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From the Star’s alt Michelin Guide to the inside story of Ontario’s turbulent $10-a-day child care rollout, we’ve selected some of the best long reads of the week from the Star.

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1. How intense pressure from for-profit daycares has transformed Ontario’s rollout of $10-a-day child care — and sparked a political standoff

In early August, a group of for-profit daycare owners met with Education Minister Stephen Lecce at Queen’s Park.

The sit-down was the culmination of months of work: the group had hired a public relations firm, launched a website and encouraged parents to inundate Lecce and other politicians with emails.

“We need your help to get us at the table with the Ontario government,” reads a message on the campaign’s website.

The group had garnered favourable media coverage throughout the summer, arguing that the terms of the $10-a-day child-care plan would put them out of business and they would not join the program unless changes were made.

By the time they were meeting face to face with Lecce, it was clear they had his attention.

2. The Michelin Guide is just one list. These 15 Toronto restaurants are on the Star’s must-eat list

If I had a dime for every time I’ve been asked what I thought of Toronto’s first Michelin Guide that came out recently — or similar annual lists where the same restaurants get the accolades year after year — well, I could probably finally afford to eat at one of those places, writes Karon Liu.

As someone who has lived his entire life in Toronto and been a food reporter for a decade, I’ve been on a mission to highlight the places and people that don’t always get the spotlight but nonetheless propel the city’s dining scene by rethinking familiar dishes, carrying on decades-long family legacies, or simply combining complex flavours and textures in ways that make dining out exciting and memorable.

What places would I personally consider to be Michelin-worthy? Well, a lot of restaurants I love and frequent probably wouldn’t belong in a guide for moneyed diners who are able to discern how a tasting menu in Paris compares to one in New York or Tokyo. But that’s not how most Torontonians (including me) eat anyway. Instead, I present this alternative: a guide to my long-time loves, from a 50-year-old burger spot to my parents-approved dim sum hall, plus newer spots doing innovative and exciting things. By no means is this a complete list (no dining scene can be summed up in 15 joints) but these places capture the range and energy of Toronto’s unique culinary landscape.

3. Meet Danielle Smith, Alberta’s constitution-thumping premier with an infamous past

Danielle Smith is a traitor. A saviour. A libertarian. Socially progressive. Dangerous.

What she’s called depends on who you talk to in this province, but United Conservative Party members said their piece on Thursday, wrapping up their leadership race, so add “premier of Alberta” to that list. (She will officially take that title when she gets sworn in.)

This isn’t her first political rodeo, and Canadians would do well to understand her roots as they look ahead at what a Smith-led Alberta — founded on taking a hard stance on provincial sovereignty — will mean for the country.

Smith comes from the old days of Alberta politics when the right wing of the province was neatly separated into two rancorous political factions: the Wildrose and the Progressive Conservative parties.

Smith was the Wildrose leader for years. It was considered the more libertarian conservative party, with roots firmly in rural Alberta among ranchers and farmers. In the 2012 election, Smith enjoyed impressive momentum with the Wildrose, and some thought she could win.

But that year she committed the first of two historic flubs during her career.

4. A trail-blazing cop is accused of helping the next generation cheat. Inside a scandal rocking Toronto police

According to her own words, Stacy Clarke never envisioned a career in police because she didn’t see herself — as a Black woman — represented within the rank and file.

When she did join the Toronto Police Service in 1998, it was a result of the force’s “valiant” effort to “recruit within our diverse communities,” she said, speaking about her career in the police podcast “24 Shades of Blue.” Still, after her hire, she continued to sense the organizational culture was not doing enough to add racial diversity to leadership ranks.

“I again was not seeing myself represented in those positions,” she said.

That podcast was recorded soon after Clarke’s February 2021 promotion to superintendent, when she became the first Black woman to attain that rank in the force’s more than 180-year history.

Yet within months, the police force was rocked by Clarke’s high-profile suspension in an alleged cheating scandal

5. Overflowing garbage, broken transit, decrepit ferries — Toronto, can’t we do better?

There’s a labyrinth installation in the little Trinity Square Park tucked behind the Eaton Centre — a winding path to “quiet the mind,” in the heart of Toronto’s hustle and bustle, writes columnist Edward Keenan.

