Hurricane Fiona caused this destruction in Atlantic Canada

Good Morning. This is the Monday, September 26 edition of First Up, the Star’s daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox.

Here’s the latest on the destruction of Hurricane Fiona, artificial intelligence in health care and a Toronto neighborhood where housing is at the center of debate.

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Atlantic Canada is feeling the impact of Hurricane Fiona

After the record-breaking storm, Port aux Basques, NL is seeing trees uprooted, fishing stages cleared and homes “totally wiped out.” On Saturday, police received reports that two women had been swept into the ocean. Local residents rescued one woman, but RCMP found the body of the other, a 73-year-old. In Prince Edward Island, authorities reported another death, the cause of which had not yet been determined. With weather improving since Saturday, here’s what we know about the recovery process.

• The aftermath: One resident found someone’s family photos strewn across her lawn. “I’m holding on to it because I know it’s precious to someone,” she said.

• Watch for: “The weather may have cleared, but the situation has not cleared at all,” Port aux Basques mayor Brian Button said via Facebook. “This is not a one day, we can all go back to normal. Unfortunately, this is going to take days, could take weeks, could take months in some places.”

Artificial intelligence could be the pill that health care needs

An early warning system to flag when a patient is at risk of going to the ICU or dying, and a nurse scheduling program for the emergency department that takes 15 minutes instead of four hours. These programs are among more than 40 created by Unity Health, where artificial intelligence and machine learning are being used to improve care, Patty Winsa reports. Through another project called GEMINI, artificial intelligence is being used in 30 Ontario hospitals to measure the quality of care of general medicine wards. Take a closer look at how AI programs are using hospital data.

• More: With the technology in its infancy, there have been a number of concerns about privacy, security and the quality of data.

• Context: Unity Health includes St. Mike’s, St. Joseph’s Health Center and Providence Healthcare. Unity’s AI department is being funded through the hospital’s charitable donations, while GEMINI is funded by the provincial government through Ontario Health.

The housing crisis has become an election flashpoint in this Toronto neighborhood

John Filion is retiring from city council and the candidates vying for his spot in Willowdale are putting homelessness, housing affordability and relentless condo construction at the center of the debate. Notably, they’re taking different stances on a swath of green space in the ward that city council approved to be the site of “59 new permanent supportive homes for older adults and seniors who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.” David Rider goes inside what could be the city’s most competitive city council race.

• More: Candidates disagree on where the supportive homes should be built, and whether it would be safe to house 59 people in need. The executive director of the city’s housing secretariat told the Star the residents won’t pose a greater risk than other community members.

WHAT ELSE:

“Anti-India activities in Canada”? Why India’s Canadian travel advisory was really a diplomatic shot across the bow.

POV:

Pierre Poilievre says Justin Trudeau’s inflation relief package will hurt Canadians — but it won’t and here’s why.

PREVIOUSLY…

SCARBOROUGH: Children at CH Berner Public School play during recess in February 1972. Take a look back at the little red schoolhouses and their stories.

Thank you for reading First Up. You can reach me and the First Up team at [email protected]

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