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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
B.C. casinos called ‘laundromats’ for proceeds of organized crime
Dysfunction in B.C.’s casino regulatory system has helped fuel major international money laundering and organized crime networks, says a report just released by Attorney General David Eby.
“Vancouver is a hub for Chinese-based organized crime,” says the report, titled Dirty Money. But it added that large amounts of drug money also move through Vancouver casinos that are related to Mexican drug cartels and others, including Middle East organized crime.
To combat the problem, report author Peter German gives 48 recommendations, including a designated police force and specialized prosecutors. He also advocates further investigation into allegations of organized crime penetration of real estate, as well as into vulnerability of the luxury car sector and horse racing.
U.S. judge orders migrant families to be reunited
A U.S. judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from separating immigrant parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border and ordered that those who had been separated be reunited within 30 days.
The nationwide injunction issued late yesterday by U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego will not be the final word on a heated battle over the treatment of immigrant families who cross the border illegally. A government appeal is likely.
The preliminary injunction also requires the government to reunite children under age 5 with their parents within 14 days, and let children talk with their parents within 10 days.
The separations sparked widespread condemnation in the United States, including from within Mr. Trump’s own Republican Party, and abroad.
Hamilton man found not guilty in shooting death of Indigenous man
A jury in Hamilton has found Peter Khill not guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of an Indigenous man who broke into his truck. The jury reached the verdict this morning after less than a day of deliberations.
The victim, Jonathan Styres, was shot and killed in the driveway of Mr. Khill’s home, where he had been trying to steal a pickup truck in the early hours of Feb. 4, 2016.
The Crown called it a “cruel” and “needless” killing – one that could have been avoided if Mr. Khill had just called 911 from inside his home. Mr. Khill said he was acting in self-defence, falling back on the training he received as a military reservist five years earlier. He fired only after he thought Mr. Styres was about to shoot him, as a way to “neutralize” the threat.
Comparisons have been drawn between this case and the controversial trial of Gerald Stanley, a Saskatchewan farmer whose acquittal in the fatal shooting of Colten Boushie, a Cree man, on his rural property, sparked outrage in February.
Researchers plan national program to bring innovative prostate cancer treatment to Canada
Canadian researchers are planning a national program to test an innovative treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer, giving them an option that hasn’t been available in Canada before. The program will focus on radionuclide therapy (RNT), which harnesses radioactive drugs to target and kill cancer cells.
The Canadian trial will include 200 patients to determine whether RNT improves survival and quality of life for men with metastatic prostate cancer – cancer that has spread from the prostate to other parts of the body.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index gave up early gains despite a jump in oil prices today. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX closed 48 points down at 16,231. It was dragged down by losses in the financial sector. Corus Entertainment Inc. shares fell by 18.6 per cent to a record low after slashing its dividend by nearly 80 per cent. Canopy Growth Corp. was down 10.1 per cent after releasing earnings. The TSX’s energy group rose by 1.53 per cent as the price per barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude rose 2.68 per cent.
On Wall Street, The Dow fell 165 points to close at 24,117, the S&P lost 23 points to close at 2,699 and the Nasdaq dropped 116 points to close at 7,445. After an initial rally, the S&P technology and industrial sectors — which have a relatively high revenue exposure to China – fizzled. U.S. President Donald Trump said today he will use a review panel to curb China technology investments.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
Reigning champion Germany crashed out of the World Cup after suffering a stunning 2-0 defeat by South Korea, eliminated it in the opening round for the first time in 80 years. The Germans, who have won four World Cups and finished runners-up four times, entered this year’s tournament heavily backed to retain their title. Instead, they will head home after a scarcely believable failure.
“This was an unprecedented World Cup collapse not because it was worse than all the other collapses, but because Germany doesn’t collapse at the World Cup,” Cathal Kelly writes. “This team is like a horse. It was not designed with laying down in mind.”
TALKING POINTS
Does Justin Trudeau actually hate the West?
“The question is asked again in the wake of last week’s revelation that the federal government quietly renewed, for another five years, the country’s contentious equalization program. I say contentious, that is, among those ‘have’ provinces that pay to help deprived ‘have not’ counterparts like, ahem, Quebec. And among the complainers, there is no voice louder than Alberta’s, whose politicians have, for years now, railed against what they perceive is a fundamental inequity in the system.” – Gary Mason
A failure of our justice system: When we fail to preserve a victim’s dignity
“Imagine being required to watch a graphic video of yourself engaged in sexual activity, any sexual activity, in front of legal professionals, reporters and strangers. Imagine that for this woman, that video may capture a brutal sexual assault against her. It is difficult to conceive of a more obvious and profound example of the retraumatization that can occur as a result of testifying as a sexual assault complainant.” – Elaine Craig
To drive real change for Saudi women, male guardianship must end
“While abolishment of the driving ban should be celebrated, we must not forget the real target should be the male guardianship system, whereby a woman must obtain permission by her male guardian (husband, father, son, uncle, etc.) for basic life decisions. No matter her age or marital or professional status, she remains a legal dependent throughout her life.” – Sheema Khan
LIVING BETTER
The best financial support that parents can offer their children is a fully paid university or college education, not a house down payment, Rob Carrick writes. Half of new undergraduates finish school with student debt, and more than 20 per cent of grads with a bachelor's degree start out with $25,000 or more in debt, RBC research suggests. So parents who want to help their kids deal with these costs should save in a registered education savings plan, or RESP. The challenge for parents is that they need to find money at a point in life where they may not have much to spare. Here’s why parents of young kids should persevere where possible: With contributions of $2,500 a year for 16 years, a parent could end up with just over $67,000 (assumes a 4-per-cent rate of return after fees and maximum Canadian Education Savings Grant). That’s close to enough to cover tuition, books and accommodations for a four-year university program in another city, and more than enough for a local school.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Where faith and beauty bloom: Inside Edmonton’s new Islamic-inspired garden
The world’s newest and northernmost Islamic-inspired garden has been sculpted out of Alberta’s rugged countryside on a tract of land 15 minutes northwest of the Edmonton airport.
The Aga Khan Garden, funded by a $25-million donation from the philanthropist and spiritual leader of the world’s Shia Ismaili Muslims, opens Canada Day weekend on the grounds of the University of Alberta Botanic Garden. The university sees the Aga Khan Garden as a catalyst toward better understanding and a boon to tourism. It believes it could attract 90,000 more visitors a year to its botanic site. Without it, the 240-acre parcel, which houses a research centre and alpine, Indigenous and Japanese gardens, has attracted about 70,000 visitors annually.
“This is an evolutionary moment in the [botanic] garden’s history,” says Kerry Mulholland, the communications and marketing co-ordinator for the University of Alberta Botanic Garden.
Evening Update is written by Amy O’Kruk and S.R. Slobodian. 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.