Why landlords are suing the city over Airbnb licences

Plus, Ottawa's foreign interference probe and rebranding the carbon tax [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on Toronto’s battle with Airbnb, the start of Canada’s long-awaited foreign interference inquiry and a possible rebrand of the dreaded “carbon tax.” DON’T MISS Susan Kao/Toronto Star Photo Illustration star investigation [Her condo was licensed as an Airbnb rental without her consent — now this landlord and others are suing the city]( The City of Toronto is staring down a series of lawsuits from landlords — some for over a million dollars in damages — that claim their tenants should never have been allowed to list their rental units on Airbnb without permission. The tenants violated their rent agreements by turning the properties into short-term rentals, the lawsuits allege, continuing that the city was negligent in granting the licences. None of the allegations have been proven in court, nor have any of the defendants — including the tenants in question and Airbnb — filed statements of defence. [Take a closer look at the unfolding situation](. - Word from Toronto: The city filed a motion to have the first suit dismissed, writing it is: “not required by its bylaws to confirm an applicant’s property ownership nor whether they have been authorized by the property owner to rent a property prior to issuing a short-term rental registration.” - Wait, what? The lawsuits shed light on the potential shortcomings of Toronto’s short-term-rental bylaw, which — in contrast to other Canadian cities, like Vancouver and Ottawa — [does not require the landlord’s consent before a rental licence is issued to tenants](. - More: A previous Star investigation found a whole cottage industry has sprouted around helping people skirt Toronto’s restrictions on short-term rentals. [Our reporters were able to solicit this advice from property management companies by posing as customers](. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick foreign interference [Ottawa’s inquiry into foreign interference starts today]( A year after Justin Trudeau green-lit a public inquiry into foreign interference — following months of pressure from opposition parties and Canadians impacted by foreign intimidation tactics — the investigation is finally set to begin today. Spearheaded by Quebec appeals court justice Marie-Josée Hogue, the nearly year-long effort will investigate to what extent China, Russia and India have meddled in the previous two federal elections, Stephanie Levitz reports. Its first stage will tackle a thorny question: How much of what the government knows can be made public without endangering national security? [Here’s what you need to know about the proceedings](. - Context: Trudeau conceded to call a public inquiry after opposition parties [sunk his initial attempts to recruit former gov. Gen. David Johnston]( to probe the matter. All parties now back Hogue, who promises she will not be waylaid by partisan politics. - More context: Pressure to investigate foreign interference ramped up in 2023 when it was revealed that Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family were reportedly being targeted by the Chinese government — [and that he was never notified of it by officials](. Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld federal politics [What’s the carbon tax anyway? Justin Trudeau’s mulling a rebrand of carbon pricing, amid public confusion]( The Liberals are considering a rebrand of their carbon pricing strategy after a year of relentless Conservative attacks blaming the “carbon tax” for rising food and fuel prices, while conveniently neglecting the rebates the program offers, Mark Ramzy writes. Justin Trudeau’s government acknowledged they’re losing the communications battle, as exclusive Abacus polling data provided to the Star shows Canadians are divided over the issue — with even those in Liberal-voting Ontario and Atlantic Canada believing the carbon pricing policy did more harm than good. A multi-department effort will now mull a name change for the program and aim to improve how banks label quarterly rebate payments. [Here’s what you can expect](. - What we know: To deter people from burning fossil fuels, the Trudeau government implemented a levy — including a pricing system for heavy carbon-emitting industries, and a “fuel charge” on gas and home heating. Ninety per cent of the latter is then pooled and paid back to households in quarterly instalments. [Here’s how it all works](. - By the numbers: In a review of the program, the parliamentary budget officer found most Canadians got more money from the program than they paid through the levy — [although Canadians could see a “net loss” in the coming years](. [PoliceAlerts] Want to keep an eye on law enforcement? With our new alerts, you’ll get an email as soon as there are updates in our ongoing investigation of policing and policy across the GTA or other breaking news about police accountability. [Sign up for free here](. WHAT ELSE Parliament returns with [Liberals focused on Ukraine and the Tories trained on carbon price](. Pierre Poilievre is outlining his caucus’ goals as Justin Trudeau is [setting the date for a crucial byelection](. Former Toronto councillor Karen Stintz is hoping to [run for the federal Conservatives in a return to politics](. Doug Ford’s Tories are ahead, [but there are ominous signs are on the horizon, a new poll suggests](. [Police failed to verify a “fabricated” sexual assault claim]( against a GTA teacher’s aide, a judge has ruled. Israel notes “significant gaps” after cease-fire talks with the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, [but says they were constructive](. [Ex-NHL player Alex Formenton is among “several players” charged by police]( in London, Ont., lawyer says. Two years after reopening from the pandemic, [is Toronto’s theatre sector on the brink of a crisis?]( [Ten thousand Ontario patients have been cut loose]( in Sault Ste. Marie over staffing shortages. Canadians gathered Sunday to say a [final goodbye to former NDP leader Ed Broadbent](. The million-dollar skills competition might [make NHL all-star weekend in Toronto a must-see event again](. Starbucks’ olive oil coffee comes to Canada this week. [Should you have a cup?]( POV Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot [On the anniversary of the Quebec mosque attack, let’s work collectively to combat Islamophobia.]( CLOSE-UP Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star CHERRY BEACH: A dog walks on ice at the beach as milder weather melts snow in the city. Better bundle up anyway — Environment Canada is forecasting possible flurries this morning, [with a daytime high of 1 C and a 30 per cent chance of precipitation](. 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_207970). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. Get unlimited access to the Star Sale: Only $2 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. [Get This Offer]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. 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