The high-tech battle against car thieves

Plus, Natalie Spooner’s big breakout, why seniors are eyeing national pharmacare and the pitfalls of our AI love affair [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. The grand finale of Lindsay Mullan’s comedic burlesque show “Tease” is a 12-minute monologue... performed completely nude. [Read about Mullan’s experience here]( in whatever state of (un)dress suits your Saturday morning. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Steve Russell/Toronto Star Health Care [What a senior’s medicine cabinet tells us about the potential savings of a Canadian pharmacare plan]( Momin Malik’s lung cancer pill costs close to $10,000 a month — which doesn’t even account for the cost of care related to the 84-year-old’s world-record-tying 34 coronary stents and other major heart issues. With Canada’s aging population increasingly reliant on provincial coverage programs, Malik and others are eagerly awaiting news on the NDP and Liberals’ plan to introduce national pharmacare framework, Maria Iqbal reports. [Here’s what such a plan could mean for Malik’s health-care costs](. Toronto Star photo illustration CAR THEFT CRISIS [Toronto is spending big bucks to defend its driveways from auto thieves]( In the escalating battle against car thieves, Torontonians are turning to high-tech and expensive solutions to protect their cars. According to Toronto police, vehicular theft in Toronto last year was up 250 per cent since 2015, Peter Edwards reports. While steering-wheel and brake-pedal clubs remain trusted low-fi, low-cost options, [some well-heeled citizens are fighting back with bollards and “kill switches.”]( Todd Korol/The Canadian Press Travel [Low-cost carrier Lynx Air will be gone as of Monday, sending scheduled flyers into a nosedive]( With Lynx Air filing for insolvency and ceasing operations on Monday, dozens of flights have been cancelled and would-be travellers are scrambling . The troubled company is now urging passengers to reach out directly to their credit card company to process refunds, Josh Rubin reports. Even with some carriers offering help to stranded flyers, [many will still be left facing expensive decisions](. Mark Blinch/Getty Images Sports [Natalie Spooner is Toronto’s first PWHL superstar — and that’s certainly not all]( Scarborough-born Natalie Spooner has quickly cemented her place among Toronto’s most indispensable athletes. The right winger is up to a league-leading 10 goals at the halfway point of the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s inaugural regular season, Ken Campbell writes. [Here’s how Spooner is balancing her increasingly busy moment in the spotlight](. Dreamstime Technology [Why it might be time to think twice about embracing AI]( Navneet Alang isn’t sure artificial intelligence is ready for primetime. Consider recent cases of AI misbehaving, like ChatGPT spitting out unsettlingly nonsensical responses Tuesday night, or Air Canada losing a civil suit on the argument that its chatbot represented “a separate legal entity” after it dispensed incorrect info. [Maybe it’s time to look for the off switch](. WASH THIS Dreamstime Celebrities caused quite a stir a while back for their bathing habits. While daily bathing is worthwhile for most teens and adults, dermatologists explain to Kevin Jiang that there are several reasons why you need to be very careful not to under- or over-bathe your child. [Here’s why](. Thanks for reading the only weekend newsletter with a strict no-nude-monologue policy. 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_209467), 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](