If you visited it in late September, and wandered through its meandering route, you’d have ultimately come to the centre — the heart of your meditative journey, perhaps, the moment of enlightenment — only to be tripped up when you encountered a gaping jagged hole where bricks forming the path were missing, covered in caution tape.

Aha. If you were contemplating the state of Toronto on your journey, you’d have found a piece of the answer: stuff is falling apart.

By the end of the month, the labyrinth hole had been patched with asphalt — a temporary, unsightly Band-Aid, for sure, but at least one that eliminates the immediate tripping hazard. It feels, at this point, like we ought to be grateful for that.

The writer Matthew Campbell, a former Torontonian who now works for Businessweek in Singapore, recently tweeted to me that he’d visited Toronto for the first time since before the pandemic began. “On the plus side, city is fantastically vibrant and alive. But something has gone wildly wrong with public spaces and basic infrastructure,” he wrote. “And by basic, I mean really basic. Light poles. Sidewalks. Garbage bins!!”

6. Stuck in Toronto traffic? It’s as bad as you think it is — and likely to get worse

It’s 5:13 p.m. in downtown Toronto. I’m sitting in a car, idling on Wellington Street, just east of Simcoe, writes Lex Harvey. The light flashes green, then red again. I haven’t moved. Green again. Still no movement. Red.

A cacophony of car horns, shouting, drilling and clanging form the soundtrack for Toronto’s rush hour.

Green, then red. Another missed opportunity. The other side of Simcoe Street is now in view. Green again. Red.

Then, on the fifth light, a glimmer of hope. I’m first in line. Simcoe Street is free to cross — but will I be able to clear the intersection? The pedestrian crossing signal counts down to 3, then 2, then … finally! Traffic advances, making just enough space for me to pass through.

As the Star’s transportation reporter, I write about the ways in which people move around this city. I’ve been hearing from readers and colleagues about how bad Toronto’s traffic is right now.

So on Wednesday, I did something no sane Torontonian would do.

I got stuck in traffic. Intentionally.

7. From pop idol to sex criminal: The rise and fall of Hedley’s Jacob Hoggard

Once one of Canadian music’s brightest stars, he is now one of its most notorious criminals.

Over 14 years, Jacob Hoggard went from an audition for Canadian Idol to playing sold-out arenas before thousands of young female fans. But behind the B.C.-born singer’s success were horrifying allegations of sexual violence and sexual misconduct — in one case, involving a teenage superfan who connected with the rock star at a concert meet-and-greet in 2016.

Hoggard, 38, now faces prison time after being convicted earlier this year of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman in her early 20s. The woman’s identity and those of two other complainants are under publication bans available in sexual assault cases.

Ahead of his sentencing hearing, the Star pieced together Hoggard’s rise to fame, what we know now was happening behind the scenes, his rapid fall into disgrace and the long journey to a criminal conviction.

8. Could it really be — at long last — a homebuyer’s market?

Two years ago, COVID brought digital nomad Regan Beckett home to Toronto after five years abroad. Not wanting to relive her 20s, she planned to put down roots by purchasing a home.

But as the pandemic dragged on prices soared so that in 2021 places she could have purchased in 2020 were no longer affordable. At one point her search even veered east to Oshawa, although she wished to be near friends downtown.

Finally this summer, thanks to the downturn in the real estate market, the 37-year-old marketing professional achieved her dream of becoming a homeowner. Beckett was able to buy a 1920, semi-detached fixer-upper walking distance to the subway, for under $700,000. She is in love with the original maple staircase.

“I did not think it was possible. I really thought I would be stuck in a condo when I set out. This was my pipe dream — that I would own a house,” she said.

9. Alberta is calling and Toronto is … listening? How did it come to this?

It’s a question many morning subway commuters might not have had enough coffee yet to consider: would living in Alberta with money in your pocket be better than living in Toronto broke, sharing a basement with four roommates?

