How Toronto's slightly lower tax hike affects you

Plus, Ottawa's refugee funding and the rise of the raccoon prognosticator [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on Olivia Chow’s reined in property tax hike, Ottawa’s funding to house refugees and whether it’s time for raccoons to step out of the groundhog’s shadow. DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star star exclusive [Mayor Olivia Chow is lowering the 2024 budget tax hike to 9.5 per cent]( The Star has learned mayor Olivia Chow plans to raise her city’s proposed residential property tax to 9.5 per cent, down from the 10.5 per cent initially recommended by city staff. She plans to announce the new figure this morning in Scarborough, while unveiling her version of Toronto’s 2024 budget before it goes before city council on Feb. 14, David Rider reports. The tax hike will still be the largest in modern Toronto history, surpassing former mayor John Tory’s seven per cent tax increase last year. On average, the new tax would cost homeowners an extra $338 per year, although the specific figure would depend on the valuation of one’s home. [Here’s how you’ll be affected](. - Context: [Toronto pays lower property taxes than most of its GTA neighbours]( with only Hamilton homeowners paying less on average — a result of past leaders pledging to keep tax growth at or below inflation for more than a decade. - Silver lining: In a bid to soften the blow to renters, [Chow previously announced she would lower the initially proposed 4.5 per cent tax hike on multi-residential buildings]( — which would allow some landlords to apply for above guideline rent increases — although she hasn’t provided an exact number. Canadian Press/Christinne Muschi immigration [Under pressure from Toronto and Quebec, Ottawa has announced $362.4 million in new refugee supports]( Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced $362.4 million in new funding for sheltering refugees across the nation, following pressure from Toronto and Quebec for the feds to foot a larger portion of the bill. Miller said Toronto will receive a “significant amount” of the cash, adding the specific figure will be revealed in the coming days. Meanwhile, Quebec is getting $100 million — less than a quarter of what the province requested. The Ontario government said it’s “disappointed” with the funding, adding that it “doesn’t cover the needs of Toronto, let alone all the other municipalities facing the same pressures.” [Here’s what you need to know](. - Why it matters: Toronto has urged the federal government to supply the $250 million needed to support the city’s refugees. [Should this money not come through, homeowners could see an additional six per cent jump in property taxes, mayor Chow said](. - Go deeper: Chow’s demands on Ottawa have earned her the ire of the Liberal government, angering local MPs. [Here’s what they’re saying](. Susan Kao/Toronto Star Illustration trash pandas [Are Wiarton Willie’s Groundhog Days numbered? It may be time to fear the raccoon’s shadow]( Famed weather prognosticator and oversized rodent Wiarton Willie will make his annual appearance Friday, eager to predict the coming (or not) of spring. But the groundhog is not the first animal to predict the future — and it may not be the last, Amy Dempsey writes. In Canada, some are advocating for a new furry forecaster: the racoon. To assess the trash panda’s suitability, the Star consulted a panel of experts, some of whom say the raccoon’s mating call in late January or early February is a far more reliable sign of encroaching spring than a groundhog’s shadow. [Here’s why the beloved raccoon might be a better herald of warmer days](. - Wait what? Groundhogs might look cute and harmless, but the history of Groundhog Day runs deep with conspiracy — from the cover-up of the death of a previous Wiarton Willie’s, to the murder of Staten Island Chuck by a former mayor of New York. [Take a look](. - Miss something? Toronto isn’t named the raccoon capital of the world for nothing, but the city hasn’t always gotten along with its fuzzy neighbours. For the last century, Toronto has been at war with the animals — and lost. Badly. [Here’s how it happened](. WHAT ELSE Canada seems to have successfully avoided a recession — [but our soft landing may mean no rate cuts before June](. Riskier mortgages now make up more than 20 per cent of most big bank portfolios — [and expert are warning “we’re close to the tipping point.”]( Who hacked into Global Affairs Canada? [Here’s what we do and don’t know](. Canada’s dental benefit is expanding. [Here’s what you need to know](. A rare total solar eclipse will be seen from parts of Ontario this spring. [Here’s how to watch](. Speaking of the ☀️ — [here’s how Ontario school boards are prepping for the eclipse](. [A U.K. judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit]( over a dossier containing “shocking and scandalous claims.” Meta, TikTok and other social media CEOs are [testifying in a heated Senate hearing on child exploitation](. Water flowed for the first time into the new Don River valley on Wednesday. [The Star got this exclusive look](. Here’s how Alberta plans to [restrict surgery and hormone treatment for transgender youth](. “Jully Black stands on truth.” [Canada’s Queen of R&B Soul reflects on her life and career](. TikTok sensation Tiffy Chen shares her [favourite Lunar New Year recipes](. POV Brandi Morin/Supplied Photo [What charges against journalist Brandi Morin mean for Canadian democracy.]( CLOSE-UP NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Janice Le JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE: New images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope show 19 spiral galaxies in more detail than has ever been seen, offering new insights into the birth of stars. [Take a look at the stunning images and what they mean](. 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_208146). 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. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. 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