Carney's good news mini-budget

Plus, no phones in school cafeterias?  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

First Up By Edward Keenan Good morning. It’s a festive day: my eldest child’s birthday. Which these days (he’s in university) has a way of making me feel old. Pulling me in the opposite direction is news from Mississauga of Iwan Winniczuk’s 107th birthday festivities. Born in 1919, Winniczuk has lived through the Holodomor, an exile in Siberia, service in World War II, and a journey through Germany to Canada where he built a life full of friends, children and grandchildren who celebrated with him Tuesday. His family calls his resilience an exhilarating model of persistence, and just considering the things he’s seen and survived added a dose of perspective to my morning. Happy birthday to him, to my son, and to any of the rest of you celebrating today. 🎂 On to the news.  Here are six things to know Wednesday morning: Mark Carney’s economic update shows the economy doing better than expected, lowering the deficit on higher revenue. Legislation could allow Doug Ford to seize Centre Island: some experts say it’s “shockingly broad” overreach. An early-registration recreation program for residents of low-income neighbourhoods may soon expand. The Star’s “Isolation” investigation that revealed psychiatric patients locked up alone for years prompted calls for an independent review. A fight between Peel Region and the province is shaping up over the sixfold expansion of an incinerator in Brampton. Former Toronto Det. Hank Idsinga said he has no interest in participating in an internal police investigation following his tell-all memoir. Before we get into it, I enjoyed reading along as critic Joshua Chong went behind the scenes of movie screenings where orchestras play the score live. It’s like “Guitar Hero” for conductors, Chong writes, and it’s become an unexpectedly popular form of entertainment since the pandemic, filling concert halls with a younger and more diverse crowd, and providing much-needed revenue for classical musicians. Read it to learn why “West Side Story,” in particular, is a “monster.” Now, let’s do this thing. DON'T MISS Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press SPRING ECONOMIC UPDATE Mark Carney’s fiscal update revealed a lower deficit than expected The government’s economic statement used the bulk of a new $60.3-billion budget windfall to pay for widespread sales and gas tax relief, a new $6 billion program to train trades workers, and a $25-billion plan to finance a new sovereign wealth fund. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre panned the new figures as worse than Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, while NDP Leader Avi Lewis said it was a missed opportunity to help Canadians. 8 key takeaways: From airport changes to police powers, here’s what you need to know, and what you might have missed, from Tuesday’s update. Susan Delacourt’s take: Carney’s fiscal juggling act is focused on the here and now for Canadians. Andres Valenzuela/Toronto Star GTA What Doug Ford’s Billy Bishop legislation might mean for the Toronto Islands The Ontario government has said it won’t be taking over Centre Island, but under its recently tabled legislation it could if it wanted to. The Building Billy Bishop Airport Act would give the province the power to take any city-owned land it wants — for any reason — from a list that includes much of the Toronto Islands, according to legal experts. Alyshah Hasham has the story on the unusual move. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press file photo Education Ontario students could be banned from cellphone use during lunch and breaks Education Minister Paul Calandra said he’s looking to Quebec’s example, where students are not allowed on their devices until classes are over. Calandra said “anecdotally, it seems to be very, very positive — even with the students who initially were a bit skittish on it.” Currently, Ontario students in kindergarten to Grade 6 are banned from using cellphones, while those in grades 7 and up must put the devices away during class time. A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR WHAT ELSE The Bank of Canada is expected to hold the key interest rate today. Follow the Star’s coverage. Health Canada has approved the first generic version of Ozempic. King Charles III highlighted the bond between the U.S. and U.K. during a busy day of diplomacy. The United Arab Emirates is leaving OPEC, weakening the oil cartel’s leverage over global oil supplies and prices. Elon Musk took the stand in court against Sam Altman in a trial that could reshape AI’s future. A 70-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder after a fatal Mississauga shooting. Peel police are investigating an overnight fire of a Brampton tow-truck as “suspicious.” The company that runs the Toronto Festival of Beer has filed for bankruptcy. More than 10,000 Ford and Lincoln SUVs and trucks are being recalled due to a potential braking issue. Liberals earmarked over $755 million to reshape the Canadian sports system, writes Bruce Arthur. Toronto paramedics said they’ll be stretched thin during the World Cup thanks to FIFA requiring them to be on call. Trey Yesavage impressed in his season debut as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-0. POV Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press file photo Opinion | The long and whining road of Nate Erskine-Smith’s Liberal leadership bid Watch THIS What do we know about “Surveillance Pricing”? We know Doug Ford is for it, and Avi Lewis is against it. And many of us might know it uses tracking technology to charge one customer more than another. In this video, Reporter Anastasia Blosser walks us through the way algorithms use your social media scrolling and web surfing to determine the maximum amount you’re willing to pay. THE CONVERSATION Justin Tang/The Canadian Press MINI BUDGET BLOWOUT: A lot of us had questions going into Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s spring economic update Tuesday. People like me were wondering: What exactly is a sovereign wealth fund? Even those with a more sophisticated understanding were puzzling it out: Columnist Andrew Phillips wondered why our fund seemed to work in the opposite of the way Norway’s does. Reader Vincent asked in our comments section, “Why not tell us what the procedures are for individuals to invest and withdraw etc, and the risks?” Fellow commenter Mat wondered if these would work like Canada Savings Bonds. The release of the federal mini budget itself provides some answers: Revenues were way up; the projected deficit is coming down somewhat; there’s new spending on “affordability measures,” skilled trades programs and cuts to CPP contributions. And there’s a vague-sounding plan to diversify our exports to non-U.S. trading partners and otherwise adapt the country to Donald Trump’s trade war. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government says it’s a statement that shows the economy is doing better than we thought. But what does it mean for us? How can Canadians expect these affordability measures to hit their pocketbooks? And are we doing enough to steel ourselves for potentially fraught trade negotiations with Donald Trump? Deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Alex Ballingall will be around today for a live Q&A at 11 a.m. to help you sort through the hype. You can find him, and ask your own questions, here. Before you go, 🥤 I’m just a double-double guy, but the teenagers in my house are absolute suckers for those expensive Starbucks drinks in bright seasonal colours that come with whipped cream on top and hunks of dragonfruit or berries floating in them. It looks like McDonald’s wants in on that action: they’re focusing on fruit, foam and fizz in a new line of drinks to compete in the frappa-refresher market. I’ll stick with coffee, but it’s always nice to have options. Thank you for reading today’s First Up. The Star’s Sima Shakeri and Nikhil Kanekal contributed to today’s newsletter. 📩 We’ll be making changes to First Up over the next little while. Tell us what you think. Email firstup@thestar.ca. 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. 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