Alyshah Hasham

Giorgio Mammoliti, colourful former Toronto councillor and Rob Ford ally, dies at 64 The former Toronto councillor was known for such unusual moves as ripping off his shirt in council chambers to protest a nude beach on Hanlan’s Point.

Breaking: Former Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti has died www.thestar.com/news/gta/gio...

Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat to resume flights Tuesday as Canadians remain stranded in Puerto Vallarta in wake of cartel violence WestJet and Air Transat will also resume flights Tuesday as Canadians remain stranded in wake of cartel violence.

Looks like flights will be resuming in Puerto Vallarta tomorrow for the most part: www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

From a planned 22 stations to five. How did John Tory’s $8-billion SmartTrack public transit plan go off the rails? With construction delayed again, the city could face millions in penalties each month — and work has barely started on a single station.

I wrote a timeline on Smart Track a few years ago now, that basically wove together years and years of reporting from Ben and the Star's amazing city hall team and it made me want to rip my hair out: www.thestar.com/news/gta/fro...

Metrolinx and the city spent nearly $100 million on SmartTrack stations that may never be built, documents reveal Confidential documents seen by the Star show that roughly $97 million has been spent on stops at King-Liberty and Finch-Kennedy that were indefinitely deferred in 2024.

Soooo @benspurr.bsky.social reveals the city has spent $43 million on two Smart Track stations that may never built. $100 million including funding from Metrolinx.

www.thestar.com/news/gta/met...

"Obituary pirates" is such a good name for these grifters.
There is still time to sign the petition to rein in these predatory companies: it closes for signatures on February 26 at 4:52 pm. Sign and share:
www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

These people are the absolute worst. If you have lost a family member or friends recently (or even within the past five years), look them up on this site. You will probably find their fake obituary. Go to the bottom. Click on Report. Demand to have it taken down.

This Ontario family said an unauthorized obit exploited their grief. Inside the rise of ‘obituary pirates’ Third-party websites are reposting reworded obituaries online to profit from flowers and gift sales, experts say. Here’s why it’s becoming more common.

"Anyone who paid to light a virtual candle — priced from $7.99 to keep it lit for a month to $24.99 to keep it burning for “eternity” — was refunded, the spokesperson said." www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

CANADA 🇨🇦 🥌 FOR THE WIN

HOMAN IS INTO THE PLAYOFFS AT THE OLYMPICS

Canada beat Korea 10-7. After falling to 1-3 to begin the Games, Canada reels off five-straight wins to advance to the semifinals. A remarkable run that continues in Cortina.

Oh man, that was too stressful.

I didn’t wear my Homan Empire tshirt for the third day in a row today, this is all my fault

Ontario mayors are worried about soaring cost of law enforcement. Doug Ford says they can’t touch police budgets A letter from the province warned municipalities that strong mayor powers do not include the ability to limit police budget increases or veto estimates of individual line items.

3. A look into how the province is preventing city councils from reining in police spending, first reported by the Sarnia Journal: www.thestar.com/politics/pro...

City hall promised to do better after last year’s snowstorms paralyzed Toronto. Here’s what the data says about this year’s cleanup The mayor and city manager said Toronto should revamp its snow operations by using current resources more effectively, rather than spending more money.

2. Here's how the city's snowstorm response stacks up compared to last year: www.thestar.com/news/gta/cit...

Toronto used private security guards to patrol homeless shelters for years. The problem? They weren’t licensed The city’s actions raise significant safety and accountability concerns, legal and industry experts say.

From the Star's city hall bureau over the long weekend:

1. The city has been using unlicensed security guards to effectively do the work of security guards at shelters for years: www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...

A few years ago, my colleague @amandafollett.bsky.social wrote this portrait of Tumbler Ridge, a former coal mining town. thetyee.ca/News/2020/11...

Is Mayor Olivia Chow ‘raiding’ Toronto’s reserves in the 2026 budget? Coun. Brad Bradford is accusing the mayor of using the city's bank accounts to "buy Torontonians' votes" with an artificially low tax rate. Do his allegations have any merit?

It's BUDGET DAY and already questions are being asked about whether mayor Olivia Chow is "raiding" the reserve funds for a very low property tax increase in an election year. Luckily, @benspurr.bsky.social and Mahdis Habibinia explain what's going on here:

www.thestar.com/news/gta/is-...

