Ushering in the Anthropocene in Milton

Plus, Greenbelt developers dodging questions and a landmark "family violence" ruling [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on a new planetary milestone, developers who benefited from the Greenbelt land swap and a family violence ruling overturned. DON’T MISS Canadian Press File Photo climate [This Ontario lake has been chosen to help mark a planetary milestone]( Crawford Lake “doesn’t look like it’s been affected” by a human impact, but it has been keeping score, Kate Allen reports. The lake has long kept evidence of Indigenous farming, European colonist activity and global upheaval. Now it will be the site marking a new geologic era defined by human impact — the Anthropocene. An international group of scientists named it so, but at least three more rounds of voting are required to make it official in 2024. [Here’s why the lake in Milton, Ont. has been chosen to mark the epoch](. - Context: Scientists have debated in recent years on whether to make the epoch official. To do so, they need a representative site that displays the shift caused by human behaviour. - More: The selection of the lake highlights that “what we do is really important to the planet,” said Soren Brothers, Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change at the Royal Ontario Museum. But that relationship doesn’t have to be negative. Erica Woods Photo star investigation [These developers benefited from Ford’s Greenbelt land swap — now, they’re going to court to dodge the auditor’s general’s questions]( As the Ontario government decided to open up nearly 3,000 hectares of the Greenbelt for housing development, concerns arose that developers were secretly tipped off about the plans. The premier denies the allegations, but they still prompted Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk to launch a value-for-money audit in January. Now, two prominent developers who benefited from the controversial Greenbelt land swap are in court, aiming to quash the provincial watchdog’s efforts for an interview and relevant records, Sheila Wang and Morgan Bocknek report. [Here’s how they’re fighting the summons](. - Go deeper: Michael Rice and his companies are among nine developers who donated significant amounts of money to the Ontario Progressive Conservative party and benefited from the Greenbelt land swap. - Context: Of 15 areas slated to be removed from the Greenbelt, eight included properties purchased in the four years since Doug Ford was elected, [an investigation by the Toronto Star and the Narwhal found](. Canadian Press/Colin Perkel courts [An appeal court has rejected a landmark “family violence” ruling]( Last year, a Brampton judge found a GTA woman was entitled to damages for years of abuse by her ex-husband. She created a new legal path for survivors of intimate-partner violence to sue in civil court in a decision described by experts as significant and unprecedented. But the Court of Appeal has unanimously rejected the ruling, finding that the judge misunderstood the law, Jacques Gallant reports. [Here’s why the judgement has received mixed reactions](. - Context: The creation of a tort — a civil wrong for which someone can sue and seek damages — is rare. - Wait, what? The top court described intimate-partner violence as a “pervasive social problem” but said sufficient remedies already exist. - More: “The proposed tort of family violence would have fundamentally changed family law, and the Court of Appeal held that is the role of the legislature, not the courts,” one of the ex-husband’s appeal lawyers wrote in an email to the Star. WHAT ELSE Olivia Chow’s era as mayor begins today — [with a bike ride](. Do you need another COVID vaccine shot this fall? [Here’s the latest advice](. With his first comments on the matter, [Doug Ford is distancing himself from the King’s Counsel controversy](. Ford says mining in the Ring of Fire is a top priority. [Here’s why Ottawa isn’t necessarily on board](. Premiers say they’re “deeply disappointed” in the [Trudeau government for moving too slowly on bail reform](. Business groups are joining Ford in calling for Ottawa to help end the B.C. port strike. [Here’s what you need to know](. A report outlines how Danielle Smith [ignoring the global shift to renewable energy will come at a cost for her and Albertans](. More Canadians will receive the carbon tax rebate this year. [This is how it works and how much you can expect](. [Here’s why parents and staff are demanding the TDSB drop the opt-out option]( for drag queen storytime — and why the board is standing firm. Toronto’s hottest day of the year is supposed to happen this week. [Is the city prepared?]( Ontario cottage prices have crashed by five to sixty per cent — [where will they go from here?]( Here’s why experts predict Toronto [house price increases will likely slow this summer](. POV Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle [Why the Bank of Canada’s fight against inflation is a war on workers.]( CLOSE-UP Richard Lautens/The Star NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE: Toronto Caribbean Carnival, North America’s biggest street festival, attracts nearly 2 million people to the Grand Parade alone. Costumed dancers abound at the opening on Tuesday, the official launch of the weeks-long event. 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_191019). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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