War’s aftershocks ripple through Canadian art

Plus, a first-week medal roundup, the emptiest Olympic scandal in recent memory and the rebirth of Toronto’s weird film scene [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. Canada added three bronzes to its medal haul yesterday, including third-place finishes in gymnastics, tennis and swimming events. Here’s [a recap of what our athletes have won so far]( and here’s the latest on everything else. MUST READS Chris Young/Canadian Press/Toronto Star Illustration War in Gaza [Fissures appear in Canada’s most prestigious arts organizations]( Against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, Canadian arts organizations are grappling with whether art should remain apolitical. The ensuing reckoning has exposed massive fault lines through our arts scene, even tearing apart some of Canada’s most prestigious institutions, Joshua Chong reports. [Organisers find themselves caught between their corporate backers and the artists they support](. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star JOBS [Canadian jobs are harder to find than ever]( Canada’s unemployment rate, while rising, remains below historical averages and the national layoff rate has also been unusually low, but many young Canadians and newcomers are struggling to break into the job market, Ana Pereira reports. [Here’s what three job seekers, each representing a hard-hit group of applicants, say they’re up against](. Anadolu Getty Images Paris 2024 [The Imane Khelif saga is less scandal than outright madness]( The Algerian boxer had previously participated in several major events but her record’s hardly that of a world-beater. However, thanks to transphobes shoe-horning her story to fit their causes, we now have the loudest, emptiest Olympics scandal in recent memory, Bruce Arthur writes. Though baseless, [it’s casting a dark shadow on what should be an inspiring moment](. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star CULTURE [Meet the scrappy Toronto filmmakers keeping our indie scene weird]( A new wave of independent filmmakers are helping re-establish the city’s reputation as an incubator of strange cinema, Quinn Henderson writes. Unpredictable, humourous and utterly untethered from mainstream film funding structures, the cohort emphasizes collaboration over competition. [It seems like these underground misfits are ready to take centre stage](. Erik Melvin music [Blowing everything up saved masked country singer Orville Peck]( In his headlining show last month, the South African artist told his Toronto audience how cancelling his 2023 tour to take a mental health break radically changed his life. With a voice like Roy Orbison, Peck tells Nick Krewen that the break [lead to a terrific duets album stuffed with music A-listers](. SUPPORT THIS Arthritis Society Canada For the 25,000 or so Canadian kids with juvenile arthritis, many might go their entire childhoods without meeting anyone with the same affliction. At Camp Ontario, there’s an entire community of support, writes Ben Cohen. [It’s just one of the grant recipients supported by the Fresh Air Fund](. Thanks for reading. We don’t always wear masks while producing the weekend edition — but it certainly doesn’t hurt. You can reach 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_217733), and I will 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](