Here’s how this Canadian landed in the middle of the COVID lab leak theory.

Plus, another ER is closing in Ontario. Here’s what we know about the staffing crisis affecting health care in the province.  [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Ashley Okwuosa] By Ashley Okwuosa Good morning. [The Ministry of Transportation has scheduled 29 highway closures in Toronto today for roadwork](. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Seth Cothrun COVID-19 [He nearly died pursuing HIV’s origins. Then this Canadian scientist set his sights on the COVID. Here’s what he found]( Michael Worobey has devoted his career to tracking the origin of important viruses, especially pandemic ones. He is known both for his meticulousness in teasing secrets out of viral genes, and for his willingness to get his hands dirty — even gangrenous — in the search for evidence beyond the lab. Since COVID-19, Worobey has followed a trail of evidence directly into the centre of the fray. His research has produced some of the most compelling evidence yet that the virus spilled over from wild animals. [Kate Allen illustrates the range of Worobey’s work and why, for COVID, he took on what many saw as a conspiracy theory](. Toronto Star photo illustration Business [Inside the food fight between Canada’s grocery giants and their suppliers]( There’s a growing power imbalance between the country’s biggest grocers — including Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro and Walmart — and smaller suppliers desperately vying to get a spot on their shelves, reports Ghada Alsharif. Suppliers say they’re being subjected to threats of being delisted, unexplained “chargebacks,” and rising fees to access store shelves. Retailers counter that fees and fines are a fair, long-standing practice that helps ensure supplier shipments are complete and arrive on time. [Here’s why many worry consumers will see less product variety on supermarket shelves and why Canadian suppliers are fleeing to the U.S](. Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press HEALTH [This Ontario ER’s closing is another symptom of crisis in nurse staffing]( A rural Ontario hospital is closing its emergency room permenantly because of “enormous pressure” caused by staff shortages, reports Irem Koca. Nursing advocates say it’s the latest example of a deepening human resource problem in health care that’s turned into a near-constant crisis over the last 18 months. [Here’s why experts say the staffing shortage isn’t an issue money can fix, and what they’re asking the government to do about it](. Toronto Star WORLD [Remebering Queen Elizabeth’s coronation 70 years ago as King Charles’ prepares for his]( It was an iconic photograph, captured in a 1953 edition of Star Weekly: King Charles III, then a prince, was described as looking “unusually solemn” as he watched his mother be crowned queen at Westminster Abbey. Seven decades later, there’s no doubt that he’s leafing through his fragmented memories of his mother’s special day as his May 6 coronation approaches. [Joshua Chong looks back at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, along with some insights about how the King’s coronation could differ from his mother’s](. Virginia Sherwood/AP Television [How Jerry Springer taught us to love watching people at their worst]( At the height of his talk show, Jerry Springer’s name was synonymous with trash TV. In the wake of his death this week, we can admit that he was the future, writes Anne T. Donahue. He was a magnet for controversy, a cultural lightning rod, and, perhaps most accurately, the godfather of reality television as we now know it. “The Jerry Springer Show” capitalized on our insatiable need to weigh in on other people’s business while simultaneously providing a platform for anyone hungry for their 15 minutes. [Here’s how “Springer” laid the foundation for the way we watch television today](. POV Edward Keenan: This campaign message in the Toronto mayoral election is nothing new — [but there’s a genuinely interesting twist](. Emma Teitel: Forget the science centre at Ontario place — [let’s fund Toronto’s libraries](. Martin Regg Cohn: These unions have seen a changing of the guard. [Now they need to turn the page](. David Olive: [Why is Ottawa giving billions in aid to a foreign corporation]( Andrew Phillips: [Is the extreme right cannibalizing itself]( Jeffrey Dvorkin: [There is a better model for the CBC. It’s called NPR](. VISIT THIS Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star This weekend, the Toronto Comics Arts Festival is celebrating 20 years of bringing together comics lovers and creators. The festival is known to pack crowds at the Toronto Reference Library, and give hundreds of independent creators and small publishers a platform to reach passionate readers and generate buzz for their books. [If you’re attending, Mike Donachie has five things for you to check out at TCAF](. 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_179158), and I will see you back here tomorrow. Get unlimited access to the Star Sale: Only $2/month for a limited time [Get This Offer]( 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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