This admitted child abuser is of "good character" to practice law

Plus, Ford's big fat development fund and the loss of a beloved Greektown bakery [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on an aspiring lawyer’s troubling past, Doug Ford’s efforts to boost housing development and the impact of the Ontario Line construction. DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The star courts [He admitted to abusing children — but he can become an Ontario lawyer]( The Law Society Tribunal ruled last month that a man who admitted to sexually abusing children is of “good character,” and is entitled to practice law as long as he isn’t alone with kids, Jacques Gallant reports. The man, however, has only been identified as AA, and the public isn’t allowed to know who he is. If he is called to the bar, he would be added to a public registry of lawyers under his real name; it’s the regulator’s “expectation” that the condition that he not be alone with kids would be on his profile. [Here’s what the tribunal ruling reveals about the lawyer’s past](. - Wait, what? In its decision, the tribunal noted the man had made progress in acknowledging what he did and receiving ongoing treatment. - More: The tribunal placed the publication ban on AA’s name in a decision last year because it found that identifying him could lead to the identification of his children, who don’t know about the abuse. Canadian Press/Nicole Osborne Ontario politics [Doug Ford has unveiled a $1.2B fund to encourage municipalities to build more homes]( Since the auditor general’s damning report on the Greenbelt land swap was released earlier this month, Doug Ford’s government has been rushing to mitigate the political damage, Robert Benzie writes. In a surprise announcement Monday, the premier unveiled a $1.2 billion fund to reward cities and towns for building housing. Municipal leaders — who have faced reduced revenues from development charges that the province removed — welcomed the new funding. [This is how the program would work](. - More: Ontario will also be expanding “strong mayor” powers to 21 additional municipalities this fall, Ford announced. - Context: The auditor general found the Tories’ Greenbelt land swap favoured “prominent developers,” who stand to make more than $8 billion. Ryan Amato, chief of staff to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark, [personally selected 14 of the 15 parcels of protected land removed from the Greenbelt](. - Word from the Opposition: “What we have is a government and a premier that is obsessed with making a few already very wealthy friends, even richer. We know that luxury sprawl has nothing to do with housing,” NDP Leader Marit Stiles said. - Word from the Green Party: [Ford’s Greenbelt Giveaway is just the beginning — unless we fight back]( Mike Schreiner writes. - Martin Regg Cohn’s take: [Ford has hit a new low using immigrants to sell his Greenbelt scheme](. Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star growing pains [Ontario Line construction will shutter a beloved Greektown pastry shop]( Every morning, a group of men in their 80s gathers at Akropolis Pastries to catch up and find a piece of the country where they grew up. Inside, Greek music plays as customers sip coffee and savour flaky phyllo pastries, just as they have since the shop opened in 1979. But on Aug. 28, the establishment will close, May Warren reports. It’s one of several on the block to be expropriated by Metrolinx for the new Ontario Line Pape station and construction. [This is what the community stands to lose](. - Context: The idea behind the Ontario Line planning is to build vibrant, dense communities around the stations, but details are limited. This stretch of the Danforth is one of the first to feel the impact. - More: [Upstairs residents are also being forced out of the community](. “You have a housing crisis, yet you’re taking away affordable homes,” said the shop’s president Bill Gekas. - Word from Metrolinx: A spokesperson said expropriation is always a “last resort,” and that Metrolinx tries to reach amicable agreements with property owners, reimbursing them for “reasonable costs” and working with tenants to find alternative arrangements. WHAT ELSE As support for his government drops, [Justin Trudeau is making Canadians’ housing troubles a priority](. The prime minister isn’t giving up on the anti-Trudeau constituency — [and neither is Pierre Poilievre](. TVO producers and content creators are on strike — a first for the public broadcaster. [This is what they want](. A former Trudeau staffer has been fined for voting illegally in 2021. [Here’s how — and what happened next](. B.C.’s premier is urging Meta to allow news sharing amid the wildfire crisis. [Here’s what the tech giant had to say](. Toronto Metropolitan University is [offering students at its troubled Egypt campus free tuition to study in Toronto](. Rogers is pushing to launch TTC subway cell service — before signing deals with rival telecoms. [Has it “strategically delayed” negotiations?]( Corporations have long enjoyed the gravy train chugging through city hall. [Olivia Chow should put a stop to it, Matt Elliott writes](. His child and partner came out as transgender. [Now Rowan Jetté Knox writes on the freedom of coming out as trans himself](. Prince William has landed in hot water over the Women’s World Cup soccer final, [and it’s a bad look](. Ikea is opening its newest location at Scarborough Town Centre on Wednesday. [Take a look inside](. How child-free, single “rich aunties” are living their best lives — [and giving back while they do it](. POV Canadian Press/Frank Gunn [We asked Canadians what they think of Pierre Poilievre — here’s what they said.]( CLOSE-UP Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images NORTHWEST TERRITORIES: Charred remains are seen off the side of the highway in Enterprise, N.W.T., on Sunday. Enterprise, which was put on evacuation orders before Yellowknife, was burned to the ground. [Meanwhile, Yellowknife has caught a break with some help from the weather](. 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_195977). 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. 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