"Ceasefire" has entered Ottawa's vocabulary

Plus, murder charges in the case of a missing woman and a new COVID variant [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on Canada’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war, a new murder charge connected to a missing woman and a spreading COVID variant. DON’T MISS Eyad Baba/AP Photo israel-hamas war [Canada agrees on the need to “work for a ceasefire,” Mélanie Joly says]( For the first time, a Canadian official is going further than Justin Trudeau’s statements on the Israel-Hamas war by embracing the term “ceasefire.” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on Thursday that Canada agrees with France on the need to “work for a ceasefire,” Tonda MacCharles reports, but she disagreed that her use of the word represented a shift in Canada’s position. [Here’s what you need to know about the efforts to evacuate Canadians and protect other civilians](. - Context: Demands to call for a ceasefire have come from the NDP, Bloc Québécois, and humanitarian and civil society groups. [Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated during morning rush hour at Union Station Thursday](. - Watch for: [The White House said Thursday that Israel has agreed to daily four-hour humanitarian pauses]( with three hours’ notice, for people to move toward the Rafah border, possibly to get out of Gaza, to allow hostages to leave “should a release be secured,” and to allow more food, fuel and water supplies to get in. - Meanwhile: Justin Trudeau is condemning “terrible, horrible acts” after [gunshots were fired at two Jewish schools in Montreal overnight](. Canadian Press/Nathan Denette crime [She disappeared 22 months ago — now her ex boyfriend is charged with murder]( Mohamad Lilo was already in custody facing kidnapping charges over the disappearance of Elnaz Hajtamiri. Now — nearly two years after she was taken from a Wasaga Beach home by men pretending to be police officers — the Montreal-area man has been charged with first-degree murder, Peter Edwards reports. It’s the first murder charge in the case and the first public suggestion that investigators believe Hajtamiri is dead and was killed intentionally. [Here’s what police say happened to her and where the case stands](. - More: Hajtamiri worked in an import-export business. She had plans of starting a cake business after moving to Canada in 2018 following the death of her husband in Iran. - Go deeper: Hajtamiri broke up with Lilo in October 2021. In November of that year, she reported to police that he was harassing her and then moved from Richmond Hill to Wasaga Beach. Francine Orr/TNS covid-19 [A new COVID variant is becoming dominant in parts of Canada]( Experts say the spreading HV.1 variant — a descendant of the Omicron XBB family — isn’t cause for major concern, but they’re stressing the importance of getting updated COVID vaccines, Megan Ogilvie reports. The new shots aren’t boosters, expert Nazeem Muhajarine noted; they’ve been reformulated to target the currently circulating variants. Though Canada may no longer be facing an emergency when it comes to COVID, the virus is still causing many hospitalizations and some deaths. [Here’s how — and why — HV.1 is gaining ground](. - In Ontario: The new variant is now estimated to make up nearly half of all COVID cases in Ontario, according to Public Health Ontario. - Nationally: Data shows HV.1 is the fastest-spreading variant in Canada and is now estimated to be the most prevalent form of the virus. [Smart Money newsletter launch] Get expert help with your money. If you’re looking for advice you can trust when it comes to managing your finances, you might like the Star’s new Smart Money newsletter, [sponsored by Fidelity](. Every week, Smart Money will break down what you need to know to make, save and manage your money. [Sign up for free here](. WHAT ELSE [Canada’s climate change fight is nearly lost and we are “heading straight to hell,”]( says the Green Party co-leader. A parliamentary committee was set to study women’s health. [The problem? It was made up of mostly male MPs](. This GTA teacher couldn’t find books for her students about the First World War's all-Black battalion. [So she made her own](. Ontario Liberal leadership hopefuls have [unveiled their strategy to defeat front-runner Bonnie Crombie](. [Canadian homeowners are giving up hope of lower interest rates]( the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says. If the OSC had acted sooner, [could the tragedy at troubled hedge fund Traynor Ridge Capital have been avoided?]( Body cam footage shows former [Maple Leafs player Alex Galchenyuk threatening to kill police and their families](. The RCMP is investigating videos warning travellers not to fly Air India. [Here’s why they say they’re taking it seriously](. This U.S. presidential candidate wants to build a wall — [along the Canadian border](. Can eating differently mimic the effects of Ozempic? [Experts weigh in](. Geddy Lee had zero interest in a memoir. [Here’s what finally made him look back in the page-turner “My Effin’ Life.”]( Taylor Swift’s Vancouver ticket sales started Thursday [and they’re already being relisted for up to $20K](. POV Steve Russell/The Star [Olivia Chow’s big plans for the city come with one big problem.]( CLOSE-UP City of Toronto Archives COLLEGE STREET: WWI veterans recuperated at the Central Military Convalescent Hospital in Toronto. Soldiers limped to the southwest corner of the intersection — what they called Shrapnel Corners — and gathered daily on benches. [Their presence was a warning, in more ways than one](. 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_203590). Andrew 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](