When exhuming a pet cemetery is an act of love, not horror

Plus, how snooping bosses kill productivity, the top 2024 wellness trends and punching through boxing’s glass ceiling [The Star] First Up [By Andrew Joe Potter] By Andrew Joe Potter Good morning. [Award season kicks off tonight with the Golden Globes]( the Oscars’ unbuttoned (and generally more inebriated) cousin. Among the Canadians in the hunt for hardware are “Past Lives” writer-director Celine Song, “Barbie” bleach-boy Ryan Gosling, and the late Robbie Robertson. Here’s the latest. MUST READS Dreamstime Workplaces [Office surveillance tactics are undermining the future of work]( With the rise of remote and hybrid work, productivity-obsessed bosses have taken on the role of the ever-watching Big Brother. However, recent surveys show that workplace surveillance tactics, such as monitoring employees’ emails or even keyboard strokes, come with detrimental effects, Gleb Tsipursky writes. Ironically, it exacerbates stress, erodes trust and hinders performance. [Maybe it’s finally time to ditch the false notion that mere presence — online or in-office — translates to productivity](. Giovanni Capriotti/For the Toronto Star PETs [With love, grief and a horde of forensic undergrads, a pet cemetery is exhumed]( After more than 70 years, the Oakville and Milton Humane Society had to relocate to a more spacious home, one less boxed in by the region’s burgeoning developments. The main issue, Katie Daubs notes: about 650 beloved dogs, cats and all manners of pets were buried at the site. What unfolded is [the ultimate rescue mission, a loving tribute to the furry family members no longer with us](. Nick Lachance/For the Toronto Star Housing [As it sheds its blue-collar image, the allure of Oshawa beckons]( There’s a lot to like about boom town Oshawa, Tracy Hanes writes. Great park space. Upgraded health-care facilities. A varied and vibrant post-secondary education scene. Easy highway access and Lakeshore East Go line extension make for quick regional travel. A survey this past summer also ranked the city as the most affordable within the GTA. [Here’s why one family can’t envision living anywhere else](. Katia Banel Sports [After three decades in boxing, she's still punching through the sport's glass ceiling]( Danielle Bouchard has been fighting for a long time, first as a professional and amateur boxer and now as a trailblazing coach. The Canadian pugilism community hardly welcomed women when they won the right to box in 1991. “It was not easy,” she tells Kerry Gillespie. “They did not believe in female boxing.” After all Bouchard’s battles, [her fighters are glad to have her in the corner](. Eneko Urunuela/Unsplash Wellness [Verdicts on the top health and wellness trends ready to break through in 2024]( Search-engine and social-media analytics have made it easier to track people’s interests. In the health and wellness world, Christine Sismondo attempts to sort the positive developments from the harmful ones. From TikTokkers’ obsession with drinking water to the rise of niche wellness travel experiences, [these are the six trends primed to take over our feeds in 2024](. UP CLOSE Richard Lautens/Toronto Star Ben Pobjoy got his steps in last year. The Toronto native fast-walked 242 freestyle marathons across 70 countries — a brisk 11,465 kilometres, Andy Takagi notes. Whether the 42-year-old’s Guinness World Record attempt is recognized, [his true goal held a much deeper meaning](. WATCH THIS Supplied As far as Adam Nayman is concerned, Paul Verhoeven’s “Starship Troopers” ranks among the greatest satires of the late 20th century. It’s essentially a sardonic sci-fi epic where Luke Skywalker grows up wanting to be Darth Vader. [Here’s why you should catch it Jan. 9 at the Revue Cinema](. 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_206762), and Manuela 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](