It’s taken years for the city to close a tiny gap in this 65-km public trail. The trouble? A 110-year-old private golf course lies in the way Toronto has finally decided to expropriate part of the Weston Golf and Country Club, a private course that has been open since 1915.

From @alyshah.bsky.social: It’s taken years for the city to close a tiny gap in this 65-km public trail. The trouble? A 110-year-old private golf course lies in the way www.thestar.com/news/gta/it-...

Page 1 of a child’s handwritten letter, written in pencil in Spanish. Colorful doodles of a rainbow and hearts are found throughout the page. Translation: “I am Maria Antonia Guerra Montoya and I have been 113 days in detention I miss my friends and I feel they are going to forget me. I am bored here. I already miss my country and my house, I came on vacation for 10 Days and they took me into an ice office an officer interrogated me 2 hours without my mom, I was traveling with flight attendant because my mom lives in new york, they only wanted to arrest my mom, because my mom didn’t have documents to live in U.S.A., I always traveled with my tourist visa but ice used me to catch my mom and now I am in a jail and I am sad and I have fainted 2 times here inside. When I arrived every night I cried and now I don’t sleep well, I felt that being here was my fault and I only wanted to be on vacation like a normal family.”

Page 2 of a child’s handwritten letter, written in pencil in Spanish. Translation: “They don’t give me my diet I am vegetarian, I don’t eat well, there is no good education and I miss my best friend julieta and my grandmother and my school I already want to get to my house. Me in dilei [Dilley] am not happy please get me out of here to colombia.” Below the text is a drawing of the girl and her mother in the government-issued gray sweatsuits of the detention center.

6/ “When I arrived every night I cried and now I don’t sleep well, I felt that being here was my fault and I only wanted to be on vacation like a normal family.”

9-year-old Maria Antonia Guerra Montoya, detained on her way to Disney World, spent 113+ days at Dilley.

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

How Better Love helped Toronto seniors find real connections in a digital age No apps, no swiping: meet the Torontonians who found lasting connection through our pages.

These three stories are extremely sweet and a lovely testament to the importance of a print newspaper: www.thestar.com/life/relatio...

Letting my toddler watch some Olympic ski jumping and it is undermining my instructions to NOT jump off the couch

Six projects Toronto wants to build — but hasn’t got funding for Unfunded wish list is growing, which includes transit, long-term-care renovations and a new 911 centre.

Much easier than funding all this stuff: www.thestar.com/news/gta/6-t...

I would like to ask Toronto to consider setting aside a small amount in this budget to purchase a child-sized podium for press conferences

Toronto police corruption scandal: The 7 biggest historical cases before Project South Project South is unusual, and perhaps even unprecedented, for the allegations that Toronto police officers were involved with violent organized crime.

More examples in this story, and we had to cut a Calgary case where a businessman paid officers in order to harass his ex-wife: www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...

There are far too many cases of police officers using their privileged access to the very personal information held in police databases for illegal purposes, including to harass women: www.thestar.com/news/investi...

www.thestar.com/news/investi...

Think of how aged the champagne and cheese could be by now, from the very first launch date!

Does the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown LRT deserve a launch party? Unlike past transit openings that featured ribbon-cuttings, bands and commemorative coins, the Eglinton-Crosstown will just start carrying passengers Sunday morning

Sadly @dmrider.bsky.social reports no… www.thestar.com/news/gta/doe...

Quest for the Crosstown: Relive the twists and turns in the Eglinton LRT’s 50-year odyssey before Sunday’s launch — if you’re game For more than five decades, rapid transit along Eglinton Avenue has been a must-have in any city plan. What took it so long?

While you wait eagerly for the 10 am press conference about the Toronto Police officers, you should enjoy this incredible Eglinton Crosstown timeline, one of the most fun things a newspaper has ever done: www.thestar.com/interactives...

Toronto police officers arrested in organized crime, corruption probe: source York police Chief Jim MacSween and Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan are set to be joined by Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw to provide an update Thursday morning.

Several Toronto police officers arrested in organized crime, corruption probe: source

“Ochoa is a Border Patrol agent who joined CBP in 2018. Gutierrez joined in 2014 and works for CBP’s Office of Field Operations. He is assigned to a special response team, which conducts high-risk operations like those of police SWAT units. Records show both men are from South Texas.”

Opinion: Defiant Minneapolis citizenry delivers aspirational message

My @winnipegfreepress.com column today on the lessons of Minneapolis, where we can find the hope we all need:

www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/colu...