After decades, not living in Toronto’s woods will be even harder

Plus, assessing Lee’s damage out east, dumping your pre-con home and the mysterious key to ancient Roman cooking [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. It’s a big day for the proverbial canary in the coal mine; September 17 marks not only National Pet Bird Day but also that most hallowed of holidays, National Pet Carbon Monoxide Safety Day. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Steve McKinley storm season [Maritimers assess the damage after Lee makes landfall on Saturday]( In the end, the Maritimes seem to have missed the worst of Lee, the biggest event of our 2023 Atlantic storm season to date. Though some corners — notably including the area surrounding Nova Scotia’s famed Peggy’s Cove lighthouse — are a tad worse for wear due to flooded roads, toppled trees and downed power lines, many towns were virtually unscathed. [Here’s more on the damage](. Steve Russell/Toronto Star homelessness [He lived in Toronto’s urban wilderness for decades; now comes the hard part]( When we profiled Russell Dickson in February, the 61-year-old Lunaapeew-Anishinabek man had spent decades living in a secluded, wooded hill in central Toronto. Today, he's giving the Star a tour of an east-end apartment — and introducing us to his long-lost brother. “My story is so much different than his story,” Jeffrey Dickson tells Ben Mussett. “ … Where do you start?” For Russell, [healing starts with overcoming deeply entrenched barriers](. R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star file photo REAL ESTATE [The pre-construction market is getting dicey; if you absolutely have to bail out, here’s how]( If you’re getting cold feet about actually buying the pre-construction home you signed up for when interest rates were low three years ago, there are a few exit strategies, Srivindhya Kolluru writes. For one, you can breach the contract (welp). You can also look to assign it to someone else — but both routes could cost you big time. [Here’s one thing you should do before proceeding](. Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star illustration personal finance [There’s a far cheaper solution to the threat of “high-theft surcharges” on your vehicle insurance]( With vehicle theft sky-rocketing in Canada — and particularly Ontario — this past year, some of the nation’s insurance companies have started to hedge their bets. Adding insult to (potential) injury, it’s increasingly common to see surcharges in the range of $500 for plans covering commonly stolen models, like Ford F-150s and Honda CR-Vs, Dhriti Gupta reports. [However, there could be a much cheaper way around these fees](. Taras Grescoe Excerpt [Scholars say our stomachs would revolt but this old Roman ingredient might be the key to perfect pasta]( Most foodies will already be familiar with the concept of umami — but what about the lesser-known Japanese term Kakushi-aji — “hidden taste”? In this excerpt from “The Lost Supper: Searching for the Future of Food in the Flavors of the Past,” author Taras Grescoe takes us on a culinary journey to find garum, a supposedly rotten fish sauce once championed in ancient Rome. [It may just be the secret to unlocking the full potential of Italian cooking](. UP CLOSE R.J. Johnston/Toronto Star Madison Shipman has been a breath of fresh air since joining Blue Jays broadcasts as an analyst in June. “Not everybody comes in and is willing to state their mind right away about how they feel about things,” play-by-play man Dan Shulman tells Mark Zwolinski. “She’s done that very quickly, and she’s done it very well.” [Check out how the former collegiate softball star got her](. VISIT THIS Maggie Jernigan/Pexels When you visit Colorado, be sure to heed the lessons handed down since the Wild West days — like how it’s more appropriate to pay tribute to legendary gunslinger “Doc” Holliday with booze than begonias. Linda Barnard takes us on a tour through the state’s frontier, [past dreamy mountains, hot springs and even a burgeoning wine country](. 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_199204), and Kevin 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](