Discovering the roots of Toronto’s St. Paddy’s parade

Plus, the perils of the “lunch-break facelift,” Toronto’s self-directed high school and the best-kept-secret in doughnuts [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. If you’re planning on taking part in Toronto’s St. Patrick’s Day festivities, bundle up. With a daytime high in the mid-single digits and a chance of afternoon showers, expect conditions slightly less inviting than a foggy dew. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Paige Taylor White/The Star holiday [Toronto banned the St. Patrick’s Day parade for over 100 years. Today, it’s a celebration for all]( It’s easy to forget how contentious the St. Patrick’s Day parade once was. In fact, Toronto banned the celebration for over a century out of fear of Catholics and Protestants clashing in the streets. Things are different now; the Irish government actually recognizes Toronto’s parade as the most inclusive in the world. “We’re proud of that,” organizer Shaun Ruddy tells Edward Brown. “That’s not an accident, either. It’s been like that since ’88.” [Before heading downtown, read up on the parade’s history](. Canadian Press/Justin Tang federal politics [Trudeau says he won’t step down before the next election — despite persistent thoughts of leaving his “crazy job”]( Justin Trudeau admitted in a French-language interview with CBC/Radio-Canada released Friday that he thinks “about leaving every day,” Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek reports. However, despite sagging poll numbers that suggest a steep uphill battle for the prime minister’s Liberals, Trudeau also reaffirmed his commitment to staying on as party leader through the next federal election. [Here’s what else Canada’s top elected official had to say about his future](. Javiindy/Dreamstime Photo beauty [Inside the world of “lunch-break facelifts,” where clinics soft-peddle the risks while using unapproved medical products]( Beware the allure of PDO threads, the purportedly minimally invasive beauty procedure in which dissolvable polyester sutures are used to tighten a patient’s facial skin. Unbeknownst to customers, some cosmetic clinics are using PDOs approved only for closing wounds or other products that have never been approved for use in Canada at all, Sheila Wang and Morgan Sevareid-Bocknek report. [Frighteningly, shoddy materials are only the tip of this eyebrow-raising iceberg](. Nick Lachance/The Star education [At a high school without classrooms, due dates or bells, high performers learn at their own pace]( Students at Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School meet with teacher advisors several times a day, determining how and when they’ll be evaluated in a model called self-directed learning. Though unconventional, it’s all in line with provincial curriculum requirements, Isabel Teotonio reports — in fact, Mary Ward students have outperformed their peers on provincial standardized tests. [Still, the style is certainly not for everyone. This is how it all works](. Canadian Press/Justin Tang fraud [How to spot staged collisions, fake agents and other shockingly common auto insurance scams]( If the looming threat of your car being stolen off your driveway wasn’t bad enough, consider that auto insurance fraud costs Canadians more than $1 billion a year in added premiums, Srivindhya Kolluru notes. What should you be on the lookout for as a car owner? For starters, any insurance broker who claims you need to pay them a fee is a red flag — [and that’s just one of several alarm-raising schemes to watch out for](. UP CLOSE MLB Photos via Getty images Jordan Romano evidently has a tough time leaving work at the office. When the Canadian pitcher isn’t dazzling on the mound, you can often find him buying baseball cards for his growing collection — which now counts over 40,000, he tells Mike Wilner. [Here’s how the Blue Jays’ closer rediscovered his boyhood obsession](. eat THIS Andrew Francis Wallace/The Star Harry & Heels Donuts might be the Toronto doughnut scene’s best-kept secret; somehow, even food reporter Karon Liu was late to discovering their California-style take on the baked goods. [Here’s where to find the delicious doughnut outpost](. 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_210641), 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](