No country for snowmen

Plus, the fight against rampant food fraud, Ontario’s First Nations push back on carbon tax, and the best movies of 2023 [Get This Offer]( [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning — and happy holiday season. For those travelling to far-flung locales to return to (or get away from) family this weekend, why not pass the time with a selection from [our list of 2023’s best comedy albums]( Here’s the latest on everything else. MUST READS Supplied Winters [With less building material and more kids opting to play inside, the heat is on for the humble snowman]( Each winter since 2017, Mike Ferguson has brought seasonal joy to his neighbourhood by building increasingly gigantic snowmen, with last year’s standing 17 feet tall. However, thanks to our changing climate — both environmental and social — the classic scene of children scraping enough snow together to create their own Frosty is melting away, Janet Hurley writes. [Here’s what experts say the future holds for an endangered winter icon](. Fatima Shbair/AP Photo Israel-hamas war [Palestinian death count hits grim milestone as international pressure on Israel grows]( Health officials in Gaza report that over 20,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its counter-offensive following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. With nearly 85 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people displaced and nearly half a million currently starving, that number will only grow. Israel’s military claims to have killed thousands of Hamas militants, including about 2,000 in the past three weeks. [However, no evidence has been presented to back up that claim](. Ramon Ferreira/Toronto Star Illustration Groceries [Food fraud is rampant in Canada and here’s how we’re fighting it]( Evidence of horse meat in beef lasagna sold in U.K. supermarkets made headlines here — but we’d be wise to avoid a false sense of security. As Jake Edmiston reports, food fraud is also pervasive in Canada, a result of pressures like the pandemic and war have on the global food supply chain. That’s why cutting-edge food labs are at the forefront of [the battle being waged on organized crime in our grocery stores](. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press First Nations [Ontario chiefs demand review of Trudeau’s carbon tax, call it discriminatory]( Indigenous leaders in Ontario are calling for a legal review of the federal government’s Greenhouse Gas and Pollution Pricing Act, Joy SpearChief-Morris reports. While affirming the need to fight climate change, Grand Chief Abram Benedict said in a statement that “we do not accept a regime that creates new burdens on First Nations which already face deep infrastructure and economic challenges.” [Here’s why some say this is a matter of reconciliation](. Dreamstime Business [2024 should be the year we go back to the office, but not for the reason you think]( Yes, remote work saves businesses office space expenses and employees the daily commute. But consider what we’ve lost in the pandemic-fuelled shift to hybrid and remote operations, and why the World Health Organization recently recognized loneliness as its own epidemic, Amir Barnea writes. If we want a well-adjusted society, [in-person workplace communities are part of the equation](. Watch THIS Atsushi Nishijima/Searchlight Pictures/20th Century Studios/TNS This holiday season, catch up on great movies you might’ve missed this year — like the bizarre and graphic “Poor Things.” Peter Howell’s best-of-2023 list has something for everyone — [including the year’s most famous and idiosyncratic double-feature](. Thanks for reading. If you decide to watch “Poor Things” with your in-laws this week, don’t say I didn’t warn you. 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_205975), and I will see you back here tomorrow. Safe travels! LAST CHANCE Only $39.99 for 1 Year [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. [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](