Why the Toronto spa killer was sentenced as an adult

Plus, a walkout at York University and municipalities rejecting fossil fuel projects [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the sentencing of the incel terrorist, a York University walkout related to the Israel-Hamas war and rejected fossil fuel projects in Ontario. DON’T MISS GoFundMe Photo courts [The incel terrorist who murdered a Toronto spa worker has been sentenced as an adult to life in prison]( Although he was 17 at the time of the murder, the incel-inspired terrorist who killed Toronto spa worker and mother Ashley Arzaga in 2020 has been sentenced as an adult to life in prison, Jacques Gallant reports. The decision is due, in part, to the fact that the judge found his deliberate planning of the attack to display the level of maturity, moral sophistication and capacity for independent thought of an adult. That attack “was twofold in its impact,” the judge said. “It resulted in Ms. Arzaga’s death, while simultaneously intimidating society generally and women in particular.” [Here’s more on the sentencing](. - Context: In the 2020 attack, Oguzhan Sert used a sword inscribed with a misogynistic slur and a note in his pocket saying “Long Live the Incel Rebellion.” He killed Arzaga and injured her colleague, calling her a misogynistic name. He described the Toronto van killer — who claimed to be an incel — as an “inspiration.” - More: Sert will not be able to apply for parole for 10 years — the maximum ineligibility period for a young person sentenced as an adult for murder. He was also given a three-year sentence for attempted murder. - Go deeper: Lawyers say the case will be studied for the message it sends about violence against women and the risk of isolated youth becoming enamoured with dangerous ideologies. Canadian Press/Chris Young israel-hamas war [York University sees a walkout after putting faculty and staff members on leave in wake of charges in Indigo vandalism]( York University has again become a flashpoint for local tensions around the Israel-Hamas war, Joshua Chong and Ben Cohen report. Roughly 200 pro-Palestinian students and faculty members staged a walkout on campus on Tuesday, calling for a reinstatement of the faculty members and staff who they said were put on paid leave after being charged with mischief for allegedly vandalizing a downtown Toronto bookstore. [They say the school’s actions will “interrupt student learning, teaching, create fear and damage the reputations of those accused.”]( - Word from the university: The decision to place the faculty and staff members on leave was made “out of concern for the safety of our community, including the individuals charged by the police,” York University spokesperson Yanni Dagonas said. - Context: The Nov. 10 vandalism at an Indigo store targeted company chief executive officer Heather Reisman, apparently over her charity that provides scholarships to former “lone soldiers” — those without family in Israel, who served in the Israel Defence Forces. - Meanwhile: [Mediators are looking to extend the truce in Gaza on its final day, with one more hostage swap planned](. Richard Lautens/The Star climate crisis [Gas plants proposals to Ontario communities get mixed results ]( Local municipal councils in Eastern Ontario this week have welcomed one new gas plant, but rejected another, complicating the province’s plan to build new fossil fuel projects, Marco Chown Oved reports. The local votes that were once a courtesy became a requirement when Premier Doug Ford gave locals a veto over new energy projects in their communities. That move was initially pitched as a way to combat wind and solar farms, but it has evolved into a way to stymie fossil fuel projects. [These are the health, climate and economic arguments fuelling the rejections](. - More: “Natural gas is not a benign bridge fuel, it’s methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas,” said Dr. Mili Roy, co-chair of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Ontario. “Climate change is the single greatest health threat that we face around the world.” - ICYMI: Ontario gas plants were supposed to run only during peak periods. [Instead they’re running most of the time, polluting the air you breathe](. - Meanwhile: A new tool is mapping environmental problem areas in 125 Canadian cities. [Where in Toronto are you most exposed to extreme summer heat?]( [Cookies] Need a new favourite holiday cookie? Every day till Christmas, Star journalists are taking turns baking recipes from our extensive archives for our new Cookie Calendar newsletter, [sponsored by SickKids Get Better Gifts](. Follow our holiday baking adventures — and get some inspiration for your own — by [signing up for free here](. WHAT ELSE Alberta could lead the energy transition. [But Danielle Smith’s approach and Ottawa’s subsidies are a toxic combination](. After two years of controversy, the Assembly of First Nations is set to elect a new leader. [Here’s who is running](. Ontario and Toronto’s new deal is a “good first step” for the TTC, [but the board chair says a longer fix is needed](. Doug Ford says he made a “really one-sided deal” with Olivia Chow. [Here’s what you need to know](. “I hugged Ofri.” [The Toronto uncle of a 10-year-old girl freed by Hamas tells the story of their bittersweet reunion](. Despite the turmoil, understaffing and long wait time, [here’s why ER doctors are not leaving](. Could immigration become an election issue? [A new poll shows two-thirds of Canadians say the target is too high](. Ontario has a road salt addiction. [And experts say it’s turning our rivers and lakes into saltwater](. What’s wrong with looking my age? Shellene Drakes-Tull explains why [she’s accepting aging as a form of resistance](. Home prices are dropping in Ontario’s ski country — [but they won’t stay down for long, Royal LePage says](. The McDonald’s of my youth is the McDonald’s of today, David Olive writes. [Therein lies its founder George Cohon’s legacy](. Why Omid Scobie’s new book “Endgame” [could torch Harry and Meghan’s remaining relationship with the royals](. POV Lechatnoir [The Ford government's bottomless determination to convert our drinking into private profit should concern us all.]( CLOSE-UP Sajjad Hussain/AFP INDIA: Villagers and locals gathered to look at the efforts by operatives to rescue 41 men trapped inside the collapsed under construction Silkyara tunnel in the Uttarkashi district of the Uttarakhand state on Tuesday. [The construction workers later emerged from the tunnel, where they had been stranded for 17 days](. 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_204601). 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. [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](