Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss announced today that she’s stepping down after just 45 days in office, in a move that springs fresh political turmoil upon the United Kingdom and could see a snap general election called – or even a return of Boris Johnson.
Truss said she will resign as leader of the country’s Conservative Party and as Prime Minister once her successor is chosen, which could be as early as next week. “We set out a vision for a low-tax, high-growth economy that would take advantage of the freedoms of Brexit,” she said in a statement outside of Downing Street. “I recognize, though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”
She becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in British history and the third Tory leader to be pushed out by Conservative MPs in three years – following Theresa May, who resigned in 2019, and Johnson, who quit last June less than three years after leading the party to victory in the 2019 election.
- Liz Truss resigns, U.K. markets in turmoil: What’s behind the crisis and what you need to know
- Daily Star newspaper says its lettuce lasted longer than British Prime Minister Liz Truss
- Mark Carney says U.K. crisis shows importance of credible fiscal policy
- Opinion: Liz Truss leaves in disgrace, while Britain is left to despair
- In photos: Liz Truss will go down in history as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister
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Canadian tech CEO listed on $1.2-million ArriveCan contract says his company never worked on app
Canadian tech CEO Craig McLellan, whose company ThinkOn is listed as having received a $1.2-million ArriveCan contract, says he has no idea why that is since his firm did not receive money from the Canada Border Services Agency and did not work on the app. He’s calling on the CBSA to issue a correction.
In an interview, McLellan said he was surprised to read in The Globe and Mail that his company was listed as the sixth-ranked company in terms of federal outsourcing contracts related to developing and maintaining the ArriveCan app.
The ranking is based on information tabled last month in Parliament by the CBSA. The agency said ThinkOn Inc. received contract work valued at $1,183,432 related to ArriveCan between Jan. 21, 2020, and March 31, 2022. The CBSA specifically said that ThinkOn provided “experimentation of mobile QR code scanning and verification.” However, McLellan told The Globe and Mail that QR code scanning is not a service his company provides. A CBSA spokesperson said that they would look into the issue.
Inquiry releases recording of key RCMP meeting after Nova Sotia mass shooting
The inquiry into the Nova Scotia mass shooting has released partial recordings of a tense RCMP meeting at the centre of allegations of political interference into the police investigation of the massacre.
In recordings made nine days after the killings, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki says she understands the police force can’t release details about the make and model of each of the weapons the gunman used to kill 22 people.
But she goes on to say she felt frustrated when she learned the speaking notes used for an RCMP news conference earlier that day did not include a reference to the weapons as semi-automatic and assault-style, saying she felt “completely disrespected” by the omission.
Ottawa police’s ‘contingency plan’ for convoy protest only involved a weekend action, despite warnings suggesting a much longer stay
A senior leader in the Ottawa police testified before the Emergencies Act inquiry today, admitting that the force should have given “more credibility” to intelligence reports suggesting that the convoy protesters heading to the city could stay put in the capital for a significant period of time.
The service’s “contingency plan” for the protest, testified Ottawa police’s Acting Deputy Chief Patricia Ferguson, only considered the possibility that it would last through the weekend even though the intelligence available to the force suggested otherwise.
Before the convoy arrived on Jan. 28, Ottawa police had received several reports from the Ontario Provincial Police that included explicit warnings that protesters would disrupt traffic, the movement of goods and strain law enforcement capacity.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
The latest in Ukraine: Russian and Ukrainian troops appeared Thursday to be girding for a major battle over the strategic southern industrial port city of Kherson, in a region which Russian President Vladimir Putin has illegally annexed and subjected to martial law.
Former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard sentenced: The Canadian musician has been sentenced to five years behind bars after being found guilty earlier this year of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman.
EQAO results released: Fewer than half of Ontario’s Grade 6 students met the provincial standard in math, according to the latest standardized test results that highlights how pandemic-related disruptions affected learning.
