A surge in threats has elected officials rattled

Plus, the need for pharmacogenomic testing and U of T's 16-year-old grad [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on the need for pharmacogenomic testing, an increase in threats against elected officials and U of T’s youngest graduate in more than 40 years. DON’T MISS Tannis Toohey for The Star investigation [He suffers debilitating side effects from a common medication — a simple test could have spared him]( Jim Halliday was sweating and convulsing. The soles of his feet itched so badly he had to rip his shoes off. He wondered if his troubles could be related to the common off-label antidepressant he’d been prescribed to treat dizziness — but even when he stopped taking the medication, his symptoms intensified and new ones set in. For nearly three years, Halliday searched for an explanation, Masih Khalatbari and Patrick Pearson of the Investigative Journalism Bureau report. Finally, a new doctor recommended he take a pharmacogenetic test — and it revealed all of his suffering might have been avoided. [Why aren’t such tests more widely available?]( - What we know: Pharmacogenomic tests examine how a patient’s genes impact the way their bodies respond to drugs. They cost $500 a pop and no Canadian provincial health insurance covers the tests except in special circumstances. - Wait, what? Despite the price tag, a study suggests providing the tests as a standard part of care could [save the health care system $956 million over 20 years — and that’s in British Columbia alone](. - Go deeper: It turned out Halliday lacked a common enzyme that metabolizes certain antidepressants. Today, he suffers from frozen limbs, chronic pain, tinnitus, and damage to his brain, skin, and muscles. His condition has numbed his libido and has made him unable to cry. “This is torture,” he said. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick analysis [Canada’s elected officials are being rattled by rising intimidation and threats]( In March, somebody set Liberal MP Brendan Hanley’s garage on fire. No one was injured in the blaze that destroyed the building, two cars and a motorbike, but it left Hanley profoundly shaken and worried about the safety of his family and neighbours. It’s not just mean tweets and online harassment anymore, Tonda MacCharles reports — elected officials are facing a sharp rise in physical threats and in-person intimidation, and it seems it’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt. But like nearly all MPs approached by the Star, Hanley is reluctant to share details that could impede an ongoing RCMP probe. [Take a look at the staggering increase in violence officials are facing](. - Go deeper: RCMP officials say the shift toward violence happened over the “last couple of years” as Canada weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, several anti-vaccine and anti-establishment movements and the war in Ukraine. Tensions further escalated after war broke out in the Middle East. - More: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has faced an unprecedented level of threats — including a 2020 incident when a [gunman rammed through the gates of his residence and set out on foot with three loaded firearms and a knife](. R.J.Johnston/The Star education [Meet the 16-year-old physics and math student graduating from the University of Toronto]( Among the students walking in one of U of T’s convocation ceremonies later this month will be the university’s youngest graduate since at least 1979. After starting at U of T at just 12 years of age, the now 16-year-old Daniel Honciuc Menendez is graduating with a specialist in physics and a major in mathematics with high distinction. “It’s an honour to be graduating now,” Menendez told the Star’s Nathan Bawaan. While he recognizes he hasn’t had “the normal teenager experience,” he said “This is my teenager experience ... and it’s been amazing for me so far.” [This is his story](. - More: Menendez found a passion for the intersection of physics and quantum technology — a field he hopes to explore further while pursuing a master’s degree in physics (fully funded by a scholarship), followed by a Ph.D. - Meanwhile: Convocation at U of T began this year with tents and protesters visible in the background, a result of [ongoing pro-Palestinian encampment protests at King’s College Circle](. WHAT ELSE Israel killed 274 Palestinians, including dozens of children, in its attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp that saw [the release of four hostages](. “Extraordinary loss.” [A blaze destroyed Toronto’s historic St. Anne’s Church and its “priceless” Group of Seven murals](. [The “Walk with Israel” march traversed Toronto]( amid high security and faceoffs with protesters. Mississauga’s mayoral election is the closest race in decades. [Here’s why a “peek-a-boo” candidate may win](. [A new online tool measuring a neighbourhood’s wealth according to its trees]( has taken root in Toronto. Are your adult children asking about your estate plans? [Why you shouldn’t be offended, and embrace the talk](. Far-right gains in the EU election have [dealt stunning defeats to France’s Macron and Germany’s Scholz](. China is dominating the EV market — [and that means trouble no matter how Canada responds](. The Blue Jays say [goodbye to Oakland with a bang in extra innings](. Fake emails. Dubious officials. Dodgy texts. [How to protect your finances from bad actors](. The inside story of how Maple Leafs cast-off [Carter Verhaeghe became the Florida Panthers’ playoff cheat code](. “Thank u, next.” [Women are celebrating divorce with joyful parties and repurposed rings](. POV Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images [We were too quick to reject the “lab leaks” theory. But we shouldn’t be quick to embrace it, either.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star PEARSON AIRPORT: Nisreen El-Khalidy is overcome with emotion as her eight-year-old niece Silina and her two siblings finally arrive in Canada. The three children had been stranded in Egypt since fleeing Gaza in November, after their mother was killed. “I felt like we had lost hope and now it has come back to us,” [Nisreen told the Star’s Jason Miller](. 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_214902). 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. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](