A national rail shutdown has begun

Plus, evicted by the Ontario Line and a scholarship recipient without a visa [The Star] First Up [By Andy Takagi] By Andy Takagi Good morning. Here’s the latest on the rail strike, residents forced to make way for the Ontario Line and an international student denied a study permit. DON’T MISS Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck rail strike [Trains grind to a halt as a national rail shutdown begins]( A historic country-wide rail strike is moving forward. Rail workers and companies remained at the bargaining table until the last minute overnight, but more than 9,300 workers at Canada’s two largest railways have now been locked out. The strike is expected to deliver a swift blow to the Canadian economy. [Here’s what you need to know](. - No GO: A work stoppage could affect Metrolinx’s Milton line and the Lakeshore line’s Hamilton GO station. Metrolinx is suggesting passengers take alternate routes. - Under pressure: Political leaders from multiple levels of government have faced mounting pressure this week to avert a strike, with warnings from business leaders that a strike could spell disaster. - Off the rails: Canada’s railways ship about $380 billion worth of goods each year, one expert told the Star — [that’s about 18 per cent of our economy](. Richard Lautens/The Star ONTARIO LINE [The Ontario Line is forcing this woman out of her home]( JoAnn Dodds promised her late husband that she would stay in their Riverdale home of three decades. Now she’ll have to leave within a year to make way for the Ontario Line. With their homes and businesses expropriated, dozens more in the neighbourhood will also be forced to leave to make way for the new subway line. [Here’s how the sudden news has altered their lives](. - No more frills: The busy No Frills that anchored the Riverdale Shopping Centre [was an early casualty of the Ontario Line](. - Just seven more years, right? [The multibillion-dollar project is making its way through the heart of the city]( spanning 15.6 kilometres from Exhibition Place in the west to Don Mills in the east. Supplied Photo immigration [This international student received a scholarship — but not a study permit]( Despite being granted a full-ride scholarship of $75,000 and a boasting a 90 per cent average, 26-year-old Farzana from Afghanistan was denied a permit to pursue a master’s degree at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her supporters believe it has to do with a refugee label that has followed her — despite her applying for post-secondary education and not humanitarian resettlement. [Farzana told the Star’s Nicholas Keung why she wants to study in Canada](. - Permit trouble: Farzana is the recipient of the Resilient Futures Scholarship program, aimed at supporting Afghan women pursue post-secondary education in Canada. - In her own words: “Canada is one of the biggest supporters for education for Afghan girls,” said Farzana. “Too bad, they only saw me as just another person running out of Afghanistan but didn’t see my hard work.” WHAT ELSE [Doug Ford says safe injection sites are a “failed policy”]( that harms communities and people with addictions. Reports ordered by the Ford government urged fixes — [not the shuttering of a safe injection site](. From the Star Editorial Board: [The Ford government gets it wrong on drugs](. CUPE is demanding the [resignation of its vice-president over an “antisemitic” video](. [The federal Liberals are going hog wild on immigration]( hoping to secure victory in 2029 and beyond. Kamala Harris’s VP candidate delivered a quietly radical message in Chicago. [Here’s how it could help the Dems](. Bonnie Crombie is embracing critics of Justin Trudeau as she [distances her Ontario party from the federal Liberals](. Pusateri’s Fine Foods owes creditors [more than $37 million after filing for bankruptcy](. A Whitby family is devastated after their 14-year-old son was [found strangled to death at the Oshawa Centre](. Toronto buildings were evacuated after [multiple Jewish organizations across Canada received bomb threats](. [McGill and Concordia universities saw a sharp drop in out-of-province applications]( in the wake of Quebec’s tuition hike. Project Beacon: [Two teens were charged with murder amid a tow-truck violence probe](. POV Canadian Press/Ethan Cairns [If Justin Trudeau really wants to be re-elected, there’s one question he needs to stop dodging.]( CLOSE-UP Julio Aguilar/Getty Images DUNEDIN, FLA.: Joey Votto — who signed a contract with Jays but never got to wear the blue jersey in action — has retired. After a string of injuries that left him playing in the minor-leagues, Votto announced his retirement on Instagram. [Here’s what the potential Hall of Famer had to say](. 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_859). 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. 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