Daniel Langlois' accused killed breaks his silence

Plus, anti-panhandling laws and Toronto's vacant home tax snafu [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on the case of a Canadian killed in Dominica, the demise of Ontario’s anti-panhandling law and homeowners erroneously slapped with Toronto’s vacant home tax. DON’T MISS Supplied Photo/Dominica Police star exclusive [The man accused of killing a Canadian millionaire in Dominica broke his silence]( The American chocolatier accused in a Caribbean court of the brutal killings of Canadian entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his partner Dominique Marchand says he’s been unfairly portrayed by the avalanche of international news coverage on the deaths. Speaking for the first time from Dominica State Prison, through his lawyers and a public relations firm, Jonathan Lehrer told the Star’s Kenyon Wallace and Sheila Wang he couldn’t comment on the allegations against him. Instead, Lehrer painted an idyllic tale of how his family moved to the island of Dominica and started their successful chocolate plantation: “It is our home and our love.” [Check out the details](. - Miss something? [Canadian philanthropist and film pioneer Langlois and his partner were found dead in a bullet-riddled, burnt-out SUV]( on the Caribbean island last December. The same day, police arrested Lehrer and mechanic Robert Snyder Jr. - Context: For years before the killings, Langlois and Lehrer were locked in a bitter dispute over the usage of a public road linking their neighbouring properties. [Locals tell the Star their rivalry could have played a role in the deaths](. Richard Lautens/The Star courts [A court has struck down most of Ontario’s anti-panhandling law]( A Toronto judge has struck down most of Ontario’s bans on panhandling in public spaces — like on transit or near ATMs — as unconstitutional, Jacques Gallant reports. The decision by Superior Court Justice Robert Centa largely guts the Safe Streets Act, introduced in 1999 by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris, to crack down on panhandling. Centa found Ontario’s ban on squeegeeing and panhandling in roadways — the original impetus for the act — should be upheld. But all other prohibitions on soliciting donations in public were struck down, including from people near public toilets, payphones, ATMs, taxi stands and public transit stops. [Here’s how you could be affected](. - Word from the courts: “The mere presence of a homeless person soliciting gifts from persons doing certain things at a prohibited site does not, on its own and without more, pose any danger or impediment to the safe use of public space,” Centa wrote in his 91-page decision. - Background: The constitutional challenge before Centa was first launched in 2017 by legal clinic Fair Change, which argued the act targets the most vulnerable members of society. [“It increases their marginalization and aggravates their negative physical and psychological health outcomes,” the clinic said](. Steve Russell/The Star housing [Homeowners who forgot to claim occupancy have been hit with a big vacancy tax bill]( Hasan Mahbub was “shocked” to wake up to a $4,000 tax bill from Toronto for owning a “vacant home” — the one he currently lives in. “I was panicked, I was angry,” he told the Star’s David Rider. Mahbub was among the 125,000 homeowners who received a demand to pay the city’s vacant home tax, despite many of them occupying their residences — including some who declared their residency before the March 15 deadline. Mayor Olivia Chow told the Star she’s hearing the complaints. Her team is following up with a notice, in multiple languages, telling residents who occupy their homes “do not pay.” [What’s going on?]( - Word from the city: Chow told the Star the city’s vacant home tax notification and billing system “needs to be completely revamped,” vowing: “We’ll clean it up.” - What we know: If you’ve been slapped with the vacant home tax despite occupying your property, [you can dispute the charges through the city’s online portal]( — although you’ll still face a $21.24 late fee. [Calendar icon] Are our messages a little late for you lately? Emails from the Star are taking longer than normal to arrive to Gmail and Hotmail inboxes after we send them. That's a problem we're solving now, but we're sorry for keeping you waiting. WHAT ELSE “Our kids first.” [Doug Ford says Ontario students should get all available medical school spots](. The Canadian man killed providing aid in Gaza with World Central Kitchen [was a veteran with a young son](. Erin O’Toole says there was foreign meddling in the 2021 election campaign — [and we should have been warned](. [Police collision expert says Const. Northrup was not hit head-on]( contradicting plainclothes officers. Demand for the GED has “skyrocketed” in Ontario. [Now that it’s ending, adult learners are uneasy](. A judge has granted bail to a man charged with [child sex assaults in Brampton, Oakville and Kitchener in the 90s](. “You can’t always get it right.” [Doug Ford is hinting at his Greenbelt flip-flop in a new ad](. [Nearly 500 Ontario cars were recovered from the Port of Montreal](. Eligible Canadians will receive the GST/HST credit tomorrow. [Here’s how much you can expect](. Royal Bank’s CEO is [vowing to protect customers and staff as the HSBC takeover begins](. Vince Carter will enter the Hall of Fame as the divorced father of modern Canadian basketball — [and the most important Raptor in history](. Ontario censors once “destroyed” his movie Multiple Maniacs, [but John Waters is coming back to Toronto anyway](. POV Canadian Press File Photo [How can the average CEO earn 246 times what you do — including banking “performance bonuses” while underperforming?]( CLOSE-UP Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images HUALIEN: Canadian Jonathan McGill said the shaking from Taiwan’s largest earthquake in a quarter century was so forceful, he feared his apartment building might collapse. Wednesday’s 7.2 magnitude quake, centred off Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, [left at least nine dead, 946 injured and 152 stranded in its wake — including at least two Canadians](. 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_211620). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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