How a refugee's med school dreams were "shattered"

Plus, a highway 401 crash survivor and a councillor's pricey Italy trip [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Did you receive Sunday’s newsletter? We’re looking into technical difficulties. The Israeli military is ordering the evacuation of parts of Rafah today, [signalling a ground invasion could be imminent](. Here’s the latest on a refugee whose career dreams are being “shattered,” the survivors in the 401 crash and a city councillor’s trip to Italy. DON’T MISS Nick Lachance/The Star immigration [This refugee wants to be a neurosurgeon in Canada — a paperwork snafu “shattered” his dreams]( Yonas Fetle said he studied hard to get into Ethiopia’s best medical school. He completed three years of mandatory community service after graduation and began a five-year residency program there. Then, faced with escalating violence against the Tigrayan minority, which he is a part of, Fetle fled to Toronto in 2022 where he hoped to continue pursuing his dream, Nicholas Keung reports. In March, Fetle was offered a residency position in the U.S. to restart his career, but Health Canada won’t provide a document the university hospital requires — by tomorrow — to secure his opportunity. [Here’s why he feels “the world has collapsed.”]( - More: “Everyone was telling me how difficult it was to get into residency here, even passing all the exams, and many foreign doctors are driving cabs or Uber to survive,” recalled Fetle, who applied to 219 universities and hospitals in the U.S. - Word from Health Canada: The federal department did not explain the discrepancy in what Fetle had been told, but said there hasn’t been a change in eligibility requirements or documentation required as proof for permanent residence since 2021. Colin Williamson Photo gta [The father who lost his baby and parents in the Whitby crash has released a statement]( “We are at a complete loss of words to describe the agony and vacuum in our hearts knowing we can never hold our child Aditya Vivaan, who gave us so many precious memories in such a short time, in our hands again,” Gokulnath Manivannan said in a statement on Sunday. “His small toys and clothes remain spread around our home, and we have no courage in us to even enter our home which is filled with our only son’s memories.” Andy Takagi reports on [what the father, who survived last week’s six-vehicle crash on Highway 401 alongside his wife, had to say about the loss of his parents](. - Context: The crash occurred after Durham Regional Police cars pursued an LCBO robbery suspect down the wrong way of Highway 401, one of Canada’s busiest highways. The man police were chasing hit an oncoming car, killing him, a baby, and the baby’s grandparents. - Watch for: The SIU, Ontario’s police watchdog, is investigating the collision as questions arise about why police would launch a high-speed pursuit down the wrong way of the highway. Nick Lachance/The Star City politics [Missed flights, luxury car rental, extra nights — how a city councillor’s trip to Italy went thousands over budget]( The city automatically covers up to $7,000 in costs per person when councillors and their employees attend conferences, but Nick Mantas racked up more than $16,600 in bills over nine days when he and his chief of staff travelled to Italy for a green cities conference last year. It was all at the public’s expense, Ben Spurr reports, because Mantas sought special permission from council to cover the costs. [Take a closer look at the public posted expense filings — and the questions they raise](. - More: Mantas — who was first elected as councillor for Scarborough-Agincourt in 2021 — blamed the cost overruns on mishaps beyond his control. He said he did his best to keep his spending down and that his attendance at the forum was in the city’s interest. - Wait, what? Coun. Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth) said council didn’t see details of Mantas’ spending for the rest of the trip and, if she had, she wouldn’t have voted to reimburse him. “Never in a million years would I take a trip like this. It looks to me like a taxpayer-funded vacation for nine days with two days of conference. It’s shocking.” WHAT ELSE Justin Trudeau has thrived on being counted out. [Now he’s facing tougher odds than ever, Paul Wells writes](. Pierre Poilievre has been accused of flirting with Diagolon. [Here’s what the extremist group thinks of that](. Three Indian nationals have been [charged with the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar](. Police say a member of a synagogue in North York has been [arrested for setting fire to the building](. [Peel’s reception centre for asylum seekers could open in two months]( if the province and feds agree to provide more money, Brampton’s mayor says. “The community is watching closely.” [A high-ranking Toronto cop is set to be sentenced in a promotional cheating scandal](. If you’re ready to retire, here’s what you need to know about CPP and OAS. [Timing is everything](. With the Gardiner construction, there’s more to it than meets the eye. [Here’s what’s happening “behind the scenes.”]( Waiting on an inheritance to fund your retirement? [You could be setting yourself up for a major shock](. I’ve been a financial educator for 17 years. [I’ve never shared this in my writing before](. This 110-year-old Toronto bakery wants to build the perfect bagel. [Take a look at the “delicate process.”]( Spread thin by high food costs? [Here are some Toronto alternatives to the big grocery chains](. POV Canadian Press/Michael Dwyer [The Maple Leafs are broken. One moment makes that crystal clear.]( CLOSE-UP Steve Russell/The Star KENSINGTON MARKET: The Toronto Tamagotchi Club hosted a meetup on April 28. [Here’s how the club is reviving a beloved digital toy](. 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_213330). 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. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. 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