For syrup lovers, a warm winter isn’t sweet

Plus, monkey business at a Canadian medical lab, talking money with family and paying tribute to Brian Mulroney [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. The 2024 Junos start tonight at 8 p.m. ET across CBC’s platforms. In addition to hosting duties by homegrown pop icon Nelly Furtado, look for breakout singer TALK to perform — [and maybe deliver the acceptance speech he’s been practicing since childhood](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Anton L. Delgado/for the Toronto Star Investigation [Why a pharma giant’s monkey business has raised alarms for animal rights activists and disease control experts]( After Charles River Laboratories stopped importing Cambodian long-tailed macaques to the U.S. for human drug testing, imports to Canada spiked by nearly six times. The deluge of monkeys has prompted concern that Canada’s inherited a tainted supply chain of wild macaques, which are both endangered and may harbour dangerous pathogens, Robert Cribb and Anton L. Delgado report. Despite reassurances from Charles River, [critics say regulators are failing to address significant human and animal welfare concerns](. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star CLIMATE [For Canada’s maple syrup producers, there’s nothing sweet about a historically warm winter]( After a string of balmy winters and a pandemic-era spike in popularity, Quebec’s strategic maple syrup reserve (yes, it’s a thing) is nearing critically low levels, Kate Allen reports. As the source of two-thirds of the world’s maple syrup, Quebec’s producers worry about what will happen if they can’t stabilize prices, especially during a major push to promote the product overseas. [What’s clear is that yet another staple of Canadiana must acclimatize to our changing world](. Steve Russell/Toronto Star Health Care [Sudbury’s supervised consumption site saved lives — and it’s closing its doors forever]( At the end of the month, Sudbury’s only supervised injection site will likely close its doors for good. Deaths will certainly follow, according to the site’s manager. “People I know and love will die — on the street, in alleyways and in public washrooms,” writes Amber Fritz. The Ministry of Health still hasn’t responded to an application for emergency funding submitted in August 2021. [Years of tireless community work are at risk of being undone.]( Dreamstime PERSONAL FINANCE [When it comes to talking money with family, know where to draw the line]( Even with good intentions, receiving prying, unsolicited questions and advice from your mother about your retirement planning can be grating, writes Lesley-Anne Scorgie. It might be time to delineate some boundaries when it comes to money talk. [Avoid the potential for frustration down the line by starting with these five easy-to-follow steps](. David Berding/Getty Images SPORTS [Health considerations might be making the Blue Jays’ final roster decisions for them]( Time is ticking on the Toronto Blue Jays’ final roster decisions ahead of their season opener in Tampa Bay on Thursday. While the team has a few more days to cut the big-league roster down to 26 players, minor injuries might be making some of the decisions for them, Gregor Chisolm reports. As spring training comes to a close, [let’s take a look at the jobs still up for grabs](. UP CLOSE Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press Brian Mulroney’s state funeral in Montreal on Saturday featured emotional eulogies from family members and politicians of all stripes, reports Tonda MacCharles. “He loved Canadians,” Justin Trudeau said, extolling the late prime minister’s lifelong commitment to shaping modern Canada. [Here’s what else was said about Mulroney](. PLAN THIS Adventure Canada As Tim Johnson and his fellow guests aboard the Ocean Endeavour passed Zenith Point, they began to sing. Indeed, for just one time, this crew of hearty explorers would take the Northwest Passage, the hallowed route through Canada’s Arctic. [What they saw beyond North America’s mainland will last a lifetime](. Thanks for taking the weekend journey with us — to find here but the road back home to Monday. You can reach 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_211051), and Kevin will see you back here tomorrow. Get unlimited digital and ePaper access Spring Sale: Only $1.25/week for 52 weeks! [Get This Offer]( If you're not enjoying these emails, please tell us how we can make them better by emailing newsletterfeedback@thestar.ca. Or, if you'd prefer, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter by clicking the first link below. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [View in Browser]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](