How the death of rush hour changed Toronto

Plus, how “open banking” could save you money, Marc Garneau’s extraordinary journey and why you shouldn’t look at the sun [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. The great Louis Gossett Jr. died at age 87 yesterday morning. Here’s why the first Black man to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor thought of his career as [a reverse Cinderella story](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Dreamstime/Toronto Star TRAFFIC [Rush hour is dead — but here’s why that isn’t the coup it sounds like]( Thanks to the pandemic, rush hour as we once knew it is no more. Now, transit systems are scrambling to accommodate previously uncommon ridership surges, like midday crowds and weekend traffic jams, Lex Harvey reports. It’s also led to unpredictable road congestion, so it’s no longer possible to duck out of work at 3:30 p.m. and avoid gridlock altogether. [Here’s what else the numbers say](. Adrien Veczan/The Canadian Press Personal finance [What is “open banking” — and how could it save you money?]( After years on Ottawa’s back burner, the feds are expected to lay out a framework in their upcoming budget to implement “open banking.” The process would allow Canadians to share their financial data with greater ease and security, Ana Pereira reports. In theory, it will boost savings, increase access to credit and lower interest rates. [Here’s how open banking actually works](. Steve Russell/Toronto Star Explainer [Don’t let TikTok fool you, staring directly at the sun is a terrible idea]( Thanks to social media, “sun gazing” has spread like wildfire, with advocates touting the supposed benefits of staring directly into the sun. Less remarked upon in these TikTok clips are the litany of confirmed adverse effects from the activity, including permanent damage to the eyeballs, an expert tells Kevin Jiang. [Here’s what happens when you ignore the medical professionals](. Jason Armand/LA TImes, David Zalubowsk/AP Sports [Will there be more cases like Jontay Porter and Shohei Ohtani? Bet on it]( The sports world figures to make a boatload of money from legalized sports gambling — just so long as those in sports stay clear of gambling scandals. Good luck with that, writes Dave Feschuk. Recent high-profile cases show how varied and far-reaching the issues around betting are. And there’s one big overarching, unavoidable problem at the center of sports betting: [the players themselves](. Chris O'Meara, AP/McClelland & Stewart EXCERPT [How Marc Garneau beat the odds (and a 78-year-old grandma) to win Canada’s space race]( He never expected to become an astronaut, let alone the first Canadian in space. It was back in 1983 that Marc Garneau stumbled across an ad in a newspaper that amounted to: astronaut wanted. “My first thought was why would Canada be looking for astronauts when we didn’t even have a rocket to launch them into space?” Marc Garneau writes. [Read the full excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, “A Most Extraordinary Ride.”]( [Calendar icon] Are our messages a little late for you lately? Emails from the Star are taking longer than normal to arrive to Gmail and Hotmail inboxes after we send them. That's a problem we're solving now, but we're sorry for keeping you waiting. WATCH THIS Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade When “Les Misérables” first played in London, it was expected to flop. Forty-four years later, the juggernaut is back in Toronto for the seventh time — [and Karen Fricker says the latest revival at the Princess of Wales Theatre is just as worthy](. Thanks for reading. One quick point of order: we forgot to let you know our team was taking yesterday off. Sorry! 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_211389), and I will see you back here tomorrow. 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](