What do a frog and a dragonfly have to do with highway 413?

Plus, a teacher reimagining the report card and a woman awarded a record amount in damages from her insurance company [The Star] First Up [By Manuela Vega] By Manuela Vega Good morning. Here’s the latest on the many environmental risks of Highway 413, the “ungrading” movement and why a jury awarded a record $1.5 million in punitive damages from an insurance company. DON’T MISS Steve Russell/The Star STAR/NARWHAL EXCLUSIVE [Doug Ford’s proposed Highway 413 threatens at least 11 at-risk species]( The Ontario government’s own research has found that 11 “species at risk” live along its proposed route for the controversial Highway 413 from Vaughan through Milton — and two of those species are central to a federal environmental review. The presence of the western chorus frog and the rare rapids clubtail dragonfly is raising questions about whether the federal government will be forced to intervene in the highway project. [Here’s what we know about the federal review, the highway’s potential new challenges and the importance of protecting species at risk](. - More: The province believes dozens more species at risk could be living along the proposed route, according to internal documents obtained by the Star and the Narwhal. - Why it matters: Losing species at risk comes at a cost for individual ecosystems. There can be unexpected consequences for human economies and culture, said the director of conservation and education at Ontario Nature. - ICYMI: The province picked a route that avoided a development, but that has potentially worse environmental impact. [Experts warned it would “undermine the credibility” of the project](. Geoff Robins/The Star education [Should grades matter? This teacher is shaking up everything we know]( Parents and teachers are no strangers to fears of students falling behind during the pandemic. Stacie Oliver is one of the educators trying out something new: “ungrading.” The approach aims to take power away from numbers and empower students to foster a love of learning. In her English class, Oliver gives detailed, meaningful feedback and allows students to make a case for the grade they think they deserve. [Here’s more on the approach and how it’s being received in schools](. - Wait, what? Oliver, who teaches in London, Ont., says it’s difficult to pinpoint a number that is objectively accurate — “but the biggest thing is the students internalize that because their identity is tied to grades and they see themselves, their self-worth as whatever that number is.” - Go deeper: “When we give up this idea that we’re actually doing something precise and we instead focus on the overall learning experience of actual humans in our classroom, it ends up feeling more meaningful and humane,” said another ungrading guru in a [recent podcast](. Steve Russell/The Star courts [Her insurance company refused to pay her disability benefits for six years — and spied on her]( After experiencing a stroke in 2013, doctors said hospital director Sara Baker wasn’t able to work. But her insurance company refused to pay her long-term disability benefits and spent 375 hours covertly surveilling her. After a five-week jury trial, Baker was awarded a record $1.5 million in punitive damages from Blue Cross Life Insurance Company of Canada. Here’s why a personal injury lawyer not involved in the case [called the trial “almost poetic.”]( - More: “I would not wish the distress this has caused me on anyone,” Baker said in a press release. “I just hope it will lead to insurance companies listening more closely and being more careful when others tell them they need help.” - Go deeper: “When a jury has the opportunity to make a decision on these issues, you really hear from the community in terms of what they think of the conduct of a corporation or insurance company,” said another personal injury lawyer not involved in the case, pointing out that punitive damages are rarely awarded. WHAT ELSE The federal government is giving cabinet secrets to the Emergencies Act inquiry. [Here’s why that’s a big deal](. The top aide to Trump’s former chief of staff testified at a surprise hearing. [Is this the moment that will sink him?]( Armed with misinformation, [here’s what convoy protestors headed for Ottawa are saying](. Doug Ford’s real estate agent is being told to [stop using Ford’s name in ads selling his house](. Here’s why a landmark inquest has [prompted calls for urgent action into intimate partner violence](. [Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison]( for helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. A second document claims the [top mountie faced pressure from a Liberal minister](. Luggage is piling up at Pearson. [Take a look at the overwhelming scenes](. An Ontario judge is [upholding Tamil Genocide Education Week]( in a battle over “who gets to write the history of the war.” Here’s why the Michigan Supreme Court [threw out charges in the Flint water scandal](. Here’s how Camp Ten Oaks offers an [affirming experience for 2SLGBTQIA+ kids](. [Here’s what’s open and closed in Toronto on Canada Day](. ICYMI Toronto Star Photo Graphic [The more the hitman on the phone bared his soul, the more I regretted asking him to relive his violent past.]( CLOSE-UP Eric Gay/AP Photo TEXAS: Community members hold a vigil for the 50 people who died Monday after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer. The event is one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled from Mexico to the U.S. [Here’s what you need to know about this horrific event](. Thank you for reading. You can reach me and 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_131884). I’ll see you back here tomorrow. [The Star]( 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. 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