Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Travel delays expected as customs agents being moved from GTA to Quebec to handle migrant surge
Travellers planning to make their way to the Greater Toronto Area during the summer months can expect to face delays. Border and custom agents are being diverted from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and land-border crossings in southern Ontario to Quebec in order to respond to what is expected to be a “significant increase” in the number of asylum seekers crossing the U.S. border into Quebec, according to a memo obtained by The Globe and Mail. Last month, the RCMP apprehended nearly 2,500 asylum seekers who were crossing between ports of entry, compared to just 50 in Manitoba and 31 in B.C. The memo from the Canadian Border Services Agency says agents are needed to process asylum seekers in Montreal and Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle from May 28 to Sept. 16.
It’s NAFTA deadline day. What happens now?
Since U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for an overhaul of NAFTA, the trilateral trade deal between Canada, Mexico and the United States, there have been several deadlines. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer first set a deadline of December of last year, before pushing it back to March and later April this year. Then, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan set today as the day a deal would need to be agreed to so that the U.S. Congress could approve it before the end of the year. The deadline arrived today but there is no conclusion currently in sight. Canadian officials are pushing for a quick resolution, with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland heading to Washington. The Globe’s Washington correspondent has broken down what you need to know about the state of the talks and what happens next. (for subscribers)
Ebola spreads into Congolese city as Canadian vaccine arrives
The spread of the deadly Ebola virus into a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with a population of over one million is deeply concerning, according to the World Health Organization. The United Nations agency is preparing to deploy an experimental vaccine developed in Winnipeg to help tackle the world’s latest Ebola outbreak. WHO’s emergency committee will be meeting on Friday to discuss whether the situation should be declared an emergency and to assess the international risks. Thirteen countries near the DRC have already increased their border-screening measures. So far, there are 44 suspected, probable or confirmed cases, including 23 deaths. Although the vaccine was shown to be effective in 2015 during the tail end of the last major outbreak, this is the first time that it will be used to combat a new outbreak.
B.C. prepares court challenge as Alberta threatens to cut off oil shipments
B.C. will be heading to the courts in response to an Alberta bill threatening to inflict economic pain on its neighbour over Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline. The new piece of legislation, which was passed yesterday in Alberta’s legislature, will enable the province to limit its supply of fossil fuels to B.C., something that B.C.’s Attorney-General David Eby says is unconstitutional. B.C. and Alberta, both of which have NDP governments, have been engaged in a back-and-forth battle over the pipeline, dragging other industries such as wine into the dispute. B.C. has previously taken to the courts to fight the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline and had asked Alberta to send the newly-passed legislation to the courts to determine if it respects the constitution.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index, the S&P/TSX Composite, completed its ninth consecutive day of gains, rising 35.49 points to finish the day at 16,143.55. Energy stocks, buoyed by the rising price of oil, helped push the TSX index. Oil prices rose above US$80 for the first time since November, 2014. On Wall Street, investors had to deal with tensions on the trade front and the impact of the oil price increase. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 54.95 points, or 0.22 per cent, to 24,713.98, the S&P 500 lost 2.34 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 2,720.12 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 15.82 points, or 0.21 per cent, to 7,382.47.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
Patrick Brown, the former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, is writing a book on what he calls his “political assassination.” In the book he compares himself to Julius Caesar. He is set to embark on a full tour to promote the book and his publishing company said theatrical rights are available. Mr. Brown resigned amid sexual-misconduct allegations from two women.
TALKING POINTS
Black Britons and belonging: Meghan Markle versus the Windrush generation
“There are two big stories right now about black migrants in Britain, but only one is fun to pay attention to. That would be that Meghan Markle, an American with a black mother and white father, is marrying Prince Harry. A beautiful, biracial commoner starring in a royal wedding is a fairy tale about race and Britishness the Crown can get behind. It’s a much better image than half a million black and brown citizens facing possible deportation. But that, too, is currently happening: In fact, the Windrush scandal, as it’s known, became public around the same time as the Royal engagement, last November. That’s when The Guardian began publishing stories about people losing their health benefits, being put into immigration detention or being deported even though they had been citizens since birth.” — Denise Balkissoon
Air Canada’s kowtowing to China sends a dangerous signal
“When we yield to Beijing’s preposterous demands, the way Air Canada did on how it refers to Taiwan, we display our weakness and our willingness to compromise what we believe in. A revisionist regime that seeks to undermine and alter the international system can only see such weakness as an invitation to demand more – and in doing so, we sow the seeds of our own misfortune. I speak for many Canadians today in feeling ashamed for the decision by Air Canada, a company we can be proud of, to give in to Beijing’s coercion. Surely we can do better than this.” — J. Michael Cole
Stemming the demographic tide on entrepreneurship
“Entrepreneurship is widely acknowledged as the basis for innovation, technological advancement and economic progress – and subsequently, a driving force for improved living standards. Yet there’s little discussion, let alone action, among governments in Canada to stem the adverse effects of demographic change on entrepreneurship, specifically the aging of our population.“ — Steven Globerman and Jason Clemens
LIVING BETTER
Have you ever wanted to do the perfect pull-up? The first step, according to one fitness expert, is to avoid touching the bar at first. Instead, begin with activities that help build and keep tension throughout your body such as planks before moving on to lat pull-downs and inverted rows to increase strength. Only then, should you be looking to tackle the pull-up bar.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Why Air Canada is abandoning Aeroplan — and what that means for your points
In two years, Air Canada will cut ties with Aeroplan, leaving its parent company, Aimia, scrambling. Can the loyalty program stay aloft without its premier partner? Report on Business Magazine digs deep into how the split happened, and what comes next. (for subscribers)
Evening Update is written by Mayaz Alam. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.