Gaza refugee application criticized for ‘alarmist sentiment’

Plus, concerns about the international student program and a group A strep on the rise [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the international student program, refugee applications for Palestinians in Gaza and a deadly infection on the rise. DON’T MISS Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press Immigration [Is Ottawa ‘scapegoating’ international students?]( While Immigration Minister Marc Miller faces backlash for high levels of immigration and its impact on affordable housing, news that Canada could restrict the number of international students in some provinces has been met with criticism and caution, Nicholas Keung reports. The CBC reported that Ottawa is examining provinces that take more international students than their housing stock can accommodate — citing Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia specifically. Adaeze Mbalaja, national executive representative of the Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario, says the government is using international students as a “scapegoat.” [Take a closer look at the changes on the way](. - Go deeper: Critics have called the international student program a cash cow for the post-secondary sector, touted by unscrupulous agents as a shortcut to permanent residence. Through their spending and tuition, the students contribute $22 billion to the Canadian economy and support 200,000 jobs. - More: “All of these things that impact every single member of our community, international students included, are not being addressed with these announcements. It’s really frustrating,” said Mbalaja. Supplied CANADA [Experts say refugee applications for people in Gaza demand a unique level of detail]( Vancouver-based lawyer Randall Cohn said he has seen “nothing like this.” Refugee applications for people in Gaza are being asked in a new form to list all social media accounts and email addresses they’ve ever used, their employment history since age 16 and a “description of any scars or injuries” they have, Ben Cohen reports. Another lawyer, Max Chaudhary, credits the questions to the “alarmist sentiment stemming from the Gaza territory’s political leadership being Hamas.” [Here’s why he says Canada is being excessively cautious](. - Word from Ottawa: Immigration responses are “tailored to each different context to meet the unique needs of those who require our support,” Jeffrey MacDonald, spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, told the Star. - Go deeper: For Ottawa resident Jihan Qunoo, the applications are full-time work. She spent 15 hours completing all necessary forms for seven family members in Gaza and has 16 more relatives to go. She faces an application fee of around $3,000 for all of them. Dreamstime EXPLAINER [Invasive group A strep hits record numbers in Ontario and Canada]( Last year, Canada logged a record 4,600 cases of a deadly variety of group A streptococcus — a bacterial infection that kills roughly one in ten affected people, and one of the most common causes of flesh-eating disease, Kevin Jiang reports. In December, Ontario recorded 222 cases, more than any other month on record since the 2014-2015 season. Children are particularly susceptible. [Here’s how group A strep starts, stops and spreads](. - Wait, what? An infection usually results in strep throat, which is relatively mild. But certain strains can move into sterile areas of the body, leading to serious complications, infectious diseases and infection control physician Dr. Alon Vaisman explained. - Why it matters: “Part of the reason people die from group A strep is because it’s a very rapidly progressing infection. If it’s not identified quickly, people can die from it,” he said. WHAT ELSE The Ford government’s controversial plan for [private medical clinics will begin this spring](. Donald Trump wants to kill CNN and MSNBC. [It’s time for the media to fight back](. MPPs haven’t had raises since 2008 — and some see that as a problem. “[It’s easy for Doug, because he’s rich.]( Pierre Poilievre is putting a new face on the Conservative party. [Here are some of the people who might join him](. Toronto lawyer Brian Greenspan has been [removed from Peter Nygard’s case over their “adversarial relationship.]( Worried about Toronto’s proposed property tax hike? [Experts break down how you’d be impacted](. Who are the Raptors newcomers? [What you need to know about Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora and Kira Lewis](. Toronto Zoo says employees’ [social insurance numbers and addresses have been stolen in a cyberattack](. The Eaton Centre is seeing stores open and close this year. [Here’s what’s changing](. With Kate and Charles both hospitalized, [the royals are set for a challenging few months](. POV Steve Russell/Toronto Star [The Siakam trade marks the end of the Raptors’ championship era. This is Barnes’s team now](. CLOSE-UP Sanjay Kanojia/AFP via Getty Images INDIA: A Sikh man demonstrates his skills during a religious procession on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, in Prayagraj on Tuesday. 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_207324). 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