Inside a Canadian megachurch mega scandal

Plus, response to the raid at Mar-a-Lago, how bingo halls are turning into casinos, and the government response to rising monkeypox rates [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. The City of Toronto says [it’s launching an investigation]( after a power outage left the downtown core without electricity for several hours on Thursday. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Mirko Petricevic/Waterloo Region Record File Photo STAR INVESTIGATION [Inside the sexual abuse allegations that's rocking one of Canada’s megachurches]( Celebrity pastor Bruxy Cavey of megachurch The Meeting House was arrested and charged with sexual assault in June. Three other former pastors have also faced allegations of sexual misconduct, reports Morgan Bocknek. Now, some congregation members are asking how an alleged culture of impropriety was allowed to persist. [Here’s a look at the allegations that turned the church on its head](. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images/File Photo U.S. Politics [The raid at Mar-a-Lago widens the American divide]( Court papers released on Friday show that the FBI recovered classified, sensitive documents from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Unsurprisingly, America’s political factions are drawing polar-opposite conclusions from the incident, writes Allan Woods. [Read Allan’s analysis of the debacle, and why America can’t look past the political fight to see the truth](. Paige Taylor White/Toronto Star Star Investigation [Across Ontario, bingo halls are turning into casinos]( Despite a provincial ban on slot machines in bingo halls, a Star investigation found that 37 bingo halls in Ontario feature betting machines that look and operate like slot machines. Christine Dobby reports that this could spell trouble for gamblers and encourage money laundering. Read the Star’s investigation into how Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG), the provincial gambling manager, [quietly transformed dozens of bingo halls into de facto casinos](. Supplied VISION FOR ALBERTA [Emelia Earhart’s essay wins praise after losing the Alberta contest that sparked controversy]( Contestant Emelia Earhart is making her submission public after [a racist, sexist piece won third place]( in a contest that invited young women to describe their vision for the province. Unlike that essay, Emelia’s touched on “an Alberta that understands the balance of rights and responsibilities and seeks to care for those who are systemically underprivileged.” [Read Emelia’s full essay here and her thoughts on the awarded essay, reported by Kieran Leavitt](. Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press/File Photo HEALTH [As monkeypox cases rise, eligible Toronto residents can book vaccine appointments]( Toronto Public Health is now offering vaccine appointments for monkeypox at city-run clinics. Eligible Torontonians can book appointments at Metro Hall, Cloverdale Mall or 1940 Eglinton Avenue East, reports Olivia Bowden. The clinics are officially meant for high-risk individuals: trans or cisgender people who identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men and who meet at least one other risk criteria. [Read more about how the government is responding to the rising cases of monkeypox in Canada](. POV Martin Regg Cohn: [Doug Ford got it right with his ‘strong mayor’ plan](. Thomas Walkom: Ontario should ditch any plans to further privatize health care. [It just doesn’t work — and usually makes matters worse](. Ben Eisen and Jake Fuss: [Premier Ford, Ontario’s finances are unsustainable](. Graham Thomson: I went to a rally for Danielle Smith — Alberta’s potential next premier. [Here’s what I saw](. Vinay Menon: After the FBI visits Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, [outraged conservatives call for civil war](. Bob Hepburn: In the midst of a health-care crisis, [one doctor is calling for others to “push us past these boundaries and barriers]( LISTEN THIS Maggie Rogers/Fireboy DML/AN Looking for some new music to add to your weekend playlist? The Star has you covered with seven new tracks you should be listening to from artists like Beyoncé to Afrobeats sensation, Fireboy DML. [Check out our list here](. Thanks for reading. 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_139376), and I will see you back here tomorrow. [The Star]( 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]( [Become a Star Subscriber]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](