Toronto police could see a big budget boost

Plus, systemic problems within the RCMP and more condos for the GTA [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Today marks [Canada’s first National Ribbon Skirt Day](. Here’s the latest on Toronto’s police budget, systemic problems in the RCMP and a condo demand in the GTA. DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star toronto city hall [Mayor John Tory wants a nearly $50-million boost for Toronto police — despite the city’s budget shortfall]( Months after raising the alarm over the impact of the pandemic on the city’s finances, Tory announced plans to increase Toronto’s police budget by 4.3 per cent. The change would add $48.3 million to the agency’s $1.1 billion budget. Calling the move an imperative step in tackling violent crime, the mayor is explicitly rejecting recent calls to cut police spending over concerns about racism, use of force against people of colour and those mentally ill, and more, Ben Spurr reports. [Here’s what we know about spending plans and what experts say about the impact of increased policing](. - Context: In November, Tory said Toronto faced a 2023 budget shortfall of $1.5 billion, and warned there could be “extreme” service cuts and tax increases unless the provincial and federal governments bailed out the city. - Now what? Tory told reporters the city can afford the police budget increase, adding other vital services like transit and housing would also see increases. - Go deeper: Experts have long argued that volumes of evidence indicate higher police spending won’t reduce crime, because it’s intimately linked to social problems such as inadequate education, lack of family supports, poverty and joblessness. Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck policing [“I didn’t know what racism was until I joined.” What’s being done about the RCMP’s systemic problem?]( Margorie Hudson said she intended to stick it out at the RCMP — despite the racist slurs and taunts, being sent to murder scenes without backup and being paid less than non-racialized workers — and for 30 years, she did. But the relentless racism took its toll and forced the Indigenous woman to take medical leave until she finally quit in 2009, she says. She’s among the latest batch of current or former RCMP members behind a class-action lawsuit against the force. Steve McKinley reports on the [personal stories of women who say they endured decades of racism, gender discrimination and sexual harassment — and why it appears the RCMP has failed to address the issues](. - The scope: A handful of class action suits have been filed against the RCMP in recent years, with plaintiffs including women, racialized members and more — in addition to the mountain of suits filed for racism, discrimination and harassment by those outside the RCMP. - Now what? Of many formal studies and reports on misconduct over the past two decades, Janet Merlo — an RCMP officer from 1991 to 2010 who headlined a class-action lawsuit — says the recommendation for an independent body to investigate and provide oversight of the police force has been almost universal. - ICYMI: Like her predecessors, Brenda Lucki hasn’t cleaned up the RCMP messes. [Should she be blamed?]( Lance McMillan/The Star housing [A record number of new condo units are coming to the GTA in 2023, new data shows]( Real estate data analysis firm Urbanation Inc. is anticipating a record of nearly 32,000 new condo units to be completed in the GTA this year, Ghada Alsharif reports, and 7,740 new purpose-built apartments — the highest in at least three decades, according to Urbanation’s president. Amid increasing condo demand and continued shortages, most of the new units have been pre-sold to investors planning to rent out the homes or profiting from resale. [Here’s how the new batch of units will fit into today’s market and what it could mean for homebuyers and renters](. - Context: Condo completion dropped to 13,885 in 2021, the lowest number since 2017, largely due to pandemic-related construction delays and supply-chain issues. - More: Shortages will likely persist this year as demand will continue to increase with record immigration numbers and declining pre-construction condo sales. WHAT ELSE Canada set a record in 2022 with 430,000 new permanent residents. [Take a closer look at the numbers](. As pediatric emergency rooms stretch to breaking, [nurses have real solutions for the health crisis](. Waiting for childrens’ car seats and missing family reunions, [exasperated travellers explain the toll of luggage chaos at Toronto’s Pearson airport](. You may not know him, but your kids probably do. [Here’s a parent’s guide to Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed misogynist facing charges in Romania](. Russia’s treatment of female POWs shows a [“sadistic, systemic” pattern of abuse](. Ontario police are gathering in Barrie today for the [funeral of a rookie OPP officer]( The Bills’ Damar Hamlin’s collapse [“puts everything in perspective” for the Maple Leafs](. Skating legend Tessa Virtue has confirmed her [engagement to Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly](. Go for gold, and a [few other investing tips for surviving years of financial repression](. How to be healthier, wealthier and save the planet? [Eat more ugly produce](. POV Paige Taylor White/The Star [Transit in Toronto has never felt so broken — it’s time for the TTC board of directors to demand better.]( CLOSE-UP Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty images KABUL: An Afghan woman carries bread on a tray along the street on Thursday. The past year has seen restrictions on women in the country worsen, despite international condemnation, with a recent ban on women working at NGOs. Sources told the Star the Taliban have even suspended the activities of bakeries run by women in the city. [Here’s how NGOs are pushing back](. 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_160311). 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]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](