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As Russia launched into war with Ukraine, here’s who Canada’s ambassador was meeting behind the scenes

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During the first two months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Canada’s ambassador in Moscow dined with top diplomats, gathered intel from local sources and hosted allies at the embassy. Nearly 100 pages of documents obtained by the Star through an access-to-information request paint a partial picture of ambassador Alison LeClaire’s travel and networking schedule for … Read more

Fiona: A glimpse inside Atlantic Canada after the storm

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Fiona: A glimpse inside Atlantic Canada after the storm | The Star n”,”heading”:””,”fullWindow”:false,”fullBleed”:false,”showFullBleedOnMobile”:false,”headColor”:””,”type”:”html5mobile”,”textColor”:””,”mobileImageUrl”:””,”bgColor”:””,”imageUrl”:””,”registeredOnly”:false,”linkUrl”:””,”aodaTitle”:”twitter updates”,”internalScroll”:false,”displayStyle”:”small-up”},{“text”:”Residents were traumatized by the experience, said John Osmond, president of a local Lions Club. He noted that aside from the loss of physical property, people were struck by the sight of their homes, which they’d spent their lives building, disappear in … Read more

A Mr. Big named ‘Stephanie’: The elaborate undercover operation to catch a GTA double-killer

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Traveling east on Highway 401 toward what he thought was a new career path, Trestan Brown opened up about his attempt to find the motivation to lead a better life by forgiving himself — even for the murder of an innocent person. Brown was going to use their death to tell himself, “I can’t do … Read more

Canada’s Green Party was on a mission to save the planet. With its credibility in tatters, is there any point in continuing?

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OTTAWA — The federal Green Party’s two members of Parliament and its interim leader arrived at a news conference in Ottawa this week to talk about climate change. But when time came for questions from the media, the politicians were forced onto terrain that has exhausted and troubled their party for more than two years: … Read more

Inside the Blue Jays social media machine

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It’s the bottom of the seventh inning on a Monday night at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays are coming off a three-game sweep to the Angels, needing to right the ship in the middle of a tightly bunched American League wild-card race. They’re trailing 4-0 to the Cubs in the opener of a three-game … Read more

Foreign students face rental ripoffs

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Foreign students face rental ripoffs | The Star n”,”heading”:””,”fullWindow”:false,”fullBleed”:false,”showFullBleedOnMobile”:false,”headColor”:””,”type”:”html5mobile”,”textColor”:””,”mobileImageUrl”:””,”bgColor”:””,”imageUrl”:””,”registeredOnly”:false,”linkUrl”:””,”aodaTitle”:”Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the Toronto area”,”internalScroll”:false,”displayStyle”:”small-up”},{“text”:”Meanwhile, the same experts warn that these rental deposit demands, largely targeting foreign nationals and quietly enabled by realtors, are harming both Toronto’s numerous post-secondary institutions and its reputation as a welcoming place for international students pursuing higher … Read more

How Casa Loma, and Toronto, masquerade as other places

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Casa Loma is an oddity in the city, but it’s so ingrained in Toronto’s cultural life we ​​often don’t give it a second thought. Now a go-to venue for weddings and Halloween fright nights, it’s hard to imagine that the 98-room Gothic Revival-styled castle, built between 1911 and 1914 with a $3.5-million price tag, was … Read more

My story made him a hero. Years later he revealed a secret

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When I first met Ismael Abdulle in 2010, he was sitting slumped on a ratty overstuffed chair, inside a cavernous ballroom in Mogadishu. Nearby, three glass chandeliers and gold curtains hung heavy, and a patio gave way to lush gardens. Ismael was 17 years old at the time, but he could have passed for 12 … Read more

Trolls harass Bruxy Cavey accuser after megachurch allegations

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When the complainant came forward with allegations of sexual assault against celebrity megachurch pastor Bruxy Cavey, she said she wanted to help prevent other people from going through what she had. Since then, she says she has been taunted by online harassers claiming she is only trying to hurt Cavey and the church. Posts from … Read more

David Chang’s Momofuku closing its Toronto restaurants

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A decade after Torontonians first lined up hours for bowls of ramen, platters of bossam and pork belly baos, New York-based chef David Chang’s restaurant company Momofuku announced that it is ceasing operations in the city on Dec. 23. BlogTO first broke the news Thursday about company’s exit from the city, citing an anonymous former … Read more