,” said spokesperson Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay. “It’s a very difficult time for them. It’s traumatic for the individuals that were able to escape. We’re going to keep searching now until we find them.” - More: Over 24 hours, up to 250 millimetres of rain fell in Nova Scotia. The storm damaged or completely destroyed bridges, roads and buildings, forced highways to close and left some residents stranded. WHAT ELSE [A former principal who sued TDSB over alleged bullying during anti-racism training has died by suicide](. Warren Buffett won’t go near it, so [why has Canada’s national pension plan placed a third of its assets with “private equity?]( Ontario has halted its “pop can tax” program. [Here’s what the province is doing for its recycling plan instead](. A survey has found Justin Trudeau is Canada’s least-liked prime minister in 55 years. [The favourites might surprise you](. A fifth man has been arrested in the Toronto kidnapping of the “Crypto King.” [Here’s what we know](. The average price of a new vehicle shot up by 21 per cent in a year — [here’s how to negotiate punishing car loans and get your ride for less](. Sales for new GTA homes slowed down in June. [Here’s how interest rate hikes played a role](. This detached Toronto bungalow with one bedroom was sold for $1.2 million — [$300K over its listing price](. [Fort York’s new “Private Flowers”  installation illuminates a his-story that (used to) dare not speak its name](. These are the [biggest money mistakes to avoid in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s](. “Quaint mom-and-pop spots with a lot of charm.” [This small Ontario town is well worth a summer road trip](. These three new projects in Toronto show how public spaces should be done — [plus, one glaring failure](. POV Supplied [These are some of the unique challenges Black refugees face — and why we should all step up to help](. CLOSE-UP R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star TORONTO: Artist Dmitry Bondarenko spent a decade filling this sketchbook. He lost it during a bike ride to the Scarborough Bluffs. [Here’s how Torontonians stepped up and brought it back to him](. 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_192521). 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. [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](