The dark burden of Alice Munro’s legacy

Plus, losing might be ‘unacceptable’ for Toronto’s teams but hardly unprofitable, and film critics reveal their go-to theatre snacks [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. Let’s get right into it today. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Steve Russell/Toronto Star In her own words [In 1976, she was sexually assaulted. When Alice Munro found out, the literary icon’s fame silenced her daughter’s truth]( Alice Munro’s youngest daughter once spoke with the late Canadian author about a short story in which a girl had been sexually abused by her stepfather; why hadn’t she told her mother, Munro asked. The moment prompted Andrea Robin Skinner to finally confide her long-held secret. [In her own words, Skinner explains how Munro sadly answered her own question](. Supplied Star Exclusive [In a Victorian home right out of an Alice Munro short story, darkness lurked. Her children want the world to know]( Andrea Robin Skinner knew her words would devastate her mother, who by 1992 was already established as one of Canada’s greatest authors, Deborah Dundas and Betsy Powell report. Alice Munro’s second husband, Gerald “Gerry” Fremlin, had assaulted Skinner when she was nine years old. But as Munro’s daughters continue to mourn their mother, who died at 92 in May, [they feel compelled to share the price of protecting her legacy](. Steve Russell/Toronto Star The Beaten Path [How Toronto’s amenity-filled arenas and stadiums changed the game for sports fandom — and not necessarily for the better]( As the Maple Leafs have shown, continued on-ice failure is only part of the calculus for parent company MLSE. For all their playoff pratfalls, the Leafs are estimated to be worth $2.8 billion (U.S.), more than double the value when Brendan Shanahan became team president, note Dave Feschuk and Bruce Arthur. The impact of well-heeled corporate Toronto is no small factor in the city’s moribund sporting scene. [Here, losing may be “unacceptable” but it’s hardly unprofitable](. Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star illustration/Dreamstime BUSINESS [Once a Canadian media powerhouse, Corus Entertainment could be forced to pull the plug]( Without debt refinancing or a seismic overhaul, Corus Entertainment could soon face bankruptcy. The owner of Global Television Network and Canadian distributor of channels like Food Network and Disney Channel currently faces over $1 billion in debt, with about $300 million due within the next three years, Ana Pereira reports. Even with no obvious way to raise the funds, [here’s why some believe Corus can still be saved](. Tannis Toohey/for the Toronto Star Healing [These strangers were mourning, 6,000 kilometres apart. A World War II-era apron pattern brought them together]( Last month, Eric Mabley was grieving the anniversary of his wife’s passing when he received a mysterious package from an Alaskan woman he’d never met. Inside, he discovered a homemade apron sewn from the exact vintage pattern his own mother had originally purchased as a 17-year-old in 1943, Janet Hurley reports. [It’s a story about two strangers healing, stitched together through time and space](. UP CLOSE Facebook Critics call him “the Wayne Gretzky of demagoguery.” Now, the voice of Quebec-born pundit Mathieu Bock-Côté has begun to resonate in some corners of politically divided France. [Allan Woods details how the controversial Canadian found his foothold](. MUNCH ON THIS Eatable Even the most brain-scrambling cinematic bombs can be rendered slightly more palatable with the right accompaniment from the concessions stand. [Peter Howell polled his fellow movie critics on their go-to multiplex snacks](. Thanks for reading. It’ll be a large diet cola and small popcorn for me, please. You can send the First Up team your questions, comments and cinema snack recommendations at [firstup@thestar.ca](mailto:firstup@thestar.ca?source=newsletter&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=emailutm_email=6C53B63A8E3FAD70AD4EF13004527437&utm_campaign=frst_216218), 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](