What's on Bonnie Crombie's agenda?

Plus, Israel's expanded Gaza offensive and seeking asylum in Toronto [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on Ontario’s new Liberal leader, Israel’s widening offensive on Gaza and the challenges of seeking asylum in Toronto. DON’T MISS R.J. Johnston/The Star provincial politics [Bonnie Crombie is officially the Ontario Liberal leader — here’s what’s on her agenda]( Now that she’s leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, Bonnie Crombie is focused on winning a seat in the legislature. “Certainly if a seat opened up, particularly if it was in Mississauga, that would be great,” she said, noting she’s open to other possibilities, like former Progressive Conservative labour minister Monte McNaughton’s vacant riding for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. Until then, she’ll be leading the party’s nine MPPs from the sidelines and travelling the province, Rob Ferguson, Kristin Rushowy and Robert Benzie report. [Here’s how Crombie says she’ll undo the damage of the Ford years](. - By the numbers: An Abacus Data poll for the Star last week found Crombie would give the Liberals a boost, but Ford’s Tories still lead. [Here’s where each provincial party stands](. - Go deeper: Crombie has proposed policies aiming to bolster the Greenbelt with a “water and food belt” of lands protected from development, clear the surgical backlog from the pandemic without resorting to for-profit clinics and more. Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images israel-Hamas war [Israel is widening its offensive and calling for more evacuations in southern Gaza]( The Israel-Hamas war has already killed thousands of Palestinians and displaced more than three-fourths of Gaza’s population. As residents run out of safe places to go, Israel’s military is calling for more evacuations in the south and says it has expanded its ground offensive to every part of the Palestinian territory, The Associated Press reports. “The occupation tells you to go to this area, then they bomb it,” said a widow and mother of four. “The reality is that no place is safe in Gaza. They kill people in the north. They kill people in the south.” [Here’s what you need to know today](. - On the home front:[Global Affairs has confirmed a Canadian death in Lebanon]( the eighth since the start of the war. - More: Relatives of a Toronto scientist have been [released from Hamas captivity](. - Meanwhile: An assault in the Red Sea marks an escalation in a [series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war](. - Go deeper: A Palestinian state is possible, [but it will require Arab countries as partners](. Lance McMillan/The Star immigration [Three asylum seekers struggling to find a foothold in Toronto tell their stories]( Namuwaya bought a plane ticket from Uganda to Toronto without knowing much about Canada — but she knew she had to run when her husband threatened to kill her. A growing number of people are moving to Canada seeking protection from persecution, war and violence, Emily Fagan reports, but as temperatures drop, hundreds are being turned away from Toronto’s overcrowded shelter system. Refugee support workers say the newcomers are diverse and motivated, but a lack of resources that was once here has left many unsheltered, retraumatized and feeling alone. [Namuwaya and two more asylum seekers share the challenges they’ve faced and their dreams for the future](. - Go deeper: Churches and community centres have taken in asylum seekers, but resources are running thin. The city and federal government have maintained a months-long tug of war over shelter funding. Already, one asylum claimant has died after being unable to access shelter indoors. - Meanwhile: Palestinian Canadians are pleading with Ottawa to offer help to their displaced families and relatives from the war zone. [Why isn’t Ottawa opening the doors it did for Ukraine?]( [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, [brought to you 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 “You never know what one phone call can do.” [Take an inside look at how Toronto’s newest emergency service tackles mental health crises](. [Succumbing to hate against any identifiable group solves nothing and takes us down a regrettable path]( Faisal Kutty writes. Charles Officer, the Toronto director who told stories of Black Canadians, has died. [Take a look at the is the legacy he leaves behind](. “I still love being a Temp.” The last original Temptation, Otis Williams, [reflects on more than 60 years in the Motown supergroup](. [Canada desperately needs a new generation of entrepreneurs]( — immigration and inclusion can help. [“Luxury condo” is a slur the left wing needs to drop if it wants to help the housing crisis]( Shawn Micallef writes. Construction will disrupt some TTC streetcar routes starting Monday. [Here’s what to expect](. Fixing the primary care crisis is underway. [This is the action we need to see now](. Magnolia is 25, earns $70,000 a year and lives rent-free with her parents — [but is “truly awful at saving.”]( Looking for dazzling displays? [These are the best spots around Toronto to see Christmas lights](. POV Naomi Baker/FIFA via Getty Images [Bruce Arthur: How Canadian legend Christine Sinclair hid in plain sight throughout her storied career.]( CLOSE-UP Ina Fassabender /AFP via Getty Images WESTERN GERMANY: An aerial view shows cars on a road crossing the snow-covered landscape at the Kahler Asten mountain near Winterberg on Friday. 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_204829). 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. 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