Investigating TDSB's alternative school lottery gaffe

Plus, condemning Israeli settler violence and Canada's immigration policies [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the TDSB’s alternative school lottery blunder, settler violence in the West Bank and Canada’s immigration policies. DON’T MISS Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star star investigation [The TDSB continued to pay a software company millions after the board said it messed up the alternative school lottery]( In April, the Toronto District School Board blamed a third-party vendor for accidentally excluding hundreds of racialized, LGBTQ and disabled students from a lottery meant to prioritize them for spots in alternative elementary schools, Brendan Kennedy reports. The board apologized for the mistake and scrambled to find a solution, but refused to seek any recourse from the third-party vendor or publicly name it. Now, documents obtained through freedom-of-information laws show the vendor is a software company called PowerSchool Canada, which has received nearly $4 million since the lottery gaffe. [Here’s why some parents are voicing their concerns](. - Word from the TDSB: The board walked back its blaming of PowerSchool in response to the Star’s story, saying the TDSB was ultimately “responsible for oversight.” A spokesperson added that PowerSchool provides a variety of services to the board. - Word from PowerSchool Canada: In a statement, a spokesperson said the company is “committed to addressing and removing barriers to equity in education,” and that PowerSchool “partnered” with the TDSB to “investigate the issue” and complete the application process. Zain Jaafar/AFP via Getty Images middle east [Canada joins the EU, Britain and others in decrying “extremist settlers” violence in the occupied West Bank]( Fourteen countries, including Canada, have made a joint statement of “grave concern,” urging Israel to do more to stop “extremist settler” violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. According to the United Nations, violence in the Palestinian territory has risen at an unprecedented rate since Oct. 7, with this year being the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank since the humanitarian agency began recording casualties in 2005. [Here’s why the countries are highlighting the “environment of near complete impunity.”]( - Wait, what? Armed groups living in Israeli settlements, deemed illegal under international law, have attacked Palestinians hundreds of times in the West Bank, which Canada considers to be an Israel-occupied Palestinian territory. - Why it matters: Israel’s ambassador to Canada suggested last week that Israel gives more weight to international concerns about its government policies when they are expressed by countries that also provide more support. He gave the example of the U.S. having deployed aircraft carriers to the region. - Meanwhile: [U.S. President Joe Biden’s refusal to heed to public opinion for a ceasefire seems outdated at best, authoritarian at worst]( Shira Lurie writes. Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick immigration [Canada, the U.K. and Australia all face immigration challenges — but they’re approaching them differently]( Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia are all facing public pressures over housing shortages and the soaring cost of living, Nicholas Keung reports. But in the U.K. and Australia, the Conservative and Labour governments have unveiled plans to slash net migration — responses that couldn’t be more different from Canada’s approach. Here, the Liberal government is sticking to its plans to welcome 485,000 permanent residents next year and 500,000 in 2025, though it will hold back increases for 2026. [Here’s how — and why — the policies differ so much](. - More: “You look around the world and there is a move toward retrenchment, nationalism, othering the other, looking at borders,” said Naomi Alboim, a Queen's University fellow in policy studies, who served senior federal and provincial government roles in immigration and labour. “We are the outlier.” - Go deeper: Experts suggest measures by British and Australian governments to restrict temporary migration are politically motivated and may not make a major difference in reducing numbers. WHAT ELSE A volcanic eruption has begun in Iceland near its biggest tourist attraction. [Here’s what we know](. Doug Ford’s Tories are in the lead, [but Bonnie Crombie is exposing their vulnerabilities, a new poll suggests](. Toronto wants assurance Ontario will stick to its pledge to pay for the costs of a housing bill.[Here’s why the city is concerned](. Ontario’s legal regulator is arguing that an [admitted sexual abuser is not of “good character” to be an Ontario lawyer](. [The Pope has approved blessings]( not resembling marriage for same-sex couples. Are Canada’s EV targets out of reach? [B.C. and California easily surpassed theirs](. Someone felled the tree honouring a woman’s late mother. [The city wanted $738 to replace it](. What does it mean to be “middle-class”? [Canadians from a wide range of incomes proudly wear the label](. [Gen-Z is choosing experiences over saving]( as life milestones seem increasingly out of reach. A white Christmas will be unlikely in Toronto this year. [Here’s your holiday forecast](. POV Nick Lachance/The Star [Why student housing may be key to unlocking Toronto’s waterfront.]( CLOSE-UP Nick Lachance/The Star UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO: Joanna Taylor, left, and Sarah Deforest share a moment during a class where Gen Z and seniors join to learn about aging. [Midway through the term, something magical happened](. 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_205723). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. LAST CHANCE Only $39.99 for 1 Year [Get This Offer]( 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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