Things aren't getting better for Grassy Narrows First Nation

Plus, recognizing Palestinian statehood and a verdict in a Toronto murder case [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on mercury poisoning at a First Nation, Canada’s shifting position on Palestinian statehood and a Toronto man found guilty of murdering his mother. DON’T MISS Todd Korol/The Star star exclusive [The mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows First Nation was supposed to go away over time — it hasn’t]( For decades, the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation were told the tonnes of toxic mercury dumped in a nearby river by a paper mill in the 1960s would eventually disappear. Instead, a new study obtained by the Star found their problem may have only gotten worse. The current sulphate emissions from the Dryden mill are exacerbating the impact of the remaining mercury in the river system, speeding up the bacterial process that creates a more dangerous form of the neurotoxin, Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek reports. “This has made our suffering worse and it has to stop. We need justice, not more poisoning,” said Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows. [What can be done?]( - Background: The mill dumped 10 tonnes of mercury into the Wabigoon-English River system between 1962 and 1970. Decades later, some fish from the river were still measured with [150 times the safe dose of mercury recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency](. - Why it matters: As the neurotoxin accumulated in the fish locals ate, it resulted in hundreds suffering symptoms of mercury poisoning [including tremors, loss of muscle co-ordination, slurred speech and tunnel vision](. - Word from the mill: The Dryden Fibre Canada mill, now owned by First Quality Group, said it hasn’t yet seen the report and refused to answer questions from the Star. A copy of the report was sent to the company last week. AFP via Getty Images palestine [Canada’s shifting position stops short of immediately recognizing Palestinian statehood — for now]( As countries like Norway, Ireland and Spain publicly recognize Palestinian statehood, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indicated Canada is not willing to follow suit. But in the same breath, he indicated Ottawa is willing to do so at some point in the future, even in the absence of a “two-state” solution to the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict, Tonda MacCharles and Mark Ramzy report. “We are prepared to recognize the state of Palestine at the right time, not necessarily as the last step along the path,” Trudeau said Wednesday when the NDP demanded Canada follow the lead of the European countries. [Here’s what this means — and its ramifications](. - Context: The coordinated move by the European states [upends the belief that Palestine’s sovereignty can only come after weapons have been laid down](. The countries claimed their move could promote peace — something U.S. authorities said defied “logic.” - Go deeper: The decision enraged Israel, which said it rewarded those who use violence to achieve their goals. The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas killed roughly 1,200 and took 240 people as hostages. Israel’s retaliation has since killed more than 35,000 Palestinians. - Meanwhile: Hamas is still putting up a fight after seven months of brutal war, with Israel’s early gains giving way to a grinding struggle. [Here are four ways this war might end](. Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star courts [A Toronto man who killed and decapitated his mother has been found guilty of murder]( While Dallas Ly acknowledged he stabbed and decapitated his mother, Tien Ly, during a confrontation in their Leslieville home in 2022, he was adamant he never intended to kill her. Ly testified he was only reacting to violence from the woman who allegedly abused him throughout his childhood. A jury rejected that and found him guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday; Ly now faces an automatic life sentence, Jacques Gallant reports. “While we are disappointed with the verdict, we know that Dallas Ly finally had the opportunity to speak his truth about the abuse that he suffered,” a statement from his lawyers read. [Take a closer look at the case](. - What we know: [Ly testified that right before the killing, he told his mother he was moving out to live with an aunt.]( He said his mother threatened to kill them both as she began punching him. Ly then stabbed her with a hunting knife. - Word from prosecutors: Crown attorneys noted Ly’s story kept changing, progressively making his mother sound more aggressive in her final moments. The then-21-year-old could have easily pushed her away or called 911 instead of stabbing her, prosecutors argued. WHAT ELSE “One of the biggest mistakes of his political career.”[A new book details what happened when Pierre Poilievre crossed Stephen Harper](. Liberal and NDP MPs are blasting Conservatives for [missing the bulk of a parliamentary trip studying the drug crisis](. [The city will prioritize larger homeless encampments in its new strategy]( as the number of tents grows citywide. “Tell the truth.” [An exasperated Ontario judge compared a police officers to a classic sitcom buffoon](. Toronto police are launching a new partnership to [combat street racing in the GTA](. New findings by Statistics Canada [buck the trend on over-educated immigrants](. [Three in five international students in Brampton lived in overcrowded housing in 2021]( according to StatsCan data. An elementary teachers’ union has filed a labour board [complaint over code of conduct changes](. Cool weather and rain are expected to help [calm out-of-control wildfires as evacuation orders continue](. She sold cookies as a teenager to pay for film school. [Now she’s back in Toronto for her feature film debut](. [Hot Docs has announced temporary closure and layoffs]( citing “urgent financial challenges.” Meet the controversial “tradwife” influencers [glamourizing regressive gender roles](. POV Canadian Press/Chad Hipolito [As Alice Munro’s Canadian publisher I also became her friend — as did every reader who enjoyed her remarkable writing.]( CLOSE-UP Majid Saeedi/Getty Images TEHRAN: Huge crowds took to the streets of the Iranian capital on Wednesday for the funeral procession of president Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage, [who died Sunday in a helicopter crash](. 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_214072). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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