Thanks to traffic, Toronto is a tale of two cities

Plus the non-teachers in your kid’s classroom, the cartel-like fight over South Indian cinema and the Blue Jays’ next diamond in the rough [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. Apologies for the delay this morning; we were having technical issues. In 2006, the Edmonton Oilers broke Kate Black’s heart. She learned plenty about hockey, home and heartbreak this year — [by not watching the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Final](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Photo illustration by Andres Plana/Toronto Star City life [The way we live — and the people we love — are falling victim to Toronto’s miserable traffic]( It’s a tale of two cities — except it’s really just the worst of times for getting across Toronto. With the city in gridlock, couples must orchestrate their cross-city commutes the way one plans a weekend in Prince Edward County. “We joke that it’s a long-distance relationship,” says Parth Shah, a Parkdale local dating a Scarborough resident. [They aren’t the only Torontonians finding their relationships altered by a city ensnared](. Toronto Star Illustration/Dreamstime EDUCATION [When the adult in your child’s classroom is not an actual teacher]( Administrators call in “emergency replacement personnel” as a stopgap solution when substitute teachers aren’t available. While ERPs are adults who have passed a police check and have watched a series of training videos online, they are by no means certified teachers, Isabel Teotonio reports. [Here’s why the frequent reliance on these ERPs has begun to spark concerns](. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press Crime [What’s behind the sharp rise of violence in the South Indian community at movie theatres]( The late-night drive-by shooting at a Richmond Hill movie theatre was than just a random act of violence, according to film industry experts; in the cutthroat fight for members of the South Indian diaspora to control the local film business, Joshua Chong reports that anything goes. [The stakes for the lucrative international film sector have never been higher](. Thomas Padilla/AP RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR [Why Friday could mark a turning point in Russia’s war on Ukraine]( Years after Russia’s invasion, France became the first country to actually send its military personnel into Ukraine. Now, Allan Wood reports that not only are Poland and the Baltic states expressing a willingness to follow France’s lead but Canada has also left the door open to similar entrenchment. Respite for the exhausted Ukrainian military, [France’s daring move has Russia scrambling to scare off copy-cats](. Dreamstime Personal finance [How to protect your hard-earned money from fraudsters]( As fraudsters become more sophisticated, it’s worth double-checking — even triple-checking — if the person on the other end of a phone call, text, or email is really who they say they are. Canadians lost more than $554 million to fraud last year, a $23 million increase from 2022, Srivindhya Kolluru notes. If you want to protect yourself from bad actors, [here are some of the biggest warning signs](. UP CLOSE Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Is he Davis Schneider 2.0? Spencer Horwitz was a lightly regarded collegiate player when the Blue Jays drafted him in the 24th round in 2019. But as Mike Wilner writes, [the Radford University product has forced the team’s hand by hitting .335 in Triple-A this season](. Watch THIS Nick Lachance/Toronto Star In her feature debut “I Used to Be Funny,” Canada’s Ally Pankiw crafts a mystery where the audience slowly unravels the backstory of a struggling stand-up comedian, writes Adam Nayman. Like so many funny people, [there is an undercurrent of devastation behind the laughter](. Thanks for reading. Reports that this newsletter used to be funny are uncorroborated. 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_214876), and we will see you back here Monday. 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](