City council's West Toronto Railpath sticker shock

Plus, the human rights commissioner resigns and temporary foreign worker program [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on the pricey extension of the West Toronto Railpath, the resignation of Canada’s human rights commissioner and the latest criticism of the foreign worker program. DON’T MISS Metroland File Photo city hall [Councillors are slamming the massive cost of extending this trail]( Toronto councillors are urging the city to reconsider its plan of spending almost $150 million to extend the multi-use West Toronto Railpath by just two kilometres. “Spending $150 million on a two-kilometre walking trail is completely insane,” Coun. Josh Matlow told Ben Spurr. The project was pitched as an “essential part” of the city’s cycling network plan, improving the safety of both riders and pedestrians. [But what’s with the price tag?]( - Cost analysis: While the city couldn’t provide a detailed breakdown of the expected cost, the estimate reflects the project’s complexity — including the construction of four new pedestrian/cycling bridges. - Wait, what? The expansion has been deliberated for more than a decade, but its costs have exploded from initial estimates. In 2016, it was priced at just $23 million. - By the numbers: Over 2022 and 2023, Toronto budgeted $54 million for cycling network expansions, creating 37 km of bikeways and mixed-use trails at roughly $1.5 million per kilometre. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick federal politics [The head of Canada’s human rights commission has stepped down]( Birju Dattani, Ottawa’s embattled appointee to lead the Canadian Human Rights Commission, announced yesterday he’s stepping down — just a week after he was due to take office, Raisa Patel reports. Dattani’s resignation follows a government probe into his hiring, after Jewish groups and opposition politicians condemned his past actions and comments as what they considered antisemitic. [Here’s the low down on what’s happening](. - Word from advocates: Dattani was alleged to have, among other incidents, “shared articles that compared Israel to Nazi Germany,” delivered lectures during a so-called “Israeli Apartheid Week” in the U.K. and operated under several fake names. - Go deeper: While the probe couldn’t determine that Dattani harboured any antisemitic beliefs or biases, it did find he “deliberately de-emphasized” his criticisms of the state of Israel during the hiring process. - Now what? Justice Minister Arif Virani said a process to appoint a new head will start “as soon as possible.” He didn’t comment on his selection of Dattani for the job, saying the results of the probe “speak for themselves.” Metroland File Photo labour [A UN official slammed Canada’s foreign worker program]( A United Nations envoy who last year called Canada’s temporary foreign worker program a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” has doubled down on that criticism in his final report, Ghada Alsharif reports. Tomoya Obokata was “deeply disturbed by the accounts of exploitation and abuse” shared by migrant workers last August. He’s now urging Canada to provide workers a pathway to permanent residence — [here’s what he has to say](. - Background: The foreign worker program is meant as a “last resort for employers to fill jobs for which qualified Canadians are not available” — but critics say employers in all sectors are increasingly hiring these workers to keep costs low. - By the numbers: The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada is skyrocketing, with almost 240,000 workers approved for employment in 2023 — [more than double the roughly 109,000 in 2018](. - ICYMI: As the program grows, so have reports of fraud and abuse. It led Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault to announce a crackdown on “bad actors” in the system, [although critics say his promises fall short of meaningful change](. WHAT ELSE The Liberals blamed spiking inflation on global factors, but now take credit for its slowdown. [Here’s what’s really going on](. Trudeau and Doug Ford lured a $575 million Goodyear investment to Napanee with [$64.3 million in subsidies](. The York police homicide unit is investigating the [“suspicious” disappearance of another Markham woman](. More wildfires and hurricanes are on the horizon, Environment Canada warned. [Is the nation prepared?]( A third person has died as a result of a [listeria outbreak in plant-based milk drinks](. [CBC paid out more than $18 million in bonuses]( this year after slashing hundreds of jobs. Donald Trump and Elon Musk had a glitchy interview on X. [Here’s what was discussed](. Here’s why Trump [flew to campaign events on Jeffrey Epstein’s jet last weekend](. Canada had one of its best Summer Olympics ever — [and we beat the U.S. in this important category](. Toronto swimmer Joshua Liendo was a breakthrough star of the Olympics. [Paris might have been just a springboard](. Kate Middleton and Prince William congratulate British Olympians in a [new video … featuring Snoop Dogg](. Here’s how sleep deprivation can harm your physical and mental health — [or even be fatal](. POV Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star [It’s time Doug Ford made one thing clear: Is he for the people or the developers?]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star TORONTO: Canadian swimming champion and Olympic flag bearer Summer McIntosh touched down in Toronto yesterday to a crowd of cheering fans. [Check out how Canada’s Olympians are being welcomed home](. 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_218236). 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. 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