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| | By Manuela Vega | | |
| Good morning. Here’s the latest on the Vaughan condo shooting, changes at CTV News, and student absences amid a triple threat of viruses. | | | |
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| | | DON’T MISS | | |
| Francesco Villi,/Facebook | | |
| VAUGHAN SHOOTING | | A mass shooting in a Vaughan condo that left six people dead, including the gunman, followed years of disputes between the shooter and the building’s board of directors. Disturbing social media posts, legal back-and-forth, and emails with city officials detailed the shooter’s unsubstantiated belief that board members were trying to kill him. The rampage Sunday night took place just a day before a court date in which the condo corporation sought to have Francesco Villi, 73, removed from the building as his alleged harassment continued. Police said three of his five victims were members of the board. Here’s what else we know about the victims, the string of murders, and Villi’s history. - More: Police said the victims, three men and two women, lived in the Bellaria Residences complex. The chief coroner’s office is not yet ready to release their identities, York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said.
- Context: Police were called to the building at 7:21 p.m. Sunday with reports of an active shooter. An officer gunned down Villi, who had taken to three separate units with a semi-automatic handgun, police said.
- Go deeper: Here’s what we know and don’t know about Francesco Villi.
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| Richard Lautens/Toronto Star | | |
| BELL MEDIA | | After an independent review that found a need for greater civility and respect, a desire to improve working conditions, and a culture where people were afraid to speak up, CTV’s former vice-president of news is being reassigned. Michael Melling — who some blame for the firing of national CTV anchor Lisa LaFlamme — is moving to VP Shared Services, Joanna Chiu reports. Here’s why current and former employees still question LaFlamme’s firing. - Context: LaFlamme’s termination sparked outrage among viewers and initiated a nationwide conversation on sexism and ageism in workplaces.
- Go deeper: Cuts, layoffs, and a shift away from expensive broadcast equipment characterized Melling’s time at CTV News, former employees told the Star, which created an atmosphere of low morale and apathy. Some others said the culture existed before Melling became VP of News. Melling has not responded to requests for comment from the Star.
- Wait, what? A senior journalist at CTV told the Star that the move should not be seen as a demotion, as the Shared Services division is “way bigger than the news department.”
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| Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star | | |
| HEALTH | | Respiratory virus season came early this year, and as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 spread, student absences are higher now than they have been during previous years, according to data obtained by the Star from several boards. Instead of being in class, children are staying home — or landing in overwhelmed and overflowing children’s hospitals, Isabel Teotonio reports. Take a look at the heavy toll of the absences on students, parents, and teachers. - By the numbers: At the Toronto District School Board, there were about 584,000 absences in total between Nov. 7 and 25. About 35 per cent were due to illness. Compare that to the same time in 2019, when there were 393,500 absences, and about 24 per cent were due to illness.
- The aftermath: When many kids are absent, teachers are reluctant to introduce new material, one educator said. “Everybody is saying the same thing: ‘Well, I had a lesson plan, but half my class was away today. So we just did review again.’”
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| | | WHAT ELSE | | |
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| | | POV | | | R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star file photo | | | | | | | |
| | | CLOSE-UP | | |
| Sergei Supinsky/AFP | | |
| UKRAINE: Rescuers try to extinguish a fire at a critical power infrastructure after a drone attack in Kyiv on Monday amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. | | | |
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| Before I go, I’d like to note that Saturday’s First Up erroneously referred to Strep A as a virus. However, Strep A is a bacterial infection. A correction has been issued to the original story to correct the same fact. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca. I’ll see you back here tomorrow. | | | |
| Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 | PRIVACY POLICY | | | | |
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