The end of Doug Ford’s free-fall summer

Plus, inside the wacky world of the Savannah Bananas, Shoppers’ “pharmacy of the future,” and Scarborough’s beloved Mr. Jeba [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning — and goodbye to summer 2023. With October on the horizon, [here’s how many games the Blue Jays need to win to secure a playoff berth](. And here’s the latest on everything else. MUST READS Chris Young/The Canadian Press PROVINCIAL POLITICS [Inside Doug Ford’s hellacious summer and why the Tories are now in “danger”]( Ontario’s premier cakewalked to a second term over a year ago. Now, Robert Benzie reports the Progressive Conservatives find their public support cratering to 34 per cent, per Abacus Data. By all accounts, Ford’s summer had been a disaster even before the $8.28-billion Greenbelt land swap scandal, which cost him two cabinet members and forced him to reverse the swap. [Here are the blunders you may have forgotten](. Tim Campbell/Savannah Bananas SPORTS [How the triumphantly wacky, “no-judgement” Savannah Bananas took baseball by storm]( Founded in 2016, the barnstorming squad plays a version of baseball called Banana ball, infusing the baseball diamond with musical theatre, slapstick comedy and anything else that can draw a laugh. It’s somehow both less scripted and more absurdist than the Harlem Globetrotters — and fans from Georgia to Cooperstown have eaten it up, Braydon Holmyard writes. [It’s easy to see how the Bananas have become a global phenomenon](. Toronto star photo illustration/Peter Power photos business [Shoppers Drug Mart’s “pharmacy of the future” promises faster care (and deeper profits)]( When Ontario granted pharmacists permission to diagnose and treat some minor conditions like cold sores and UTIs, Shoppers Drug Mart was quick to pounce. Since July, the Loblaw-owned chain has opened two pharmacy care clinics in Mississauga and Burlington, with plans to create as many as 72 this year alone, Ghada Alsharif reports. As the line between public and private health care blurs, [advocates fear businesses will put profits ahead of patients](. HarperCollins Technology [With Web3, the people can finally wrench the power back from big tech]( The internet is entering a new era. If Web1 was about sharing content through websites and Web2 brought more user engagement and community through social media, Web3 offers the potential to restore our control over our online selves, writes technology author Alex Tapscott. [It might even help correct the unintended consequences of the past 20 years](. Handout People [He was the “Greatest Supply Teacher of All Time” but few knew Mr. Jeba’s challenges]( The tributes came swiftly when Singarayer “Chris” Jebanathirajah passed earlier this month. For generations of Scarborough-area Catholic school students, he was the Batman of supply teaching, waiting by the phone each evening and morning, prepared to save the school day at a moment’s notice, Katie Daubs writes. Only in death did the local legend’s family discover [just how badly Mr. Jeba had wanted a classroom of his own](. visit THIS Cat Bassano/Unsplash With tourist crowds dying down, the fall travel season promises to be a good one. Lola Augustine Brown caught up with eight Europe-based travel experts to find out which destinations are most worth exploring this autumn. From Southern Dalmatia to the Scottish Highlands, [these dreamy destinations are beckoning](. 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_199946), and I will see you back here tomorrow. 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](