Grocery store workers are fighting back

Plus, another delay for new Toronto Island ferries and an Autistic woman’s experience with United Airlines [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the Toronto Island ferries, an Autistic woman’s stressful travels and Metro workers on strike. DON’T MISS Lance McMillan/Toronto Star Tornto Islands [A Toronto ferry tale with no ending]( Plans to replace the city’s aging ferries are delayed — yet again. But the four working vessels that move between Toronto and the islands are already decades beyond their intended lifespans, Francine Kopun writes. While the city said last year that the first new electric ferry would arrive by the end of 2024, this week it revealed that its plan is being held up by at least a year. The price also appears to be up in the air. [Here’s why some Toronto island residents are fed up](. - Context: “The city anticipates awarding the construction contract in late 2023 or early 2024, but this timeline is subject to change pending bids and contract negotiation,” city staff said in response to questions from the Star. - Meanwhile: The Scarborough RT, which opened in 1985, was only designed to run for 25 years. After its recent derailment, officials said it would be closed for at least three weeks. [Here’s how riders are getting around in the meantime](. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star AIR TRAVEL [United Airlines promised special assistance to this Canadian with Autism. Instead, she was left “furious”]( This June, 25-year-old Emilya Kalbun embarked on her first solo flight, Kieran Leavitt reports. Ahead of her trip to Mexico, the University of Toronto graduate, who has Autism, arrived at Pearson Airport with a printed-off email from United Airlines about how to access the special-assistance escort that had been arranged for her. Still, she says on the way there and back, airline staff treated her flippantly. [She’s sharing her experience to raise awareness about people with invisible disabilities](. - Context: Kalbun says she finds navigating large public spaces and complicated new environments difficult. But United staff either denied that the company had offered her the services she had booked or seemed to imply she didn’t need them, Kalbun says. - Word from the airline: A United spokesperson concedes to the Star that the service the airline provided to Kalbun was “inconsistent.” Richard Lautens/Toronto Star labour [Metro grocery workers on strike join a larger labour trend]( On Saturday, more than 3,700 Metro employees walked off the job from 27 locations across the GTA after rejecting a deal brought forward by their union. And these local workers are not alone, Megan Ogilvie and Santiago Arias Orozco report. Experts say the grocery employees join a trend of lower-wage earners pushing back against employees for better pay in industries that are experiencing massive gains in profits. [Here’s what makes this a “defining moment for grocery store workers in Canada.]( - Word from Metro Ontario Inc.: The company says it is “extremely disappointed” with the decision of its unionized employees, adding it had reached a “fair and equitable agreement.” - Why it matters: “It’s not just that they’re treading water, right? (Workers have) been pushed under, and they’re trying to get back to the surface,” said economist David Macdonald. - Meanwhile: [Both sides of British Columbia’s port dispute have announced a new tentative agreement]( after a late-night breakthrough. - More: What do you need to strike and what are your rights? [A labour expert explains](. WHAT ELSE “You can be whatever you want in this country.” [Justin Trudeau’s new ministers are reflecting on their journeys to cabinet](. Ontario’s “back-to-basics” bill will require transparency on teacher PD days, student attendance rates and more. [Is Stephen Lecce “putting a Band-Aid on the situation”]( [Air conditioning melts away the urgency of doing something about climate change](. [These changes are coming to High Park’s roads and bike lanes, parking lots and pedestrian crossing areas](. Is Big Oil breaking up with Big Auto? [An anti-EV ad gives an aging environmentalist hope](. The search of Lake Ontario near Hamilton continues after a teenager reported missing. [Here’s what we know](. Millions of Canadians are receiving the “newly enhanced” Canada Workers Benefit. [Here’s how it works](. This is a newcomer’s guide to establishing a credit history — [and why it’s key to building a life here](. [Here’s why a one-bedroom apartment in a condo with a troubled reputation]( is renting for $2,400. “Ninety-seven per cent of Canadians have drug coverage” [and other lies drug manufactures are pushing](. Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren hung out by the pool, making [this newly restored French hotel a destination in itself](. The Argos have gone from laughingstock to gold standard. [But where does the CFL go from here]( POV Richard Lautens/Toronto Star file photo [A minimum wage of $40 an hour to afford to live here? That’s a warning sign about life in Toronto](. CLOSE-UP Richard Lautens/Toronto Star BIRCHMOUNT PARK: Jim Bexis, co-owner and manager of Sun Valley Market in Scarborough, has closed up shop after nearly 40 years. “The best thing about it was the community,” he said. [Here’s why the departure is bittersweet](. 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_193385). 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](