Trump settles an age-old debate

Plus, Toronto’s lagging paramedic wait times, the WestJet strike is averted, the Raptors retool and more [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. Here’s the latest on Biden and Trump’s age-old debate, the increasingly dangerous slide of paramedic wait times and why a growing number of teens are embracing skilled trades. DON’T MISS Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images u.s. politics [In Thursday’s debate, Trump’s confident lies dominated Biden’s halting truths]( The latest verbal sparring match between current U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump put a new spin on an age-old debate: style or substance? Ever provocative, Trump steamrolled through the truth with false assertions, conspicuous exaggerations and empty superlatives, according to the Associated Press, capitalizing on moments when his 81-year-old opponent appeared to lose his train of thought. [Here are some takeaways from the face-off](. - Bad news for: Biden’s re-election hopes. The incumbent’s raspy, non-sequitur-laden diatribes have sparked concern among Democrats. - Go deeper: Wait, could Biden actually bow out this late? [Here’s why it would be tough for the Democrats to tear up their presidential ticket](. - Rosie DiManno’s take: The best that can be said is that [at least one of these guys will be history come November](. Canadian Press/Frank Gunn health care [Sound the siren: Inside the “shocking” numbers detailing Toronto’s paramedic wait times]( Paramedic response times for Toronto’s highest-priority emergency calls lagged to an average of almost eight minutes in 2023, nearly eclipsing a legislated target, writes Mahdis Habibinia. Per an auditor general report released Thursday, a major culprit behind the rise is an increase in off-loading delays; nearly 60 per cent of paramedics’ time last year was spent waiting to transfer patients in hospitals. [That spells trouble when you’re faced with a true emergency](. - By the numbers: There were also more than 1,200 times last year when no paramedics were available at all, each instance lasting two minutes on average. - Word from CUPE Local 416: “We’re definitely short on 200 to 300 (additional) paramedics right now,” said Peter Shirer, vice-chair of the Toronto Paramedic Services Unit, noting that Toronto paramedics earn less than those in neighbouring Durham. - Miss Something? Revisit our story about a 102-year-old woman rushed to Humber River Hospital last fall — [only to spend hours in a crowded hallway while paramedics waited idly](. Steve Russell/The Star education [As Ontario looks to build a better future, teens are getting excited about the potential of skilled trades]( Thanks to a number of programs and initiatives, more Ontario high school graduates are excitedly awaiting the next step in their education journey in skilled trades. The timing couldn’t be better; employers in the province expect to need more than 500,000 additional trades workers over the next decade, including more than 141,000 in the construction industry alone, Isabel Teotonio reports. But to make the leap, many teens must battle not only competitive placement programs but the lingering stigma around pursuing skilled trades; [parents and even some educators still harbour misconceptions about these essential jobs](. - By the numbers: In 2022-23, 1,250 students in the Toronto District School Board participated in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program; that number grew to 2,116 this year. - Word from a teacher: “We talk about pathways for students ... and any one of them isn’t better than any of the others,” says TDSB principal Allan Easton. “Going into the skilled trades is a perfectly great pathway.” - Now what? Ontario students starting high school this September will now be required to earn a credit in Technological Education in order to graduate. WHAT ELSE Some insiders worry Trudeau’s Liberals are seen as too “woke” to retain power — [and it might be too late to pivot](. More than a million Canadians are now eligible for Ottawa’s expanded dental care plan. [Find out if you qualify](. Holiday flyers, rejoice: [The feds have sent WestJet and its mechanics to binding arbitration, averting a potential strike](. Planning to hit Toronto’s beaches this holiday weekend? [Here’s the latest water quality data from Toronto Public Health](. No real names; no phones. [What a Californian discovered within himself at an Ontario summer camp for grown-ups](. [Police arrested an Ajax man after two unprovoked assaults]( — and “violently” swinging a sword — aboard the TTC. Hanging his hand-picked general manager out to dry yet again, [Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro was nowhere to be seen](. In a flurry of trades and picks, the Toronto Raptors overhauled their bench. [Here’s who the team added yesterday](. Avril Lavigne was appointed to the Order of Canada. [The pop-punk princess’ enduring legacy is hardly complicated](. If the holiday weather takes a turn, wait out the rain with our weekend watch guide — [including “The Bear.”]( POV Canadian Press/Chris Young [Doug Ford’s plan to relocate the Science Centre to Ontario Place will only hasten its destruction.]( CLOSE-UP Giovanni Capriotti for The Star REVUE CINEMA: Is it curtains for this long-standing landmark in Toronto’s movie scene? The board chair of Revue Cinema says the building’s landlord refuses to extend the non-profit’s lease past July 1 — and plans to take over operations himself, converting the theatre into a for-profit business. [Here’s why film-lovers aren’t letting the credits roll without a fight](. One quick note: yesterday’s edition erroneously referred to the Spadina streetcar’s replacement bus as the 501B; it’s actually the 510B. 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_215818). 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](