Reuniting Palestinians with Canadian relatives

Plus, boosting Toronto's home-building efforts and a mass shooting in Prague [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. The days start getting longer from here through late June. Rejoice. Here’s the latest on Ottawa’s measures for Palestinian refugees, the feds’ pledge to accelerate Toronto’s race to build homes and a mass shooting in Prague. DON’T MISS Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images israel-hamas war [Ottawa has announced measures to unite displaced Palestinians with relatives in Canada — but safe passage is far from guaranteed]( Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced three new measures aimed at helping Gazans displaced by the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas militant group find refuge in Canada. Most prominently, Gazans with family members who are already Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be able to apply for temporary residency permits themselves starting in January, Joshua Chong and Nicholas Keung report. [Still, there are many factors that remain out of Canada’s control](. - Context: The Palestinian-Canadian community has pleaded for such measures, which are similar in nature — though not as broad — to what was extended to Ukrainians displaced by Russia’s invasion in 2022. - Reaction: “I see there are good steps being taken, but I feel like we could have done much sooner,” said one Palestinian-Canadian woman. “My parents were trapped in Gaza for two months. And when they got out, it wasn’t due to Canada’s efforts.” - Now what? How many displaced Gazans are actually able to leave the battered exclave remains to be seen. Miller stressed that Canada does not control movement at the Rafah crossing into Egypt. R.J. Johnston/The Star housing crisis [Toronto’s fight for affordable housing is getting a nearly half-billion-dollar boost from Ottawa — with strings attached]( Standing side-by-side with Mayor Olivia Chow in East York on Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced $471 million in federal funding for a range of housing initiatives. Among the priorities will be densification, protecting existing affordable rentals, speeding up new building development and reinvigorating public housing programs, Victoria Gibson and Ben Spurr report. While leases in the city remain exorbitant, it’s no wonder why most of the efforts focus on increasing the rental supply. [Here’s a closer look at the housing deal](. - By the numbers: There are around 10,000 people currently facing homelessness in the city, Chow noted. The waitlist for subsidized housing is currently north of 85,000 applicants. - Watch for: Toronto will get a $117.75-million payment to start. Additional annual payments are contingent on hitting mutually agreed upon benchmarks; for 2024, that includes delivering a post-secondary housing strategy. - Another angle: Despite the early Christmas gift, Edward Keenan writes that [Toronto wants — and needs — even more from the federal government](. Petr David Josek/AP Photo czech shooting [Gunman kills 14 in Czech Republic’s worst mass shooting in history]( A student opened fire at the philosophy department building at Prague’s Charles University on Thursday, killing at least 14 people and injuring over 20 more in what has already nearly doubled the previous mark for the worst mass-shooting in Czech Republic’s history. The shooter has also died after suffering “devastating injuries.” [Here’s what we know so far.]( - Context: The gunman is believed to have killed his father earlier on Thursday and has been linked to the killing of a man and his two-month-old daughter earlier this month. - What we don’t know: At the time of publication, the shooter’s potential motive for the spree is unknown, though investigators do not believe the attack is tied to extremist groups or ideologies. WHAT ELSE [Justin Trudeau decried “antisemitic content”]( in a recent Toronto Sun editorial cartoon about Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. Yesterday marked the first day of winter — but don’t get your hopes up for a White Christmas, Toronto. [Here’s your holiday forecast](. Theresa Tam was thrust into the spotlight by COVID-19. [How great was the personal toll for Canada’s top public health boss?]( Why would a lawyer take the court itself to court? [Look inside the fight to get trial data from the Ontario Supreme Court](. What we learned from listening to 10 of Pierre Poilievre’s year-end interviews — [like how to actually pronounce his name](. [Only 26 per cent of Canadians could afford a single-family home today]( down from 40 per cent just four years ago. A New York Post columnist has no regrets about dissing Toronto as a baseball town. [Is Ohtani really better off in LA?]( Honda and Acura are recalling nearly 300,000 vehicles due to faulty fuel pumps. [Find out if your model is affected](. Vin Diesel was accused of sexual battery by a former assistant. [Here’s what the “Fast and Furious” star is alleged to have done](. That rotten smell wafting in from the local multiplex? [Peter Howell says “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is dead in the water](. ICYMI Handout [Inside the business dealings shielded from investigators in the Barry and Honey Sherman murder probe.]( CLOSE-UP West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture DOWNTOWN: The winning design for a new park named Wàwàtesí — “Firefly” in Anishinaabemowin — to be built at 229 Richmond Street West. [Purchased by the city in 2019, the land will host the first new park installed in Toronto’s Entertainment District in 20 years](. 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_205908). 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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