And I have a peek behind the scenes into the Star newsroom on a busy day.
asserted
I → have → day
But first up, here are six things to know going into the weekend:
- Carney’s speech was “profoundly European in spirit” but Trump wasn’t keen on his EU visit.
asserted
Trump → know → visit
Here’s how other leaders reacted.
asserted
leaders → ’ → ?
- The largest teachers’ union in Ontario has scheduled a strike vote for November.
asserted
union → schedule → November
- Starting in November, the TTC’s King streetcar faces nearly a year of disruptions from a series of construction projects.
asserted
streetcar → start → projects
- Mayoral candidate Brad Bradford promised a cop shop at Union Station.
asserted
Bradford → promise → Station
Police say one is already in the works.
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one → say → works
Bell blamed a network problem.
asserted
Bell → blame → problem
- The Niagara Parks Commission abandoned plans for a Ferris wheel.
asserted
Commission → abandon → wheel
But Niagara Falls will soon have Canada’s tallest.
asserted
Falls → have → Canada
As A Tribe Called Quest once said at the start of something special, “Here we go, yo — here we go, yo!”
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we → call → something
Auto thefts are down from their pandemic-era peak, but the nature of the crime has become much more violent.
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nature → become → crime
In a five-part series launching today, chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan traces the shift and what it has meant for car owners and police.
asserted
it → launch → owners
In part one, we’re introduced to 19-year-old Naz Tokhi, who has been convicted of leading a group of young men in 10 home invasions aimed at obtaining car keys.
asserted
who → introduce → keys
- Throwback: Donovan first investigated the booming auto theft industry when his own car was stolen in 2021.
asserted
car → investigate → 2021
Project South Investigation
- Mayor Olivia Chow says the city will “spare no expense” implementing anti-corruption police reforms.
asserted
city → say → reforms
- Despite Trump’s warning, Mark Carney told the EU he welcomed their offer of associate membership.
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he → tell → membership
In Carney’s pitch to the EU, like in the literary source of his speech, a happy ending is not guaranteed, Allan Woods says.
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Woods → guarantee → speech
- Andrew Phillips’ take: Trump shows us again why Carney is right to pursue closer ties with Europe.
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Carney → show → Europe
From the courts
- A judge said she won’t jail billionaire Frank Stronach for a sexual offence: “I’m not going to order custody for a man who is 94.”
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who → say → man
- A 16-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy in North York.
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old → charge → York
Business
- Canada is working hard to convince the U.K. and Germany to join Ottawa’s quest to establish a global defence bank, the lead negotiator says.
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negotiator → work → bank
- Unifor says it won’t rule out a strike against Stellantis after the automaker said it would sell its Brampton auto plant to defence contractor Roshel.
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it → say → Roshel
Planning was underway to launch Kevin Donovan’s latest investigation, Prime Minister Mark Carney was speaking in Europe, the mayor and premier and Trump were making news.
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mayor → launch → news
And then partway through the day, our internal channels lit up.
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channels → light → day
Editors rushed around, muttering urgently.
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Editors → rush → ?
Plans for the Thursday lineup were put on notice.
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Plans → put → notice
A judge’s decision had just lifted the publication ban on more than 270 pages of court documents we’d long been waiting to report on.
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we → lift → documents
By early afternoon, a set of desks in the middle of the newsroom was commandeered by the core team reporting on the ongoing police corruption allegations.
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set → commandeer → allegations
They sat together, heads down, quietly, toggling for hours between multiple documents on their laptops and larger screens.
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They → sit → laptops
Our newsroom lawyer was on call well into the night, going over stories, headlines, even the content of First Up, to check that it complied with the judge’s instructions about what could be published.
uncertain
what → go → instructions
By Thursday morning, you could see the initial results.
uncertain
you → see → results
More of that work was published today and is featured above.
asserted
More → publish → work
There are a lot of days in the newsroom when I witness the glory of the Star’s approach to journalism, which often involves teams of talented journalists working at a story together from different angles, sometimes over extended periods of time.
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which → be → time
At one point months ago, I counted more than a dozen reporters with bylines on stories related to the investigation, and there are more amazing people (editors, designers, photographers, lawyers) working with them at every step.
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I → count → step
And the result is that we cover the story more thoroughly than anyone else — that we, in the words of the Star’s foundational editor Joseph Atkinson, “get it first, sew it up, pursue every detail.”
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we → cover → detail
And then, as he instructed, we “play it big,” making sure our readers don’t miss the important stuff.
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miss → instruct → stuff
Details that raise questions — in the middle of a mayoral campaign, when public safety is a much-debated issue — about the leadership and accountability of those who are charged with keeping us safe.
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who → raise → us
If you have questions about this investigation, Star reporters at the heart of this story will join readers in the comments for a live Q&A today at noon.
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reporters → have → noon
Much of the information released in Project South is still subject to court-ordered publication bans.
asserted
Much → release → bans
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
