Jasper wildfires devour beloved mountain town

Plus, Liberal MPs hoping for a major cabinet overhaul and an international student challenging Canada’s work permit laws [The Star] First Up [By Kevin Jiang] By Kevin Jiang Good morning. Here’s the latest on a devastating wildfire that tore through Jasper, Liberal MPs hoping for a major cabinet overhaul and an international student challenging Canada’s work permit laws. DON’T MISS karyndecore/Instagram WILDFIRES [Beloved mountain town of Jasper is burning]( Possibly up to half the structures in the iconic mountain town of Jasper, Alberta may have been reduced to cinders in an ongoing, devastating wildfire, Premier Danielle Smith updated yesterday afternoon — although park officials say they’re still assessing damages. Some 25,000 residents, including some emergency services, have already evacuated town, Andy Takagi and Raisa Patel report. “The destruction and loss that many of you are facing and feeling is beyond description and comprehension,” Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland wrote to residents yesterday. [“We are all in this together.”]( - In pictures: Shocking photos out of Jasper show vast plumes of smoke billowing from razed town blocks and the skeletons of homes and cars. [Take a look inside the unfolding calamity](. - Heather Mallick’s take: Canadians are horrified by Jasper’s tragedy, but still we will not change — [even as our prettiest places go up in smoke](. What’s next? Banff? Lake Louise? - The Star’s take: The horrific wildfires are a reminder that we take the beauty of this country for granted at our peril. Climate change is making wildfire season longer, deadlier and more destructive;[Jasper’s destruction is a monster of our own making](. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press Federal politics [With no sign of Justin Trudeau leaving, some Liberal MPs want to overhaul his cabinet]( A tiny cabinet change last week did nothing to appease those in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s caucus who believe a major overhaul of key government ministers could help save the Liberal party from electoral defeat. “Clearly, what’s happening is not working,” one anonymous Liberal MP told the Star’s Alex Ballingall and Raisa Patel. As Trudeau stands unwavering amid growing calls for his resignation, [some MPs are hoping for deep, meaningful changes elsewhere](. - What we know: Of the many MPs that spoke with the Star, four are naming Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland as having to go. Others welcomed the potential addition of former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to party ranks. - ICYMI: Rumblings of discontent within Trudeau’s caucus have only grown after the party [lost the Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s to the Tories in a fateful byelection](. - Wait, what? Even if Trudeau were to give up on re-election, a recent poll suggests his successors might not fare much better — [and may instead drive more voters away from the party than toward it ahead of the next election, slated for October 2025](. Dreamstime IMMIGRATION [This international student with undiagnosed mental disorders took 9 years to get a degree and was refused a work permit]( Growing up in Nigeria, Izaka Jefferson Eugene-Akhere was bullied for his weight. No one recognized his mental disorders, which fed into his binge-eating and binge-watching TV habits, Nicholas Keung reports. In 2012, an 18-year-old Eugene-Akhere hoped to start fresh in Canada. But his depression and anxiety continued to haunt him; after having his studies suspended twice by York University over poor attendance and grades, Eugene-Akhere finally graduated in 2022 — only to have his postgraduation work permit refused last November. [He’s now challenging Canada’s work permit rules — here’s why](. - Background: To qualify for the work permit, international students must maintain full-time student status each semester — except for the final term, or unless they had taken an approved leave of no more than 150 days — from an authorized institution. - More: Eugene-Akhere claims the full-time requirement discriminates against disabled students, violating their equality rights under the Charter. “We’re challenging the constitutionality of the policy itself,” his lawyer told the Star. [Medal Alerts] Find out fast whenever Canada makes it to the podium. The Star has you covered as athletes go for gold in Paris. Get up-to-the minute email alerts whenever Canada medals, plus other news from the games, with the Star's free Medal Alerts, [brought to you by Havelock Metal Co](. If you're interested, please [sign up here today](. WHAT ELSE [The COC has removed Olympic women’s soccer coach Bev Priestman]( amid the drone spying scandal. Canada’s soccer spying scandal didn’t start with New Zealand. [The Olympic champions’ legacy is in ruins](. Loblaw and George Weston must pay half a billion dollars for a [bread price-fixing scheme in the “largest antitrust settlement in history.”]( “One way or another, someone needs to pay.” Toronto to explore “rain tax” for industrial and commercial properties [as part of its flood response](. [The province is pushing for an above-ground garage at Ontario Place to cut costs]( the head of CNE says. [The LCBO strike seems to have given Doug Ford’s Tories a boost]( — but his government’s poor approval rating is a warning sign, survey shows. He was dramatically pulled over. The cop drew his gun. Was it misconduct? [That depends on whom you ask](. Trudeau minister shoots down “false” claims from Republican senators about [Canada’s immigration program for Palestinians](. [Toronto’s condo market is officially in “recessionary territory”]( as investors can no longer afford to prop it up, a report says. A two-bedroom Toronto co-ownership sold for just over $400,000. Sound like a good starter home? [Here’s why it might not be](. Stars are lining up to support Kamala Harris. [Here’s why celebrity endorsements are crucial to U.S. politics](. Prince Harry is back on TV — [here’s everything he said about his family’s royal rift](. POV Jim Vondruska/Getty Images [Let’s all hope the repackaging of Kamala Harris works.]( CLOSE-UP Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu via Getty Images PARIS: A dazzling light show is rehearsed at the Eiffel Tower before the Olympics opening ceremony tonight. The twist? The traditional parade of athletes and performers will ditch the stadium for a six-kilometre-long boat ride down the Seine. [Here’s a sneak peek of tonight’s festivities](. 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_217225). Andrew 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](