Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The debate over whether to administer booster shots in Canada has intensified in recent weeks, but experts say that healthy Canadians don’t yet need a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. They advocate for extra doses to instead be given to poorer countries that lack vaccines.
Quebec has been offering a third dose to people who want to travel to countries that don’t recognize them as fully vaccinated unless they received two doses of the same vaccine. Canada is among the leading countries for vaccinations against COVID-19, while other struggle to get first doses to their citizens.
Some experts say Canada should donate its surplus vaccines to COVAX, the non-profit program that supplies low-income countries. The World Health Organization is calling to delay boosters until the end of September to ensure every country can vaccinate at least 10 per cent of its population.
- Quebec will begin testing a COVID-19 vaccine passport app Wednesday
- Moderna to build mRNA production plant in Canada
- André Picard: Brace yourself for more COVID-19 nastiness
- Opinion: The summer has brought pandemic freedom. Let’s not risk losing it as students return to school
Canadian sentencing in China
China is accused of condemning Robert Schellenberg to death in retaliation for a Huawei executive’s arrest. Schellenberg had originally been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for drug trafficking in November, 2019, but just weeks after Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. extradition request, his case was reopened.
Another verdict will concern Michael Spavor, one of the two Canadian men who were arrested also in apparent retaliation for Canada’s detention of Meng. His verdict is expected later this evening. The two verdicts, coming right before an expected federal election call in Canada, could make for a momentous week in Canada-China relations. However, it is likely that the verdicts will continue to be a drawn-out diplomatic saga.
- Meng Wanzhou’s lawyer argues Donald Trump’s comments were offensive to the rule of law
Send a message to Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig as they near 1,000 days in detention in China. The Globe and Mail is inviting readers to send letters that we will forward to the Chinese embassy in Ottawa. E-mail audience@globeandmail.com or send hard copies to The Globe and Mail Toronto office with “Attn: Two Michaels” on the envelope: 351 King Street East, Suite 1600. Toronto, ON, M5A 0N1
People walk past the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on August 10, 2021, as a Chinese court upheld the death sentence passed on Canadian citizen Robert Lloyd Schellenberg for drug smuggling.NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty Images
Ottawa pledges $321-million for residential school survivors and communities
The money will be used for programs to help Indigenous communities search burial sites at former residential schools and to support survivors and their communities. The government will create a national advisory committee, made up of archeology, forensic, pathology, and mental health experts, to advise Indigenous communities and the government about work to find and identify the children.
The federal government also intends to appoint an independent official who will help guide the identification and protection of unmarked graves at former residential school sites, but not be involved in criminal investigations, according to a document obtained by The Globe and Mail and later confirmed by Justice Minister David Lametti.
- Also: First Nations from North Vancouver to look for children who never made it home
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigns: In a televised address, the 63-year-old Democrat denied intentionally showing any disrespect toward women after a barrage of sexual harassment allegations. The decision came a week after New York’s attorney general released the results of an investigation that found Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women.
Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister says he won’t seek re-election: The premier has been under fire over the past month for comments he made about Canadian history. He apologized last week after saying that people who came to Canada, before and after it became a country, did not come to destroy, but to build.
Canadian Pacific renewing takeover battle with rival CN over Kansas City Southern: Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. came with a new bid that is cheaper than Canadian National Railway Co.’s but offers what the Calgary railroad says is greater assurance its deal will win regulatory approval. The winner of the takeover battle will gain a rail network that extends from the U.S. Midwest into Mexico, reaching industrial, agricultural and marine hubs.
Housing strategy having ‘limited’ impact on housing need: Ottawa has spent less than half of the funding earmarked for a pair of flagship housing programs as the need for affordable homes grows along with a yawning “affordability gap,” says Canada’s budget watchdog.
Listen to The Decibel: Globe science reporter Ivan Semeniuk is back on the show to explain what the new IPCC report tells us about our climate future.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index rose to a record high as heavyweight energy and mining sectors bounced back from steep losses, although investors remained on edge due to rising COVID-19 cases worldwide.
The S&P/TSX composite index was unofficially up 58.32 points at 20,495.74. It earlier reached a record high of 20,541.44.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 162.82 points to 35,264.67, the S&P 500 gained 4.4 points to 4,436.75 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 72.09 points to 14,788.09.
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TALKING POINTS
We must not become inured to the presence of gun violence
“Will our governments show political will and act, or are they waiting for some kind of “herd immunity” that resigns the public to learn to live with gun violence like COVID-19?” - Alok Mukherjee
Change at COP26 will be led by the U.S., not Britain
“The single biggest player that requires U.S. diplomacy is China, which was key to delivering the Paris deal. Mr. Biden is therefore pushing Beijing hard for a new bold commitment to reciprocate the 2030 one he has announced.” - Andrew Hammond
Watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine got me through the early days of the pandemic. Now it’s time to say goodbye
“There was an excellent episode in season four that dealt with racial profiling and the treatment of Black Americans by police. [Terry] Crews has indicated in an interview that this final season will address the issues around the murder of George Floyd.” - Marsha Lederman
LIVING BETTER
Sunny Bunnies: Sports We Play Screen grab from You TubeYouTube
8 sporty movies and shows to watch with the kids post-Olympics
Whether it was the Canadian women’s soccer team’s nail-biting penalty shootout win, young swimmer Penny Oleksiak becoming the most decorated Canadian Olympian or decathlon gold medalist Damian Warner beaming as the Canadian flag-bearer for the closing ceremonies, it was all such a thrill to watch and share with the kids.
To keep the sporting spirit going, here are some children’s programming options featuring sports – even if one of them features animated adventurers.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Portrait of a cat, private collection, promised gift to the Ashmolean Museum, OxfordAshmolean Museum
Edward Lear’s beautiful, forgotten natural history paintings
Robert McCracken Peck shows us in his The Natural History of Edward Lear, when it comes to realistic animal portraiture, Lear could have run circles around any of his successors. He simply chose not to. Even his fans are likely to be unaware that. This once-obscure aspect of Lear’s output has now come to glorious light thanks to the efforts of Peck and Sir David Attenborough.
Why did Lear’s natural history paintings remain secret for so long? And why did his natural history paintings earn him barely a dime? Peck answers all in his most recent story.
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. 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.