Olivia Chow's latest greenlit MZO

Plus, Ford's stance on trans rights and which institutions can accept international students [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on Olivia Chow greenlighting another MZO, what Doug Ford thinks of Danielle Smith’s trans rights stance and how Ottawa will decide which institutions can be trusted with international students. DON’T MISS Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star housing [Mayor Olivia Chow backed an MZO for an Etobicoke property despite staff objections]( The Star has learned mayor Olivia Chow backed a request for a minister’s zoning order for an Etobicoke lot last year, despite the objections of city planning staff. The owner of 65 Rexdale Blvd. wanted to rebuild an existing mosque on the site, as part of a mixed-use development including 220 rental units — but the land was zoned for employment only, Ben Spurr reports. When Chow turned to city planning staff to ask if they would support an MZO for the site, they said no. The request went ahead anyway and was approved by city council in December. [Take a closer look at the details](. - More: Sources say city planning staff felt the lot wasn’t a good candidate for residential use and the request didn’t follow the normal planning process meant to protect employment land. But supporters of the move say it will bring affordable housing to an area that needs it. - What we know: This is at least the fourth time that Chow has supported an MZO. Last month, the Ontario government quietly passed three MZOs for key Toronto projects — [all with Chow’s blessing](. Canadian Press/Cole Burston provincial politics [Here’s what Doug Ford thinks about Danielle Smith’s plan for transgender rights ]( When Doug Ford was asked whether Ontario would follow in Alberta’s footsteps to restrict hormone treatments and surgeries for transgender youth, the premier was shaking his head before the reporter could finish their question. “No,” he said, “we have a law here, we’re leaving everything alone.” Underscoring the sentiment, Ford’s office released a statement Tuesday night repeating that their focus remains on meeting their campaign commitments — not “replicating the changes the Alberta government unveiled last week.” It’s a slight about-face from Ford’s off-the-cuff comments in September regarding contentious trans policies, when he said: “It’s not up to the teachers … to indoctrinate our kids.” [Here’s what that means for Ontario’s future.]( - Context: [Alberta introduced a sweeping new set of rules]( that would ban hormone treatment for those under 15 and gender-affirming surgery for those under 17, alongside restricting changing one’s pronouns in school and banning trans women from “women’s only” sports divisions. - Word from Pierre Poilievre: The Conservative leader weighed in on the issue Wednesday, [saying he’s against the use of puberty blockers for children and that the rights of parents to make decisions for their kids should be protected](. Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star immigration [Here’s how Ottawa will decide which colleges and universities can be trusted with international students]( According to a leaked document from Canada’s Immigration Department, officials are planning to weigh factors like timely graduation and international tuition revenues when deciding which colleges and universities can be trusted to accept international students. Ottawa plans to launch the so-called “trusted institution framework” to vet which schools meet the mark and to speed up study permit processing for trusted schools, Nicholas Keung reports. The leaked plan outlined seven indicators for eligible institutions; [here’s what they are and why they’re being implemented](. - Bad news for: Ontario colleges, which are expected to be impacted most by the legislation as the province is home to a majority of Canada’s international students. A spokesperson called the new rules a “moratorium” on the students, adding [it’s “wreaking havoc on people’s lives.”]( - Another angle: Canadian retailers are pushing back against Ottawa’s new rules, which restrict work permits for foreign students and their spouses. “The labour shortage is real,” a spokesperson said, adding that [many of Canada’s biggest retailers employ and rely on international students](. WHAT ELSE York Catholic school board’s director [stepped down hours before trustees discuss banning the Pride flag](. The surge in car theft has the Liberal government and Pierre Poilievre’s tories [fighting over how to stop it](. The Supreme Court is under fire for “disinviting” anti-racism advocates [over their posts on the Israeli-Hamas war](. With police reporting 13 overdoses in less than an hour, [Belleville is confronting an “overwhelming” overdose crisis](. Canada’s biggest landlord has named a new top boss amid [pressures for Toronto Community Housing](. Pickering’s mayor slammed a councillor’s [Black history rant as “racist” and “unethical.”]( The U.S. Supreme Court heard a landmark election case seeking to [kick Trump off the ballot over the Capitol attack](. A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine has been [rejected as a presidential candidate](. “Common sense prevailed.” City council voted to [reverse the tobogganing ban at 45 Toronto hills](. “Bang for your buck.” [Peek inside this $5 million, custom North York home with an elevator](. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has won his [$19.9 million USD salary arbitration case against the Blue Jays](. Three teams go to the Olympics, one goes home. [Canada’s women’s basketball team is ready for the challenge](. POV Shafkat Anowar/The Dallas Morning News/TNS [What a Donald Trump victory would mean for Canada’s economy.]( CLOSE-UP Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA: Crews work to clean the pink paint splashed across prime minister Justin Trudeau’s office on Wellington Street in Ottawa. The stunt was organized by climate protest group “Last Generation Canada.” [Five protesters have been arrested and are facing charges of mischief](. 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_208534). 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](