Here's what gets Canadians' blood boiling

Plus, challenging Canada's HIV nondisclosure laws and struggling to prove a marriage is genuine [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the overturning of a life-changing conviction, the challenges newcomers face in proving their marriages are legitimate and Canadians’ top frustrations more than two years into the pandemic. DON’T MISS Steve Russell/The Star criminal justice [With her conviction for not disclosing her HIV status overturned, one woman wants Canada’s laws to change]( In 2013, Jennifer Murphy was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to prison, her face splashed all over the news. The grounds for her conviction? Not disclosing her HIV-positive status to a consensual sexual partner. At the time, she was unable to transmit the virus thanks to medication she was taking. Now, Murphy’s life-changing conviction has been overturned and the federal government plans on reforming the law on HIV nondisclosure. [Here’s what Murphy wants to change after she was “made out to be a monster.”]( - More: “People living with HIV, legal experts, have been calling out the heinous record of Canada being a leading country in the world for criminalizing HIV nondisclosure,” one expert and reform advocate said. - Go deeper: Advocates say the criminalization continues to perpetuate stigma against people living with HIV. And there are a number of reasons why a person doesn’t disclose their HIV status to a sexual partner, he said, including fear of violence. Steve Russell/The Star immigration [An immigration law change has some newcomers struggling to prove their marriage is genuine ]( When Deeparani Harishkumar Dhaliwal goes to India to see her husband, she stays for months at a time before returning to Canada to find a new job and a new apartment. Although she says the process is emotionally and financially draining, Dhaliwal has been making the trips since her arranged marriage in 2011; the sponsorship that would allow her husband to join her and their son in Canada has been refused four times on the grounds that their marriage is not genuine. [Here’s how bureaucracy, culturally loaded questions and a subjective evaluation process are determining families’ futures](. - Go deeper: Immigration consultant Sol Gombinsky, who is advising the couple, says spousal applicants are judged through the Canadian lens and applicants are often stumped by the questions raised by immigration officers. - By the numbers: Between 2016 and 2021, seven per cent of foreign spousal sponsorships were denied. The top grounds for refusals were: the relationship was deemed not genuine; the spouse was inadmissible for different reasons; or the couple failed to meet cohabitation requirements, produce required documents or answer questions truthfully. Canadian Press/Justin Tang public opinion [Canadians have had it with inflation, gas prices and the “Freedom Convoy”]( According to a new monthly “rage index” gauging public opinion on government, the economy and current events, 83 per cent of Canadians are angry about inflation and 79 per cent are mad about gas prices. The third most common source of Canadians’ rage — making 64 per cent of people angry — is the so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests that saw downtown Ottawa occupied by anti-mandate, anti-government groups earlier this year. [Here’s what else Canadians are fed up with](. - By the numbers: Pollara Strategic Insights surveyed 2,013 people across the country using an online panel from July 25 to Aug. 2. Following the top three anger-inducers, 57 per cent said they’re angry about airport delays, 55 per cent about the housing market, and 45 per cent with problems in passport renewals. - More: “At this point, it’s more grumpiness than all-out rage,” Pollara’s chief strategy officer said. - Go deeper: Pollara found that [only one in six Canadians say their wages are keeping up with inflation]( and two-thirds of the country fear prices continue to rise. WHAT ELSE Here’s why Pierre Poilievre will be [keeping a close watch on Quebec’s provincial election campaign](. The head of Bell says Lisa LaFlamme’s departure is not related to age, gender or grey hair. [This is the reason he gave](. A “devastating” Barrie crash has left six people dead. [Here’s what we know](. CTV executive Michael Melling is taking a leave. [Here’s what we know](. Firefighters fired by Toronto over vaccine status just got a victory. [This is the precedent it could set](. Beachgoers were shocked to find [this parking lot has become a $100-a-ticket “cash grab” for the city](. [Here’s why First Nations resource projects are a good choice for investors](. Doug Ford sold his house at a [steep discount from the original asking price](. This millennial moved back in with her parents. [Here’s how she can climb out from under her school debt](. This eight-foot-wide house in Toronto [could be yours for nearly $2 million](. ICYMI Paige Taylor White/The Star [Peel police’s use of force against Black people remained high in 2021. Here’s what else the data reveals.]( CLOSE-UP Joe Burbank/TNS FLORIDA: Artemis I leaves the Vehicle Assembly Building as it rolls out to launch pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 16. The rocket is scheduled to launch on an unmanned mission to orbit the moon on Monday. [This experiment it carries might help us go to Mars or fight cancer](. 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_141967). I’ll 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](