CRTC paves way for cheaper cellphone bills: Canada’s telecom regulator has released the details of its mobile wireless carrier framework, opening the doors for eligible regional companies to negotiate with incumbents to access their cell networks and offer competitive services.
The unusual challenge of selling HSBC Canada: The timing of the deal, coupled with a fraught political landscape, is making any sale much trickier than it otherwise might have been, according to 10 banking industry sources familiar with the business and the auction.
New guidelines outline how to diagnose anxiety in children: The guidelines, set out in two documents, are the first from the Canadian Paediatric Society to specifically address anxiety disorders, which are among the most common mental health conditions affecting Canadian children and teens.
MARKET WATCH
North American stocks ended the session lower and benchmark Treasury yields continued their ascent on Thursday after investors weighed generally upbeat earnings against the prospect that the Federal Reserve could hold firm on its aggressive policy for longer than they had hoped.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 95.11 points or 0.5 per cent, closing at 18,579.29.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 90.22 points or 0.3 per cent, closing at 30,333.59. The S&P 500 index was down 29.38 points or 0.8 per cent, closing at 3,665.78, while the Nasdaq composite was down 65.67 points or 0.6 per cent, closing at 10,614.84.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.84 cents US, compared with 72.57 cents US on Wednesday.
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TALKING POINTS
Welcome to the age of exhausting television. And, no, I haven’t seen that amazing show yet
“And so, instead of the modest, assured, long-taken-for-granted pleasure of talking about a television show with someone else – comparing favourite and hated characters, trading theories and predictions of what’s going to happen next – we share what I suspect is an increasingly widespread lament: There’s just too much great television to watch these days.” – Randy Boyagoda
Through his art, Kent Monkman shows us how to confront Indigenous erasure
“In his latest collection, Being Legendary, Mr. Monkman worked with the Royal Ontario Museum to confront erasure head on: by telling the story of Indigenous science, creation and way of life at the heart of a Canadian cultural structure that in some ways symbolizes our very destruction.” – Tanya Talaga
The absurd reality of Canada’s powerless cities
“Toronto, like all Canadian cities other than the lucky few that have charters, has zero inherent power. Whatever powers it does possess are granted to it by the Ontario legislature.” – The Editorial Board
The world needs less Elon Musk
“One thing is clear: Mr. Musk must be reined in, and the only entity capable is the U.S. government.” – Michael Byers
LIVING BETTER
Seven ways to give your brain a break
How does brain fatigue affect decision-making? Researchers have discovered that doing difficult tasks leads to much more glutamate in the lateral prefrontal cortex, an important neurotransmitter that helps messages get relayed between nerve cells in the brain. Using so much glutamate means you might not have much to draw on when making other decisions. How can you give your brain a break? It might help to save big decisions for the morning, when you’re well-rested. Taking breaks throughout the day is also a good idea. Read more about the research and tips to combat brain fatigue.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Stay or go? Newfoundland town divided over prospect of resettlement
Doug Skinner on August 16, 2022.DARREN CALABRESE/The Globe and Mail
Doug Skinner knows where he will go when it’s all over. Up to the cemetery on the hill where his late wife waits for him. His name is already on the tombstone.
For others in this Newfoundland outport, the decision isn’t as easy. For centuries, people have lived in Gaultois, a crack in the rock that surrounds the province’s south coast, and have built a life around the bounty of the sea. But it’s been years since the last boat unloaded its catch at the old fish plant. The school that used to have hundreds of children has just four students now. In a village where everyone seems to be in their 70s, the nurse visits by boat only once a month.
Gaultois, whose population has dwindled from more than 700 in the early 1990s to just over 70, has long been a holdout in Newfoundland and Labrador’s efforts to phase out its most remote communities. After turning down resettlement multiple times in its history, the town will soon take the vote to decide. The debate, whether to take the government money – up to $270,000 per household – and leave, or whether to try to hold on for a few more years, is splitting the community.
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.