Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The body of a 52-year-old man and the unidentified remains of another person were recovered today in Nova Scotia. The search continues, meanwhile, for the two others who are missing after flash floods hit the province over the weekend.
Four people, including two children, were reported missing this weekend when the two vehicles they were travelling in were carried away by floods northwest of Halifax.
The thunderstorms that began on Friday and continued on Saturday poured up to 250 millimetres of rain on parts of the province, causing damage to roads and bridges.
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Russia attacks Danube grain export route vital for Ukraine
A Russian drone attack hit Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River today, destroying an important export route for Kyiv.
The attack is part of an expanding air campaign that Russia began last week after exiting the Black Sea grain deal. The assaults have mostly struck sea ports in Odesa but today’s strikes along the Danube damaged parts of a route that has become vital after the end of the deal that allowed Ukrainian grain shipments via the Black Sea.
As well, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow early this morning that saw one of the aircraft fall near the Defence Ministry’s main headquarters. There were no casualties, according to the mayor. Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone struck an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, forcing a halt in traffic on a major highway, Russian authorities said.
- UN chief urges Russia to revive grain deal with Ukraine, warning ‘the most vulnerable’ will suffer
- Thousands of Wagner mercenaries have arrived in Belarus since failed uprising, monitoring group says
More than 250 business groups ask Ottawa to extend CEBA repayment deadline
The Canada Emergency Business Account, or CEBA, was a widely used support for businesses in the early months of the pandemic. Now, 256 business associations are calling on the federal government to extend the benefit’s repayment deadline.
Ottawa doled out loans of $40,000 or $60,000 to nearly 900,000 businesses. Only a fifth of those loans were paid back as of March 31. If repaid by Dec. 31, businesses will have either $10,000 or $20,000 of their loan forgiven, depending on the size of the loan. As of Jan. 1, no amount will be forgiven, and interest will begin to accrue at the rate of 5 per cent.
The business groups, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Restaurants Canada and the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, wrote a letter to Chrystia Freeland asking for a two-year extension, saying small-business owners continue to face financial challenges, like inflation and high interest payments.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Israeli parliament takes first major step in Netanyahu’s overhaul: Parliament passed the first major law in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s justice system. The plan calls for major changes aimed at curbing powers of the judiciary, including limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge parliamentary decisions.
Freeland rejects Toronto’s bailout request: The Deputy Prime Minister said instead that the Ontario government is in an “excellent fiscal position” to help.
Carolyn Bennett leaving federal politics: The Mental Health and Addictions Minister, who was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997, has announced that she will not stand for re-election as a member of Parliament. The news came as Bennett announced government funding for a 988 suicide-crisis hotline.
Greta Thunberg removed from protest: Climate activist Greta Thunberg was forcibly removed by police from a protest in the southern Swedish city of Malmo today, just hours after a local court fined her for disobeying a police order during a similar protest last month.
Canadian man, British preacher appear in British court after terrorism investigation: The Edmonton man, Khaled Hussein, who is 28, was charged under the Terrorism Act for allegedly being a member of a proscribed organization in Britain.
B.C. film unions agree to one-year contract extension amid U.S. strikes: Film unions in British Columbia have agreed to extend their contracts with studios by a year until March, 2025, securing a 5-per-cent wage hike while American writers and actors continue to strike.
MARKET WATCH
Dow scores longest winning streak since 2017 as investors look beyond tech stocks
The Dow Jones Industrial Average led Wall Street higher on Monday and notched its longest winning streak in six years as investors bet on sectors beyond technology in a week filled with earnings reports and a Federal Reserve meeting. The Canadian benchmark index posted only a modest gain, but it was enough for its highest close in 2 1/2 months, with energy stocks doing the heavy lifting.
The Dow Jones industrial average ended up 183.55 points at 35,411.24. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 34.61 points at 20,582.12. The S&P 500 index was up 18.30 points at 4,554.64, while the Nasdaq composite was up 26.06 points at 14,058.87.
The Canadian dollar traded for 75.92 cents US compared with 75.69 cents US on Friday.
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TALKING POINTS
For a more equitable world, should we give up cheap bananas?
“Sometimes, a banana is just a banana. Other times, it is the fruit at the centre of an intense political debate about the future of progressive politics.” – Phoebe Maltz Bovy
Francis shows, once again, that he is a Pope like no other
“Francis knows that the church needs an oversight body tasked to safeguard the faith, but also an oversight body that does not operate by repression, imposition and fear – instead, by openness, persuasion, and love.” – Michael W. Higgins
LIVING BETTER
You might be surprised by the MIND diet trial results – but it shouldn’t steer you away from this brain-friendly diet
The findings of a new trial suggest that the MIND diet wasn’t more effective than a control diet at improving cognition. It’s thought that foods in the MIND diet (which emphasizes whole plant foods and limits animal foods and saturated fat) deliver potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that protect brain functioning and guard against cognitive decline. Leslie Beck delves into the new research and why the findings do not mean the MIND diet doesn’t benefit brain health.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Centrepiece of Doug Ford’s Greenbelt housing plan faces multiple roadblocks
A government sign indicating entry into the Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve, in Pickering, Ont., June 19, 2023.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
The Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve in Pickering, Ont., is no longer part of the province’s Greenbelt. More than six months ago, the 1,900 hectares, which include some of the highest-grade agricultural soil in the country, became the focal point in Premier Doug Ford’s plan to allow housing on the Greenbelt.
The piece of land is nearly two-thirds of the land Ford removed from the Greenbelt, something he says is a necessity to battle a housing shortage amid booming immigration. Developers are meant to build 30,000 new homes on this carved-out land.
But the plan could face hurdles. The government has tight deadlines for developers to produce housing. Meanwhile, local officials say that the pipes and roads needed for development could take years to build and cost millions. And the federal Environment Minister has said he could block any development that could harm endangered species or the nearby Rouge National Urban Park. These issues, says a former senior Ontario planner who oversaw the creation of the Greenbelt, are major roadblocks, not merely bumps in the road.
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.