Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Military identifies service members missing in deadly helicopter crash
One Canadian military member is dead and five others are missing after a Royal Canadian Navy helicopter on a NATO mission went down off the coast of Greece, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Thursday.
They were flying from the Canadian naval frigate, HMCS Fredericton, as part of Operation Reassurance, Trudeau said.
“All of them are heroes,” he said. “Each of them will leave a void that cannot be filled.”
Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough was confirmed dead by her Nova Scotia family. “My beautiful daughter has been in a military accident and passed away. She will no longer pipe her songs to all those that love her,” her mother wrote on social media. “The very beating no fluttering of my heart has stopped. Nothing can replace her.”
Later Thursday, the Canadian Forces identified the five service members still missing: Capt. Brenden Ian MacDonald, one of the Cyclone helicopter’s pilots; Capt. Kevin Hagen, the Cyclone’s other pilot; Capt. Maxime Miron-Morin, an air combat systems officer; Sub-Lt. Matthew Pyke, naval weapons officer; and Master Cpl. Matthew Cousins, airborne electronic sensor operator.
Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance said the flight data and voice recorders were recovered, noting a flight safety investigation has been initiated and a team will depart Canada on Thursday or Friday.
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In COVID-19 news:
Ontario businesses told to ‘get ready’ for reopening
Ontario released 65 safety guidelines for businesses, including office spaces, restaurants and the auto industry, putting the province on path for a gradual reopening. Premier Doug Ford struck an upbeat tone on Thursday, citing the “tremendous progress” in reducing the number of new cases of COVID-19.
Other provincial plans: Newfoundland and Labrador aims to begin loosening COVID-19 restrictions on May 11; meanwhile, Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his plan to reopen schools and retail stores beginning next week, saying he is following directions from public health officials. Alberta is unveiling its plans later tonight.
Federal deficit could hit $252.1-billion this year
A report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer says this year’s federal deficit could exceed $252.1-billion, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he doesn’t expect the federal government will need to take exceptional measures to manage the billions in new debt created during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $252.1-billion price tag represents 12.7 per cent of Canada’s GDP.
Ottawa mayor orders end to ban on window visits in city’s nursing homes
After complaints from families and city councillors, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says he’s ordered the people who run the city’s nursing homes to find a way to let family members visit residents through windows again. Four city-run care homes told families to stop coming to their grounds, saying there had been incidents of outdoor visitors not observing distancing rules meant to protect residents from COVID-19.
Keep up to date: Follow the day’s latest coronavirus news here, which includes maps and charts of COVID-19′s spread throughout Canada.
Starting soon: Join Samantha Power, former ambassador to the UN, for a live Q&A in partnership with the Munk Dialogue. Watch it live tonight, 8 p.m. ET
Have you had to self-quarantine because of the coronavirus? We want to hear your story. Email: tips@globeandmail.com
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
China eyes superpower mantle: Beijing is using the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic to bolster its efforts to assert a new place of global importance, Nathan VanderKlippe reports.
Canada set to ban assault-style weapons: Ottawa is set to ban a number of assault-style firearms and weapons involved in mass shootings in Canada and abroad, including the Ruger Mini-14 that was used during the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre, federal officials say. The formal announcement of the gun ban is expected by the end of the week.
MARKET WATCH
TSX tumbles as GDP shines spotlight on a troubled economy
Canada’s main stock index fell on Thursday in a broad selloff even in the face of a surge in the price of crude oil.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed down 447.37 points, or 2.94 per cent, at 14,780.74. Canada’s GDP reading for February hurt market sentiment, as its essentially flat reading suggested economic weakness even before shutdowns related to the coronavirus arose. Meanwhile, Parliament’s budget watchdog warned that a dramatic contraction was possible this year, with a spike in deficit and debt levels.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 288.14 points, or 1.17%, to 24,345.72, the S&P 500 lost 27.08 points, or 0.92%, to 2,912.43 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 25.16 points, or 0.28%, to 8,889.55
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TALKING POINTS
The hamburger’s tasty, but you’ll survive without it
“It obviously is in the best interests of the meat-processing industry to have its product be considered essential, and in Alberta it is an essential service. Whether this endangers the health of a segment of already marginalized and low-paid workers seems hardly to matter when it threatens the arrival of our next burger.” -Elizabeth Renzetti
Why Harry and Meghan need to be left alone
“I support a free press. I don’t support a press that feels free to torment and persecute people. With power comes accountability, an old maxim the British tabloids have often ignored. But that’s what happens when you’re guided solely by profits and nothing else.” - Gary Mason
When it comes to research, we need global supply chains to remain open
“As we face the largest public health crisis in over a century, some have suggested we should reverse or ‘undo’ globalization – that we should rely less on foreign partners and instead become more self-reliant. Good idea? Not when it comes to research.” - Meric Gertler
Only the United Nations can prevent Venezuela’s collapse
“The situation Venezuela finds itself in will only become more intractable and deadly when left on their own, and time is not on the side of the Venezuelan people. The Secretary-General and key UN member states are the actors most capable of bringing this complex crisis to an early end and overcoming a trifecta of political dysfunction, hunger and disease, and criminality. They should act soon.” - Joe Clark, Lloyd Axworthy, Ricardo Luna, Keith Mines and Thomas R. Pickering
LIVING BETTER
Life is all about balance – and that applies to your podcasts, too. This week, The Globe’s Brad Wheeler offers up three new episodes, each with a very different approach to enlighten and entertain: a history lesson in government leadership in times of disease; a tribute to Nova Scotia jazz; and a pleasingly mundane conversation about slippers and cashmere socks.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Inside Ontario’s desperate scramble for N95 masks
At the height of Ontario’s shortage of personal protective equipment, and with the province a week away from running out of N95 respirator masks, the government struck a deal to buy 100 million of them – only to see it evaporate.
As Marieke Walsh and Nathan VanderKlippe report, the failed deal highlights the “Wild West” market that Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says all governments are navigating to get the masks. They are ditching traditional procurement practices and sometimes turn to unfamiliar sources. Procurement experts say that’s leading to higher prices and more uncertainty.
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