Inside the Canadian military’s “cruel” use of pigs

Plus, Toronto’s 2023 plans for city services and a tossed murder conviction in three suspicious deaths  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

First Up   By Manuela Vega   Good morning. Here’s the latest on the use of pigs in Canadian military training, Toronto’s 2023 budget and a murder conviction overturned in one unsettling case.        DON’T MISS The Age/Toronto Star   military Many NATO countries have stopped using animals for military training — not Canada Hundreds of months-old pigs have been killed as part of Canadian Armed Forces training exercises — after having been impaled, mutilated or exposed to chemical nerve agents, according to internal government documents. Between 2012 and 2022, the Department of National Defence (DND) used and euthanized more than 1,800 pigs at a facility in Suffield, Alberta, where trainees identify wounds on the animals and treat them. Documents show the pigs either die during the training or are later euthanized. In one case, a sedated pig suddenly began “vocalizing loudly” and another attempted to jump off the table. Robert Cribb reports on the practice being called “horribly cruel” and unnecessary. Word from the DND: The use of pigs gives trainees increased “ability and confidence” in medical procedures so their skills can be “more effectively used on the battlefield to save lives,” it wrote in a statement to the Star. Wait, what? Most countries now use high-tech mannequins and simulators mirroring human anatomy. Studies, experts and the government’s own internal documents raise concerns that pigs aren’t always a good surrogate for training medical staff how to treat humans. Go deeper: “Pigs are very intelligent animals that can feel pain,” said Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a veterinary medicine expert and former head of anesthesiology at Tufts Veterinary School in Boston. “To put them through an improper anesthetic while undergoing severe surgical procedures is unethical, cruel and unnecessary.”   R.J. Johnston/The Star   big city spending Public libraries, park washrooms and housing will get more money in Toronto’s 2023 budget As part of a series of announcements ahead of the city’s official budget launch Tuesday, Mayor John Tory is promising to deliver improvements to the state of city services. He wants to ensure washrooms and water fountains in public parks are open earlier in the spring and later in the fall with a $2.86 million investment and pledged to increase the budget for the Toronto Public Library — among the busiest in the world — by $5 million. Tory said housing will see “significant investments,” including an additional $25 million to the city’s subsidy to the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, May Warren and David Rider report. Take a closer look at the numbers. More: Tory did not pledge to open more washrooms through the winter, a complaint from residents that intensified during the pandemic and was chronicled in the Star’s “Can’t We Do Better?” series. Meanwhile: Here’s why TTC riders may end up paying more — for more crowded, less frequent service. ICYMI: Tory wants a 4.3 per cent increase for Toronto police — adding $48.3-million to the $1.1 billion budget.   Supplied Photo   crime A woman’s murder conviction has been tossed in one of three suspicious deaths in a Mississauga home The Ontario Court of Appeal has overturned Melissa Merritt’s conviction for murdering her ex-husband Caleb Harrison, and has ordered a new trial, Jacques Gallant reports. The development is the latest in a case that saw three members of a family found dead in the same home over a five-year period. Merritt and her common-law spouse Christopher Fattore had been convicted by a jury in 2018, but the court found Thursday that the judge had made two serious errors in his instructions on key evidence, requiring Merritt’s conviction to be overturned. Here’s what we know about the unsettling case. Context: Caleb and his parents, Bill and Bridget, were found dead in their Mississauga home over a five-year period, but it was only after Caleb was killed in 2013 that his parents’ deaths were also considered homicides by police. The Star’s Amy Dempsey reported on how the authorities failed the Harrisons. More: The Harrisons’ family members have always argued that Bridget Harrison (née Blackwell) and Caleb’s deaths could have been prevented if Bill’s death had been properly investigated.       WHAT ELSE   The OPP anti-rackets branch is working to determine whether to open an investigation into Ford’s plan to develop the Greenbelt. Here’s what you need to know.   What you need to know about a Toronto man who pleaded guilty to using COVID relief money to illegally order firearms — including a Trump branded gun — by mail. Chicken breasts for $27 per kilo? Consumers are blaming supermarkets for soaring food prices.   Here’s why the COVID variant dubbed “Kraken” is causing such concern and what makes it different from others. A bid to improve policing and replace the RCMP in Surrey, B.C. could end up being a multimillion-dollar boondoggle.   Sunwing says it’s “incredibly sorry” — but customers say they still aren’t getting compensation for the travel fiasco. Ransomware Robin Hood? Why the cyber attack on SickKids came with an apology.   Ontario school boards have ratified a four-year deal with CUPE support staff. Here’s what’s next. The Ontario Liberals have released a scathing review of their election defeat to Doug Ford’s government last June.   Ontario’s NDP will pass the torch to incoming leader Marit Stiles on Feb. 4, a month earlier than planned. Queen West is losing yet another retail chain with H&M permanently closing its doors.   Prince Harry’s memoir has leaked — and it sounds explosive.       ICYMI File Photo Inflation is bad for workers, but good for this guy 👆 and his fellow CEOs. Here’s how worker pay fared in 2021.       CLOSE-UP Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese   HALIFAX: Connor Bedard celebrates the Canadians’ world juniors win over the Czechs Thursday night with the championship trophy — the 17-year-old was named tournament MVP.     One last thing before I go: we still want to know what big plans you have for 2023. Are they to hit the gym more consistently or start a home-improvement project? Snap a photo of you in action and send it to us at firstup@thestar.ca. We may just feature you in an upcoming edition. Thank you for reading. 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. 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