No closure for the victims of a white nationalist

Plus, protecting cities from cyberattacks and buildings dropping from the Heritage Registry [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the white nationalist murder of the Afzaal family, cyberattacks on municipalities and Toronto buildings set to lose their heritage status. DON’T MISS Nicole Osborne/The Star Canada [There can be no closure for the family of the Afzaals]( On June 6, 2021, three generations of the Afzaal family were killed by a white nationalist in London, Ont. Now that there is a verdict in the case — Nathaniel Veltman was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder — the Afzaal’s family are coming to grips with the full extent of their grief. Hina and Ali Islam speak with Mahdis Habibinia in their first interview at length since the murders about [honouring their family, the purpose they’ve gained and why closure is unrealistic for them](. - More: The victims were Yumnah Afzaal, 15; Madiha Salman, 44; Salman Afzaal, 46; and Talat Afzaal, 74. Yumnah’s brother, now 11 years old, was seriously injured but survived. - Watch for: A sentencing hearing for the case begins Thursday. Veltman faces an automatic term of life in prison for first-degree murder with no chance of parole for at least 25 years. At a later date, a judge will hear arguments on whether the attack was an act of terrorism. If she decides it was, it will be the first time an act motivated by far-right ideology will be declared terrorism. Nick Lachance/The Star technology [After the Toronto library cyberattack, how can cities defend themselves? ]( Municipalities “are a treasure trove of information,” says Kyle Bateman, manager of Information Technology for Port Hope — and experts say they are increasingly being targeted by cyberattacks. For instance, the ransomware attack on the Toronto Public Library in October resulted in stolen personal data likely being shared or sold on the dark web, leaving victims vulnerable to fraud or identity theft, Alyshah Hasham and Emily Fagan write. What if a different service was targeted, like water, waste or 911? [Here’s what experts say needs to be done to protect municipalities from cyber disaster](. - Why it matters: “This is an attack essentially on all of the residents of Toronto,” says cybersecurity policy expert Charles Finlay. “It should be responded to with the kind of investments and improvements that are necessary in light of that.” - By the numbers: A 2023 survey found 91 per cent of municipalities had not had a significant cyber breach. Where attacks did happen, ransom requests ranged from less than $50,000 to more than a million dollars. R.J. Johnston/The Star toronto [Thousands of Toronto buildings are at risk of losing their heritage status]( Nearly 4,000 buildings are set to lose their heritage status at the end of the year, Raju Mudhar reports. As the Ontario government prioritizes building new homes with the More Homes Built Faster Act, it effectively eliminates a designation covering almost a third of the buildings on Toronto’s Heritage Register. “We don’t have a culture in this city, province or country, where we believe our history is worth saving,” said Christopher Hume, the Star’s former longtime architecture critic. “If a buck can be made by knocking something down, people will do it.” [Here’s how the rules work and why they’re “a nightmare.”]( - Context: The city’s Heritage Register has properties that are either “designated” (evaluated and granted heritage protection for historical or cultural significance) or “listed but non-designated” (commonly referred to as “listed,” which covers properties that may be of importance but haven’t been evaluated). Bill 23 puts a time limit on listed properties. - Now what? Aiming to save and reuse important historical buildings, Architecture Conservancy Ontario is creating a database in which they hope to add many properties that may lose their listed status. WHAT ELSE Groups that fought a supportive housing project in Willowdale [have seen their appeals dismissed](. An apparent Israeli strike has killed a senior Hamas figure in Beirut and [raises fears the conflict could expand](. The industry minister wants a foreign grocery giant to challenge Canada’s Big Five. [Will anyone bite?]( There are two approaches Canada can take to [ease the world’s critical mineral shortages](. Bonnie Crombie has surpassed her fundraising target as the [Liberals collect $1.2 million](. Here’s why variable-rate mortgages may [have an edge over fixed rates in 2024](. A man killed in a Caledon crash had just moved to Canada. [Here’s what we know about the father from Punjab](. After a blaze on the TTC, the fire chief is [warning of the growing risks of e-bikes and other micromobility devices](. [Over 3,500 residents were left with no power]( after an outage in Roncesvalles. The holidays saw a [flurry of surprising royal developments](. POV Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh [It’s clear the anti-science movement has a tight grip on the Alberta government.]( CLOSE-UP Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images UKRAINE: A firefighter and a State Emergency Service rescuer evacuate a woman from a multi-storey building destroyed in a missile attack in the centre of Kyiv on Tuesday amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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_206504). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. 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