Can you ever really leave Toronto? This family tried

Plus, why this teen's family is taking on his private school, the fate of orcas in British Columbia, and Canada’s natural gas exports [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. Beaches aren’t just warm sand and waves. So before you head to one this summer, test your seaside knowledge with this [quiz about Toronto’s beaches](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Shruti Bhatnagar/Toronto Star Illustration REAL ESTATE [This family sold their Toronto home hoping for a cheaper place in Winnipeg. What drove them back to the city?]( Taking advantage of Toronto’s red-hot real estate market, writer Rachel Naud and her husband sold their east-end two-storey barn-style home to move to the Prairies. But not long after Naud looked at the expansive homes there, she thought, “Hey, what if we stayed in Toronto?” which plunged the family back into the city’s real estate market. [Here’s how they ended up just a few blocks west rather than a province away](. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star INVESTIGATION [Intense bullying led to this teen hockey player’s arrest. Now, his family is fighting back]( A years-long harassment campaign by Lucas DeCaluwe’s hockey teammates culminated in his wrongful arrest. In response, his family is filing a $5.5-million lawsuit, saying the behaviour of Victus Academy, the private school in Kitchener that DeCaluwe attended, and three student hockey players had a “profound psychological impact” on his well-being and his goal of playing professional hockey. [Read Robert Cribb’s investigation into DeCaluwe’s allegations of bullying and harassment at the private sports academy here](. Dreamstime TECHNOLOGY [Cellphones can keep us connected, but disconnecting offers something more]( We’ve all pulled out our phones and snapped an Instagram-worthy moment. The urge to document everything can also be seen as a part of transitioning into post-COVID life, writes Navneet Alang. But what if we were to reconsider our relationship with technology? [Read Naveneet's personal essay that argues that there can be value, too, in the memory that goes unrecorded](. J.G. Domke/Bloomberg News WAR IN UKRAINE [Canada’s promise to export natural gas to Europe might be a pipeline dream]( Earlier this year, Canada offered to send natural gas to Europe to reduce reliance on Russian fuel. But energy experts say this is technically unworkable and incompatible with commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reports Kieran Leavitt, Richie Assaly, and Marco Chown Oved. [Read more expert insight into whether Canada’s energy offer can really help Europe amid Russia’s war on Ukraine](. Jonathan Segal INTO THE WILD [A new birth brings hope for British Columbia’s dwindling killer whale community]( Thousands of animals are teetering on the brink of extinction and orcas are no different, writes Nazanin Meshkat. The mammals experienced a 20 per cent decline during the late 1990s, and were listed as endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act in 2001. But there is a sliver of hope for the Southern Resident killer whale community — J59 is the first baby orca born there since September 2020. [Read more about Nazanin’s journey to British Columbia to visit orcas in the wild](. UP CLOSE Lola Black Last summer, Toronto-based entrepreneur Toyin Okezie-Mba launched Prettykind, a beauty company featuring hair and makeup products for black and brown people. The brand’s story began when Okezie-Mba realized there was a gap in the market for affordable makeup and hair products for her skin tone and hair type. [Here's the full story on Prettykind by Briony Smith](. KNOW THIS Are you a real estate agent or homeowner who uses a lockbox for your door key? If so, [here are a few things you should know about how they work and the potential risks, writes Joe Richer](. Thanks for reading. 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_132587). I’ll be stepping in for Manuela this week, and will see you back here Monday. [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. [Unsubscribe From This Newsletter]( [Sign Up for More Newsletters and Email Alerts]( [Become a Star Subscriber]( [View in Browser]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1E6. 416-367-2000 [PRIVACY POLICY](