The high stakes of an immigrant's stolen identity

Plus, details of the North York shooting victims and the loss of LTC beds [The Star] First Up [By Andy Takagi] By Andy Takagi Good morning. Here’s the latest on an immigrant’s stolen identity, details about the gunman in the North York shooting and another nursing home closure. DON’T MISS Government of Canada immigration [Someone stole this immigrant’s identity — then they renounced his permanent residence]( The Immigration Department missed several red flags when Sam Li’s permanent residency renunciation came in. His resident card was claimed to be lost but it hadn’t been reported missing, dates were wrong and doctored images provided in the application didn’t meet the department’s photo requirements. The 34-year-old Calgary man, who came from China on a study permit in 2016, was the victim of identity fraud — and he wouldn’t have even found out if not for a former landlord tracking him down. [Read more about Li’s story](. - Word from Immigration: A spokesperson told the Star that, “decisions are made by highly trained officers who carefully and systematically assess each application,” and they “are not aware that this type of fraud is widespread.” - Big picture: Lawyers have been raising the alarm over Canada’s increasingly complex immigration system, as both applicants and immigration officials face problems. And when navigating things like residency and citizenship, [bumps in the immigration system can mean lives hanging in the balance](. - By the numbers: Canada’s population grew by more than a million people last year — the fastest pace of growth since the 1950s — [largely driven by immigration, both permanent and temporary](. Andrew Francis Wallace/The STar crime [The gunman in the North York triple shooting blamed two victims for defrauding his family]( The Star has identified Alan Kats as the gunman in a shooting that left two others dead in a commercial building near Don Mills on Monday afternoon. A court decision details how Kats’ family sued several people and companies, including the two victims — Arash Missaghi, 54, and Samira Yousefi, 44 — in the shooting, after losing $1.28 million in a mortgage fraud scheme. Kats’ wife told the Star that her husband “could not handle losing our life savings.” [Here’s how Monday’s shooting ties back to a Star investigation from years ago](. - Wait, what? Back in 2018, Missaghi and his associates were charged with multiple offences in a $17 million Bridle Path mortgage fraud scheme. The charges against Missaghi and the others were dropped during the pandemic and he was never convicted. [Yousefi was operating a “front” for the scheme, Kats’ lawsuit alleged](. - What we know: The shooting, at 25 Mallard Road, sent two daycares and a nearby school into lockdown, [but no children or workers were harmed](. Witnesses described an argument taking place in the reception area where the shooting took place. - Watch: [Star reporters previously down their investigation of the Missaghi case]( which involved a lawyer who went into hiding with $5,000. Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star housing [A fifth Toronto nursing home announces its closure, bringing the total of long-term-care beds lost to more than 500 in less than three years]( With wait-lists for long-term-care beds ballooning, another nursing home in the city is shutting down, Kenyon Wallace reports. White Eagle Long-Term Care Residence in Parkdale will be the fifth facility to close in less than three years, bringing the number of beds lost to 524, by the Star’s count. Advocates warn that these closures mean seniors are not just losing their homes, but their health care and their community. “(Long-term-care residents) lose their entire way of life” when homes are closed, one advocate said. Meanwhile, Toronto’s long-term-care waiting list has stretched to nearly 38,000 seniors. [Take a closer look at long-term-care home closures across the city](. - Miss something? White Eagle’s owner, Chartwell, sent eviction notices to the 205 residents of another home in May. With plans to redevelop Heritage Glen Retirement Residence in Mississauga, [residents have had to scramble to find new homes](. - Go deeper: As land costs have gone up, along with the cost of keeping up homes to meet new standards, retirement homes have been shuttering their doors and selling to developers. [That happened at Cedarvale Terrace, a long-term-care facility that was bought by a developer with plans to turn it into a 19-storey condo](. WHAT ELSE [Health Minister Mark Holland accused the Tories of “bullying” dental associations]( into rejecting the Liberal government’s national dental care plan. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is blaming President Joe Biden for withholding weapons. [U.S. officials say that’s not the whole story](. Canada’s EV strategy could cost taxpayers [$6 billion more than private companies are investing, a watchdog said](. Jewish community members rallied outside the TDSB [against a new proposal on anti-Palestinian racism](. York police announced the results of Project Lookout. [Here are the outcomes of the 14-month joint investigation](. At a heated meeting, Mayor Olivia Chow and her allies [moved ahead with renaming Yonge-Dundas Square](. The court hearing on [fate of U of T’s protest encampment begins today](. The TTC union has voted — [and over 80 per cent were in favour of new contract.]( Three men are accused of murdering to cover ISIS ties. [But their lawyers say the Crown’s witness can’t be trusted](. “LCBO employees do not want a dry summer.” [The union has set a July 5 strike deadline if no deal is reached](. TIFF 2024: The first six movies have been announced, [including Oscar-tipped dark comedy starring Amy Adams as a mother turning into a dog](. Is your Toronto apartment too hot? [Here’s what your landlord is legally required to do](. POV Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick [Though the polls are stacked against him, here’s why Justin Trudeau still thinks he can win the next election.]( CLOSE-UP Canadian Press/Jason Franson EDMONTON: The Edmonton Oilers really want to break Canada’s decades-long Stanley Cup drought. On the brink of elimination, the team has eked out a two-game streak with their Game 5 win against the Florida Panthers. [If Connor McDavid’s Oilers can rally to win the Cup after their initial 3-0 series deficit]( they will be the first team to pull off such a feat since the 1942 Maple Leafs. 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_215342). 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](