Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The B.C. Court of Appeal has upheld the decision of a trial judge who ruled that access to private health care is not a constitutionally protected right despite long wait times in the public system. The decision is now expected to be headed to the Supreme Court of Canada.
The plaintiffs in the case – led by Brian Day, an orthopedic surgeon and president and chief executive of Cambie Surgeries Corporation – had argued that provisions of B.C.’s Medicare Protection Act violated the constitutional rights of patients who were prevented from making their own health care decisions. They invoked Section 7 of the Charter – the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
A three-judge panel with the B.C. Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in a 142-page decision posted Friday that stated that although the provisions do deprive some patients of their rights to life and security of the person, they do so in accordance with principles of fundamental justice. They wrote that the medicare laws serve the purpose of ensuring public health care is sustainable.
Read more:
- Patient dies while waiting hours to be seen in New Brunswick emergency department
- Robyn Urback: Canadians are delusional captives to a broken health care system
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Spouse of Nova Scotia gunman tells inquiry why she didn’t report earlier violence to police
The spouse of the man behind the Nova Scotia mass shooting told an inquiry Friday that she lied to police about his illegal weapons and failed to report earlier violent behaviour because she was deeply afraid of him.
In the first time she has publicly spoken about the tragedy, Lisa Banfield described during her testimony how her partner beat her in 2003 as witnesses looked on. She also offered new details about what happened when her spouse threatened to kill his parents in 2010.
The inquiry has heard she was beaten and badly injured by the killer on the night of April 18, 2020, immediately before he began the attack that would claim 22 lives. She told investigators that she escaped into the woods and emerged the next morning to tell police that her partner, Gabriel Wortman, was still at large and driving a vehicle that looked exactly like an RCMP cruiser. The commission of inquiry has agreed to let Banfield testify without facing cross-examination from lawyers representing other parties.
Read more:
- Explainer: Revelations from the Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry are building. The news and impact so far
- Decision to shield spouse of Nova Scotia shooter from cross-examination shakes faith in inquiry
Vehicle waited for Ripudaman Singh Malik hours before shooting in B.C., police say
Police say a vehicle with “multiple” people inside was waiting for Ripudaman Singh Malik hours before he was killed in a parking lot in Surrey, B.C.
Sergeant . David Lee of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team told a news conference that a white Honda CRV pulled up near the scene of the shooting at around 7 a.m. and Malik was shot and killed at about 9:30 Thursday morning.
He says police found the same vehicle burned a few streets down soon after Malik was shot.
Malik was one of the two men acquitted in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombings that claimed 331 lives.
Parliamentary hearings to probe Canada’s decision to import and repair Russian pipeline turbines despite sanctions
A senior parliamentary committee has voted to hold hearings on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to let Canada import and repair Russian government-owned turbines for up to two years, in circumvention of sanctions against Moscow.
Members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development voted unanimously Friday to call Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and other ministers including Natural Resource Minister Jonathan Wilkinson to appear before MPs by July 22.
Trudeau said the Liberal government decided to circumvent its own sanctions against Russia because it did not want punitive rules aimed at Vladimir Putin’s administration in Russia to contribute to the energy crisis in Europe and end up hurting natural-gas consumers in countries such as Germany. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government have sharply criticized Canada’s decision.
Read more:
- Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia grieves after deadly Russian missile attack
- African relief operations hit by fuel shortages and soaring food prices as result of Ukraine war
- Canadian volunteer fighter who was severely wounded in Ukraine has returned home
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
COVID-19 outbreaks more than doubled in Ontario LTC homes since last weekly report: The latest weekly report on the virus in Ontario said outbreaks in the sector had risen to 42 during the week of July 3 to 9, an increase of 110 per cent from the previous week’s 20 reported outbreaks.
Toronto van attacker seeks to appeal conviction: Alek Minassian, the man responsible for Toronto’s deadly 2018 van attack is seeking to appeal his conviction on 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.
Canadian home prices spiral down in June: Canada’s housing market slowed for the third straight month in June, with home prices cratering – the largest monthly decline on record – as borrowing costs soar and buyers struggle to qualify for a mortgage.
Manitoba wireless carrier Xplore Mobile is shutting down, citing regulatory delays: Xplore Mobile Inc., the Manitoba wireless carrier created out of BCE Inc.’s acquisition of Bell MTS, is shutting down on Aug. 31, according to an internal company memo, stating it was unable to overcome the “cloud of uncertainty” created by regulatory delays and is no longer financially feasible.
Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge wants to break the culture of silence around abuse in sports: Growing revelations of abuse and open letters to government agencies from athletes prompted St-Onge, who was made sport minister in October, to take stronger action on the issue than her mandate letter indicated initially.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street stocks closed sharply higher on Friday, ending several days of sell-offs with a rebound fueled by upbeat earnings, strong economic data and waning fears of a larger-than-expected interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
The S&P 500 gained 72.78 points, or 1.92 per cent to end at 3,863.16 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 201.23 points, or 1.79 per cent, to 11,452.42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 658.09 points, or 2.15 per cent, to 31,288.26. The TSX gained 65.39 or 0.36 per cent to end at 18,394.45 points.
The Canadian dollar traded for 76.70 cents US compared with 76.12 cents US on Thursday.
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TALKING POINTS
How the pandemic broke central bankers’ orderly world
“No sooner had the Bank of Canada executed its latest and most decisive move against inflation – a full percentage point increase in its benchmark interest rate, after two half-point increases earlier this year – than it came under hot fire, from some of the same people who had previously complained it wasn’t doing enough to fight inflation.” – Andrew Coyne
Our bud, the spud: Why we must never take the heroic potato for granted
“In times of hardship, the potato teaches us, we need to take consolation in small things.” – Adrian Lee
‘Is that all there is?’ In this new world, perhaps we need a little nostalgia, and a bit of naivety
“The culmination of stress and grief on both an individual and collective level from the past few years is bound to affect us in ways we are not at a place to even measure yet. It’s unsurprising if few of us can return to full bloom.” – Marlowe Granados
LIVING BETTER
Inflation-busting recipes that will impress your guests for less
As we ease back into inviting guests over for dinner, skyrocketing inflation is making the dinner party an expensive ordeal. Julie Van Rosendaal shares how to make delicious and even fancy meals without the high cost. For instance, ‘make-it-your-own risotto’ uses pantry staples and is perfect for accommodating a wide range of dietary requirements.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Plan your summer vacation like a local with hand-picked guides to 11 Canadian cities
Travelling to Banff? Be sure to take in the iconic views of the Rockies from the seat of a Banff Gondola.DEVAAN INGRAHAM/Banff Gondola by Pursuit
As flight delays and luggage chaos continues at airports across the country, and gas prices continuing to soar, the least stressful (and most economical) getaways this season might be close to home. In this guide to 11 Canadian cities, The Globe asked locals to share the best things to do, see eat and drink in their respective towns.
Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.