Shrugging off radiation in a northern Ontario town

Plus, one hurdle removed for Highway 413 and a fatal Caledon shooting [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Time to bundle up — [Toronto could see up to 13 cm of snow today](. Here’s the latest on Canadian officials shrugging off radiation in Elliot Lake, good news for Ontario’s Highway 413 and a fatal shooting in Caledon. DON’T MISS Toronto star Photo Illustration star/IJB exclusive [Officials are shrugging off radiation levels “well above” the safe limit in northern Ontario homes]( In 2021, the government received a complaint that long-forgotten radioactive waste was buried beneath Elliot Lake and wanted to confirm it wasn’t an “urgent health concern.” That cued a senior government official to ask his colleague for a rough, “back-of-the-envelope” calculation on how much radiation the residents of the northern Ontario community were exposed to in their homes. The official did not get the answer he wanted, the Investigative Journalism Bureau’s Declan Keogh and Masih Khalatbari report. After being told the levels of radon in the community are “well above” the public radiation dose limit set by federal authorities, the response from a senior project officer at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was brief: “¯\_(ツ)_/¯”. [Here’s what happened in the fallout](. - Wait, what? Documents obtained by the Investigative Journalism Bureau show up to 100 homes could be impacted — double what was previously thought. - What we know: Last year, we reported that radioactive tailings from long-closed mines used to produce uranium for atomic bombs were allegedly used as infill when the community was established decades ago, [emitting poisonous gasses and gamma rays into and around people’s homes](. - Word from residents: Local homeowners say the government’s emoticon shrug is “a true visual representation of the response we’ve received to date. It accurately summarizes the respect we’ve been shown.” Lance McMillan//The Star provincial politics [Ottawa is dropping the environmental assessment for Ontario’s Highway 413]( Doug Ford’s government may finally get shovels in the ground to construct its controversial Highway 413, after a tentative agreement was reached to scrap Ottawa’s environmental assessment of the project. A final decision on the matter now rests with the court, officials tell the Star’s Rob Ferguson and Kristin Rushowy. The proposed 60-kilometre bypass through Peel Region prompted a federal assessment three years ago amid concerns raised by environmental groups, residents and municipalities. But Ford’s government brushed aside fears of urban sprawl and an internal report indicating the project put 11 species at risk. “It has always been our priority… to build Highway 413,” officials said Thursday. [Here’s what you need to know](. - Context: In a decision last year, the Supreme Court of Canada [ruled Ottawa “plainly overstepped” its authority over the provincial project](. - Paul Webster’s take: Hefty cheques could soon be on the way to the owners of the more than 2,000 hectares of prime farmland along the highway’s path. Government records show a select group of land speculators and developers have been buying up highway-adjacent lands in recent years — [but just how much these purchases will cost taxpayers has been kept secret]( Richard Lautens/The Star crime [An Indian couple killed in Caledon were “innocent and mistakenly targeted” victims]( Four months ago, a hoodie-clad gunman stormed into a Caledon rental home and gunned down Jagtar Singh Sidhu, 57, and Harbhajan Kaur Sidhu, 55, as they were getting ready for bed. Their 28-year-old daughter, Jaspreet Kaur Sidhu, survived being shot 13 times but was left with life-long injuries. Police now tell the Star the couple, who had travelled from India to visit their children, “were completely innocent” and “mistakenly targeted” in connection with a string of four other shootings in November 2023. Jaspreet now hopes the confirmation of her family’s innocence can clear their names from the false rumours spreading through the community. [Take a closer look at what happened](. - More: A related shooting in Mississauga on Nov. 15 claimed the life of 29-year-old Brampton-resident Jagraj Singh. Like the Sidhu family, police confirmed Singh was “completely innocent.” - The aftermath: Jaspreet still has one bullet lodged near her spine. It’s too risky to operate: “I may get paralyzed or go into a coma anytime,” she told the Star. [That hasn’t stopped her and her brother from demanding justice](. WHAT ELSE Justin Trudeau’s consumer carbon levy has been [less impactful than other climate change actions](. Pierre Poilievre lost the battle to force an election over the carbon levy. [But don’t expect him to give up](. “Stop, police.” [A Toronto cop testified she clearly identified herself before her partner was fatally run over](. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel for talks as the [UN prepares to vote on a ceasefire resolution](. Toronto allowed drinking in parks last year. [Here are the test results — and what’s next](. Canada is changing its foreign worker rules. [Here’s why — and what it will mean](. Think Toronto homes are a better deal now than during the 2022 peak? [A look at carrying costs paints a bleak picture — and it’s getting worse](. The LCBO is slapping suppliers with $50 million in fines — [and accusing them of offering cheaper prices to Quebec](. Riding the 407 for free? [Here’s why some — but not all — drivers are getting a toll-free break at rush hour](. Toronto’s traffic jams are infamous. [Could the city’s new $20,000-an-intersection solution unsnarl them?]( Shohei Ohtani, the interpreter and the $4.5 million gambling debt: [Baseball’s biggest star might be in real trouble](. Eat your way through our food reporter’s [top picks for takeout under $10 in Toronto](. POV Canadian Press/Chris Young [The city is finally admitting what every teenager already knows about drinking in the park.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star EAST DON TRAIL: Toronto’s iconic rainbow tunnel has been graffitied yet again — and local charity Mural Routes is left to pick up the $2,000 clean up tab, Mark Colley reports. [Here’s why the group returns year after year to repaint the famous landmark](. 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_210913). Andrew will see you back here tomorrow. 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