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Unsealed court documents provide glimpse into early stages of Bruce McArthur investigation

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“During an investigation in to other outstanding missing persons in the gay community, this occurrence, as well as two other missing males of similar ethnic background have come to light,” wrote a Toronto police detective. “This is a serious concern for the Toronto Police Service and further investigation is required to rule out or confirm criminal activity.”

Court documents unsealed by an Ontario judge Friday provide a limited glimpse into the police task force known as Project Houston — the ultimately unsuccessful probe that examined the disappearances of three men now believed to be among alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur’s eight victims.

They also show that years before McArthur became a murder suspect, police were homing in on areas McArthur was known to frequent — including Silverdaddies.com, a gay dating app used by McArthur, and bars within the Gay Village — though there is no mention of McArthur as a suspect in the newly released documents.

The vast majority of the information in the ITOs released Friday has been redacted by the court, but the documents do provide a peek inside the initial probe into the disappearances of Navaratnam, Abdulbasir Faizi, 42, and Majeed Kayhan, 58.

The three men, who disappeared from the Gay Village between 2010 and 2012, became the subjects of Project Houston, which launched in November 2012. At one point in September 2013, the documents state police believe Navaratnam and Faizi were “murdered.”

The ITO documents provide a partial view of the wide net investigators cast in their efforts to determine who the men communicated with, and what they did, in the days and weeks before their disappearances. Among the companies police targeted: Yahoo!, Telus Communications, Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Scotiabank, CIBC and Cogeco Cable Canada LP. They also sought search warrants for addresses and tracking warrants for vehicles.

Project Houston ended after 18 months, when police could find “no evidence to suggest criminal activity.” A small crew of officers at the local downtown division continued to probe the disappearances as missing persons cases.

The early investigation into the men’s disappearances — and the decision to end Project Houston — has been the subject of heated criticism after the arrest of McArthur, the 66-year-old landscaper accused of eight counts of first degree murder — including all three Project Houston men.

After the project ended in April 2014, it is alleged that McArthur went on to kill five more men — Andrew Kinsman, 49, Selim Esen, 44, Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam, 37, Dean Lisowick, 47, and Soroush Mahmudi, 50.

Police sources have previously told the Star that McArthur was questioned around the time of Project Houston. McArthur did not become a murder suspect until November 2017 — in the death of Kinsmen.

As previously reported by the Star and other media, Project Houston homed in for months on the wrong suspect — Peterborough man James Alex Brunton. Police had received a tip that potentially linked him to Navaratnam, and for a period between late 2012 and June 2013, the project became a homicide probe, pursuing evidence that he’d become the victim of a cannibalism ring.

Documents unsealed by the courts showed investigators obtained warrants to search Brunton’s Peterborough home, track a vehicle registered to his address, intercept communications within the home, and that a confidential informant and an undercover officer were involved in the investigation.

When that evidence was discounted — Brunton was later cleared as a murder suspect, but arrested on child porn charges — the case was no longer a homicide investigation.

Questions and criticisms over the force’s handling of its investigation into the disappearances of Navaratnam, Kayhan and Faizi, as well as those of five other men, most with ties to the Gay Village and of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent, prompted the Toronto Police Services Board to launch an independent review of how missing persons cases are investigated. The high-profile review, presided over by former Ontario Superior Court Justice Gloria Epstein, is looking at the policies and practices employed during missing persons investigations and whether discrimination or bias may have affected how police conducted themselves.

That review is in addition to another, internal review police are conducting on their own of how they conduct missing persons investigations.

The ITO documents released Friday reveal new details about steps police took in the days after Navaratnam, Faizi and Kayhan were reported missing and provide a snapshot of the turmoil faced by their families and friends as they grew more worried.

They also show Toronto police made inquiries concerning three accounts on silverdaddies.com, sometime around Jan. 2013. The website is a “meeting place for mature men and other men (both daddies and younger) who are interested in keeping their daddy happy and/or sexually satisfied,” according to the documents.

What, if anything, investigators gleaned from this is blacked-out in the documents.

McArthur had a SilverDaddies account, and as previously reported by the Star, used it to connect to at least one man — a closeted, Middle Eastern man living in Toronto, who anonymously spoke to the Star. He said the men had sex in a bathhouse, but the relationship didn’t progress due to how rough McArthur’s sexual preferences were.

One Oct. 2010 request for a production order for Telus Communications contains a summary of investigative work done by police looking into Navaratnam’s disappearance. The summary shows that on Sept. 26, 2010 — 10 days after Navaratnam was reported missing by a friend — a police sergeant, accompanied by 16 of Navaratnam’s friends and concerned community members, did a walk-through of trails adjacent to both the east and west side of Riverdale Park and checked a densely wooded area south of Bloor St. E.

“This area is apparently used as a meeting/pickup place by members of the gay community. Nothing of any evidentiary value located; no further information obtained,” reads the document, which stresses the exercise was a “walk through” and “not a search.”

Five days later, on Oct. 1, 2010, police conducted a cadaver search with a dog but found nothing.

In an ITO seeking a production order for a Burlington credit bureau in Jan. 2013, police detail how a cousin of Faizi reported the man missing to Peel Regional Police on Dec. 30, 2010. A few days later, on Jan. 2, 2011, Faizi’s niece reported to police that the family had accessed the man’s email account.

“Family members are extremely concerned for Faizi’s wellbeing, as he spends most of his time working or with family,” the ITO reads.

The last time Faizi was seen alive was when he was leaving his job as an assistant machine operator at a Mississauga printing company. His 2002 Nissan Sentra was later found abandoned on Moore Ave., near St. Clair Ave. and Mount Pleasant Rd.

In one application in Feb. 2013, police were seeking a production order for a Yahoo! email account that investigators had identified as being used by “the individual last known to have contact via the internet with Faizi before his disappearance.”

At that time, Faizi’s disappearance was being treated as suspicious, as he had not been heard from in two years.

“It is my belief that Faizi has ultimately become the victim of wrongdoing,” writes the officer signing the warrant.

Obtaining more information from the email account will “allow investigators to contact the individual last known to have contact via the internet with Faizi before his disappearance.”

The application was granted, but it’s not clear what happened next.

The documents show that initially police believed Navaratnam and Kayhan may have been the victims of a kidnapping. In one application in Jan. 2013 for a production order for Bell Canada, police report that when Kayhan’s son, Hamid, last spoke to his father, Kayhan “appeared in good health and good spirits.”

The document then describes what could only have been a son’s anguished attempts to locate his father. After several unreturned calls, Hamid spoke to other family members who said they too hadn’t heard from his father for two weeks. In late Oct. 2012, Hamid visited his father’s apartment at 31 Alexander St. in the heart of the Gay Village but couldn’t gain entry as the locks had recently been changed. Police were called but could find no signs of a struggle or foul play when they entered Kayhan’s apartment. Officers then tried calling downtown Toronto hospitals in the hope of finding Kayhan, but were unsuccessful.

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Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

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Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline. 

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors. 

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity. 

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement. 

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level. 

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet. 

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Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

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Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

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MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.

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