The “miserable, miserable” living conditions of many international students

Plus, calls for The Lancet to retract a "flawed" article and immigrant HIV disclosure [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. A heat warning is in effect for Toronto. [Here’s how long it’s expected to last](. Plus, the latest on housing for international students, a “flawed” report on postpartum pain and HIV-positive immigration applicants. DON’T MISS Lance McMillan/The Star canada at 40 million [She came to Canada for an education. Desperate for a place to live, she had to rent a room with no door]( Canada’s population has reached 40 million for the first time this year. International student study permits are increasing, but — faced with high tuition and limits on their ability to work — many live in “miserable, miserable” conditions. Parul Yadav, for her part, struggled to find housing until she finally was able to rent a den without a door in a shared apartment, Victoria Gibson reports. It was an arrangement that took a toll on her mental health. Here’s more on Yadav’s path to better housing and the [factors making international students “more vulnerable to predatory landlords and poor living conditions.”]( - The aftermath: “I know so many people that are moving out of Toronto or Ontario after living here for five, six years because they cannot afford a house. They’re going to Calgary, they’re going to places like Saskatchewan,” Yadav said. “So many people are moving out — even out of Canada and going back home to their countries.” - Watch for: After years of debate, city council voted in December to legalize rooming houses. Staff proposed the legalization as a way to ensure the homes were regulated. Screenshot from CBC, The Fifth Estate star investigation [Critics called for a “flawed” medical journal article on postpartum pain to be retracted. Why wasn’t it?]( A 2006 report in The Lancet, co-authored by disgraced Dr. Gideon Koren, has prompted health agencies around the world to warn against giving codeine to nursing mothers for pain relief, Rachel Mendleson reports. But the research is “fatally flawed,” the top brass at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children acknowledged in 2020. [A Star investigation uncovers why the “unreliable” findings still stand uncorrected in the world-renowned journal](. - The aftermath: Two Canadian medical journals have retracted columns that Koren wrote based on his work published in The Lancet. - Context: Koren, the former head of SickKids’ now-shuttered Motherisk program, retired from the hospital in 2015. By then, the program’s hair-testing lab had torn families apart and prompted two government-commissioned inquiries. The Star identified possible problems in more than 400 papers he co-authored, while the hospital launched a review of his published work. Canadian Press/Patrick Doyle immigration [Being HIV positive is no longer a death sentence. Why does Canada insist on sharing immigration applicants’ HIV status with their sponsors? ]( Modern medicine has made HIV manageable and immigration officials no longer consider it a danger to public health. But since 2003, Canada has required an immigration applicant or refugee to prove they have disclosed their status to the person who is sponsoring them to Canada, Nicholas Keung reports. In addition to extending application processing times, the policy “perpetuates myths and stereotypes that people with HIV are deceptive and are less worthy of intimate relationships,” a trio of organizations is arguing. [Here’s how the process looks for HIV-positive sponsorship applicants and why many feel it “targets the dignity of people who are living with HIV.”]( - Why it matters: “It’s not just a privacy issue. I also just feel incredibly stigmatized,” said a 55-year-old Canadian whose partner moved to Toronto from Mexico. - Go deeper: “We let in HIV-positive foreign students, foreign workers. We don’t ever force them to reveal to their intimate partners that they’re HIV positive. Why are we singling out the family class and dependent refugees?” the counsel for the three organizations questioned. WHAT ELSE Take an inside look at how John Tory’s [too-late move may have helped Olivia Chow become mayor](. Transportation is critical for newcomers. [This is what GTA transit needs to keep up with Canada’s population boom](. A website spread disinformation about Canada. [Why did major Indian outlets treat it as news?]( A report has found that most firms hit by ransomware do pay up — [and the price has risen dramatically](. Crowds across France are showing solidarity at town halls targeted in riotings. [Here’s how unrest is unfolding after police killed a 17-year-old boy](. A family get-together in Hamilton ended in the death of a teen and [charges of first-degree murder against an older cousin](. A year of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians just escalated. [Here’s what you need to know](. As Ontario cottage prices plummet, [here’s how to keep your little piece of heaven in the family](. His movies shocked the world, earning X ratings and critical acclaim. [Now, he’s the subject of a new retrospective of shorts and features at TIFF Cinematheque](. Self-made millionaires have these key financial habits. [Here’s how to start saving](. POV Canadian Press File Photo [America’s far right is operating in Canada. Why don’t we consider that foreign interference?]( CLOSE-UP Arthur Goss, 181-1940 REGENT STREET PLAYGROUND: Toronto’s first playgrounds, including that in this 1913 photo, were built in the early 20th century. [Here’s how they’ve changed over the years — and one dad’s guide for the best in the city]( Thank you for reading. 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