I mean, there’s no easy answer, writes columnist Edward Keenan. On the one hand, you’ve got the prospect of scraping by, scrounging for loose change to buy ramen noodles so you can have something in your belly, because every nickel you’ve earned has gone to pay for the inadequate and cramped place you live. On the other hand, there’s the chilling prospect of spending your days in Edmonton.

That’s a choice you’d hope to never face.

And yet there it is, in your face on the way to work courtesy of “Alberta is Calling” ads postering the Toronto transit system. “What’s the average price of a detached home? Toronto: $1.4 million. Calgary: $700,000.”

10. Jagmeet Singh has matured into his role as the NDP’s leader — but will that be enough to make it a contender?

Jagmeet Singh is posing for a selfie. Again.

During a late afternoon walk along the Ottawa River behind Parliament Hill, the NDP leader is approached by an exuberant passerby itching to snap a shot. Singh throws up a peace sign as the shimmering lining of one of his customary three-piece suits flashes bright blue in the wind.

The woman tells Singh she is Filipino. “Salamat po,” he replies instantly, thanking her for saying hello. Filipino is one of about 40 languages, he explains, in which he can greet people and ask how they’re doing.

It’s five years to the week since Singh won the NDP leadership on the first ballot, thrusting the not-yet-MP some claimed was too flashy into a political world that this year saw him strike a major governing agreement with the minority Liberals. Now the question is whether that move will help or hinder him when he next hits the campaign trail — a time when Singh will have no choice but to deliver a higher seat share.

11. New online immigration system’s many glitches are putting applicants’ futures at risk, say critics

Having a tough time logging into your immigration application portal? Running out of space to fill out your information? Failing to upload a document because it’s oversized, or finding you can’t examine the files you just uploaded?

These are some examples of the frustrations that immigration applicants and lawyers say they have encountered in filing applications through the federal government’s online portals, as Ottawa forges ahead trying to modernize and digitize its antiquated system.

On Sept. 23, the immigration department kicked off its transition to mandatory electronic applications for most permanent-resident programs; people can no longer submit paper applications unless they are exempted due to an accessibility issue. However, some of the technical headaches predate that switch.

The stakes are high. A flawed application can be sent back months later for missing documents, omitted information or missed deadlines — delaying and jeopardizing a migrant’s chances for permanent residence.

12. Height surgery is a booming trend in Canada, especially among men. Is cosmetic limb lengthening the new BBL?

Three weeks ago, John had both of his legs broken — and he paid $85,000 for the privilege.

It’s the price for another three inches of height, according to the Montreal clinic where he got the procedure done. First, they surgically implanted two titanium telescopic rods, or “nails,” into the 26-year-old’s thighs. Then they fractured his femurs.

“At first, it sounded like a really tough task,” said John, who asked the Star not to use his real name. The Ontario-based engineer has kept his procedure a secret from all but his closest friends and family.

“I had fears it would be painful, but (decided) the ends justify the means.”

Over the coming weeks, the nails will slowly extend at a pace of one millimetre a day, stretching John’s thigh bones a maximum of eight centimetres. Once the desired length is achieved, the bone is allowed to heal and the nail removed.

At the moment, John measures a bit over 5’5.” After the rods finish lengthening in about three months, he’ll be 5’9.”

13. Their parents thought they were afraid of the dark. Then these twins learned the truth — and the fight to save their sight began

Twins Nathan and Andre wouldn’t leave their room at night, their parents recall.

“They would call for us or move reluctantly toward our voices often bumping into things as if their eyes were closed,” says their mother, Christina. “We just thought they were afraid of the dark.”

But that wasn’t it.

When they were six, the family learned they had a rare and severe type of night blindness that was going to get worse.

“We had problems with colours in kindergarten, we would mix them up,” says Nathan, now 13, “and when we would go in the dark we couldn’t see,” says Andre, “After my mom took us to SickKids and we did some tests we found out we had this condition.”

The Cordeiro twins were diagnosed by their doctors at the Hospital for Sick Children with a specific mutation in a gene called RPE65 that had resulted in their progressive condition.

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