What Israel's attack on Rafah means for humanitarian aid

Plus, a shooting outside Drake's home and Canada's immigration points system [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the shooting outside Drake’s home, Israel’s operations in Rafah and Canada’s immigration points system. DON’T MISS Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star gta [A shooting at Drake’s mansion left a security guard with life-threatening injuries]( An early-morning shooting outside Drake’s Bridle Path mansion on Tuesday has left a security guard’s life hanging in the balance, Calvi Leon, Kevin Jiang and Josh Rubin report. Toronto police say the unidentified guard was rushed to hospital shortly after they received a call around 2 a.m. By early evening, he was still in hospital and police had no updates on his condition. [Here’s what else police say they know — and what they don’t](. - More: A young musician who had been outside the house Monday night in hopes of attracting Drake’s attention told the Star he heard three gunshots and saw a dark-coloured SUV speed away. - Meanwhile: People online are speculating that the shooting was linked to the very public feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Police, however, didn’t say if they believe there is a connection. [Here’s how the feud has gotten increasingly ugly in recent weeks](. AFP via Getty Images) middle east [Israel has seized the Rafah border crossing, posing a threat to humanitarian aid]( Along with carrying out what it calls “targeted strikes” in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Israeli forces have taken control of the Rafah border crossing, a key pathway that Palestinian civilians have used to escape Gaza and that aid groups have used to usher in humanitarian assistance, Allan Woods reports. As ceasefire talks resume, following Israel’s rejection of a Hamas-approved proposal, the United Nations is warning that shutting down the border threatens humanitarian efforts to feed, treat and care for the 1.7 million displaced people living in emergency shelters. [Here’s what you need to know](. - The latest: [The Israeli military says it has reopened a different terminal for humanitarian aid]( that was closed after a Hamas rocket killed four Israeli soldiers nearby. - On the home front: Advocates are frustrated that Ottawa isn’t [including anti-Palestinian racism in the upcoming update to its anti-racism strategy](. - Across the border: [U.S. officials say they paused a bomb shipment last week]( over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on Rafah. - Meanwhile: [Macklemore has shared a viral new song to support pro-Palestinian protests](. Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh immigration [Canada’s immigration points system is flawed — here’s how a new report proposes to fix it]( A new report by the Business Council of Alberta says Canada should revamp its immigration points system to better select people with skills to boost productivity, even if the changes favour applicants from some countries over others, Nicholas Keung reports. While the Canadian economy is getting bigger due to the growing population, the report says productivity has been weak for decades and has, more recently, turned negative. “We’re not getting wealthier. There are just more of us around,” it says. [Here’s how Canada’s point system works now and how the study proposes it changes](. - More: “We need to make sure we’re selecting the right immigrants because otherwise that national consensus and that perception of immigration is going to continue to fall,” said Mike Holden, the council’s chief economist and vice-president of policy. - By the numbers: The business council’s own survey this month found less than half of 2,300 Canadians think immigration is good for the economy and Canada’s standing in the world, society and prosperity. WHAT ELSE [Toronto needs to find another $26 billion]( over 10 years just to stop infrastructure decline. A top Indian diplomat is [lashing out at Canadian advocates for a Sikh homeland](. When Toronto asked to decriminalize drugs, Health Canada had questions. [More than a year later, it’s still waiting for answers](. The number of applicants to join Canada’s military is soaring. [Why hasn’t that resulted in more of them in uniform?]( Employees say the [LCBO theft that lead to wrong-way 401 police chase is alarmingly common](. First Nations have launched a lawsuit [against Ontario and the federal government claiming discrimination in policing](. Olive trees, hope and the power of music in dark times: [How a renowned Palestinian-Canadian pianist rediscovered his creative spark](. A deliveryman and recent immigrant from Turkey was killed while riding his bike for work. [Here’s how his family remembers him](. Canada’s intelligence agency is expecting [violence fuelled by “anti-gender” ideology to continue over the next year](. Noncompete clauses are banned in the U.S. [Here’s why and what you need to know to protect yourself](. [The Maple Leafs’ exit interviews are the punchlines to a running joke]( eight years old and counting. The TTC is increasing service on 24 bus routes. [Will your commute get easier?]( POV Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh [I got COVID and the casual response I received shows we haven’t learned lessons from the pandemic.]( CLOSE-UP Carlos Macedo/AP Photo BRAZIL: A woman, cradling a dog, wades through a street flooded by heavy rains in Porto Alegre, the capital of the Rio Grande do Sul state, on Monday. The mayor says they are living an “unprecedented natural disaster” that has [left at least 90 people dead, more than 130 missing and 80 per cent of the population without running water](. Also, a typo in yesterday’s newsletter said “meditators” when it should have been “mediators.” Sorry about that. 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_213430). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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