Are you working for free this leap year?

Plus, Toronto's delayed bus lanes and Canada's student visa changes [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on why millions will be working for free this leap year, what’s behind Toronto’s long-delayed dedicated bus lanes and how Canada’s international student reforms might be ending some marriages in India. DON’T MISS Dreamstime Photo business [Millions of salaried workers will work for free on Feb. 29 — is it wage theft?]( Another leap year is upon us, meaning an extra day in February — one that millions of Canadians are about to work for free, Ana Pereira reports. While hourly workers can expect to be compensated for Feb. 29, their salaried peers, who generally get paid a fixed amount per year, likely won’t. There are around 6.5 million salaried workers in Canada, who make an average $39.9 an hour. This means corporations could be pocketing more than $2 billion in compensation on leap years, while the average individual worker loses $319 — an imbalance that workers rights organizations say is symptomatic of a larger “epidemic of wage theft.” [Here’s what you need to know](. - Wait, what? If your boss isn’t paying you properly, you can file a claim with the province. The Ministry of Labour says it recouped tens of millions of dollars in unpaid wages in recent years — [but even its own internal records cast doubt on this claim](. - Go deeper: Wage theft ran rampant among some of Ontario’s most recognizable brands during the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent Star investigation revealed. [Here are some of the offending companies](. Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star transportation [Toronto said it would fast-track bus-only corridors. So why are riders still stuck in the slow lane?]( Four years after Toronto greenlit a plan to implement dedicated bus lanes, the city’s public transit appears as slow, crammed and frustrating as ever. Only one of the five bus lanes called for by the 2019 RapidTO plan have been installed — but this may soon change, Lex Harvey reports. City council will vote tomorrow whether to install bus-only corridors in key traffic arteries like Jane Street, following the long-delayed 2019 plan. Cities around the world have already implemented bus-only lanes, which by some estimates can move up to four times as many people as mixed-traffic lanes. [Take a look at the proposed changes](. - Context: The sole bus lane installed under the program so far [runs down Eglinton Avenue East](. The other four promised lanes were delayed by years of consultations — sparked in part by backlash to how the Eglinton lanes were implemented. - Another angle: As Toronto’s shelter system buckles under the weight of overwhelming demand, the city’s transit system is increasingly being used as a stopgap shelter by those in need — [with the TTC counting more than 1,000 overnight stays in its buses already this winter](. Charla Jones/The Star immigration [Looking for an “IELTS clear girl”? Canada’s international student reforms may spoil some marriages in India]( The popular practice of so-called “IELTS marriages” may soon come to a close with Canada’s recent crackdown on its international student program. Short for the “International English Language Testing System,” the IELTS English proficiency test is a key requirement for international students to enter Canada — and it’s a major selling point of some prospective brides, who advertise themselves as able to pass the test in hopes of a future partner’s family paying for her tuition and living costs. In turn, her groom could accompany her abroad on an open work permit, once issued to spouses of international students — a practice Ottawa’s new international student limits will stop, Nicholas Keung reports. [Here’s how it all works](. - Why it matters: Canada’s colleges and universities drafted a joint letter to Ottawa [warning of the “long-lasting consequences” from its limits on international students](. Foreign students currently contribute $22 billion to the Canadian economy and help support 200,000 jobs in the country. - By the numbers: [Not all immigrants find a home in Canada](. According to Statistics Canada, more than 15 per cent of new arrivals either return to their home country or another country within 20 years of admission to Canada. WHAT ELSE Five 2018 Canadian world junior hockey players have been charged with sexual assault. [What happens now?]( The players are set to make their first appearance in court this morning — [follow our live reporting here](. She testified. The jury found a man guilty of raping her. [Only then did a GTA judge tossed the case due to delays](. Pierre Poilievre is expected to promise [heftier punishment for car thieves if Conservatives win next election](. NDP MLAs have been banned from some B.C. mosques [after a minister’s comment about Israel](. Are people with non-urgent problems clogging up Ontario ERs? [Here’s what the data shows](. A couple used their Toronto property to help fugitive slaves. [But when nearby streets were named, the city chose athletes](. Given up on buying a place in Toronto? [You could buy a $300,000 house with a pool overseas instead](. Here’s how two sentences in the Constitution [rose from obscurity to ensnare Donald Trump](. Haircuts and Cancún: [Here’s how the Leafs spent their all-star break](. What happened at the 2024 Grammys? [Celine Dion’s emotional return, Taylor Swift’s historic win and a surprise album announcement](. Who wore what? [Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Janelle Monae are the Grammys best dressed](. POV Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick [Justin Trudeau’s natural resources minister is worried about a provincial rebellion brewing against Ottawa.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star ETOBICOKE: Marie Rosa, 108, holds a photo of herself at age 17. Rosa, her 101-year-old sister and 12 other centenarians live at The Village of Humber Heights, a mix of retirement home and long-term-care known for the longevity of its residents. [Here’s what life’s like at 100](. 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_208351). 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]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](