Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The family of Michael Kovrig has spoken out, pleading with the Canadian government to rethink its strategy to ensure the release of Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been imprisoned by the Chinese government for 560 days.
Kovrig’s wife, Vina Nadjibulla, has shared letters from her husband with The Globe and Mail that detail his life in a three-by-three-metre cell.
China has continued to deny any connection between the imprisonment of the Canadians, and the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
In an interview Monday, Bennett Kovrig, the father of Michael Kovrig and a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, argued that Justice Minister David Lametti has the power to end extradition proceedings against Meng Wanzhou. This argument has the backing of former Liberal justice minister Allan Rock and former Supreme Court judge Louise Arbour.
By doing so, Mr. Kovrig believes China will release the two imprisoned Canadians.
For more background on the case, see our explainer here.
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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, wears a face mask while waiting to testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in Washington, on Tuesday, June 23, 2020, about the coronavirus.)KEVIN DIETSCH/The New York Times News Service
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, returned to Capitol Hill today to provide an update on the state of the pandemic in the U.S.
Dr. Fauci’s appearance comes as parts of the U.S. begin to re-open, while states such as Arizona, Florida, and Texas continue to experience worrying increases in cases. “The next couple of weeks are going to be critical in our ability to address those surges,” he said.
In Canada, public health officials are raising concerns about an increase in COVID-19 cases among young adults, teens, and children.
Individuals age 29 and under account for about one-third of all new COVID-19 cases across the country in the past week, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
John Ibbitson writes that the pandemic will also affect Canada’s population for decades to come, as young people hold off on having children due to economic uncertainty and health-related fear.
Another fatal police shooting
In Lavaltrie, a small city northeast of Montreal, Quebec’s police watchdog has been called to investigate the fatal shooting of a 53-year old man during a police intervention on Monday night.
The incident comes not long after Saturday’s fatal police shooting of Mississauga man Ejaz Choudry during a wellness check. Globe columnist Robyn Urback points out that the frequent, devastating results of sending police in to respond to mental health crises prove “police can never really be expected to safely contain and de-escalate a mental-health crisis involving anyone, of any age.”
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Tariff threats: The U.S. is threatening to reimpose a 10-per-cent tariff on Canadian aluminum, according to industry sources with knowledge of the talks. If Canada declines to impose export restrictions, the U.S. will implement the aluminum tariffs July 1, which is also the date the new USMCA trade agreement comes into effect.
Removed from circulation: Tina Fey, the creator of the popular comedy television series, 30 Rock, has requested streaming services remove four episodes from their platforms featuring characters wearing blackface.
Curriculum changes: The new Ontario elementary school math curriculum will teach coding and an include an emphasis on financial literacy, announced Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
Statues to remain: U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will be issuing an executive order to arrest anyone caught hurting a commemoration to an armed services member on federal land.
MARKET WATCH
Continuing on an upwards trend, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.59 per cent, to 26,156.10, the S&P 500 gained by 0.43 per cent, to 3,131.29 and the Nasdaq Composite continued it’s upward climb, rising 0.74 per cent, to 10,131.37.
Energy stocks lifted the TSX to 15,564.75 as oil prices climed, and investor confidence was bolstered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s assurances that the U.S.-China trade deal was still intact.
Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. EST: Join The Globe’s personal finance team and Stress Test podcast hosts Rob Carrick and Roma Luciw for an Instagram Live where they’ll answer your questions about housing and your personal finances amid the coronavirus. Join us: tgam.ca/stresstest-live
TALKING POINTS
It’s time to bring more Indigenous voices into newsrooms
“The stories of discrimination echoing across social media in 2020 represent an urgent call to move media forward toward a truly non-discriminatory representation of Indigenous experiences in Canada. Success will require efforts at all levels, particularly from decision makers in the media.” - Megan Fowler and Rachel Pulfer
Toronto has some small ideas for making big improvements to public transit
“The pandemic has sparked widespread rethinking of our cities: how we’ve built them at the altar of the automobile and how we can liberate our streets for people.” - The Globe Editorial Board
LIVING BETTER
Remember when you used to fantasize about working from home? Now, with work and life blurred like never before, the pleasures of working alongside house-bound family members are somewhat fewer and farther between. Adam Bisby reflects with humour on the challenges of balancing a freelance career with marathons of Tiger King, dodging his children’s TikToks, and endless Zoom meetings.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Even when life “returns to normal,” the impact of COVID-19 will have embedded itself within our leisure and pursuits - and that might not be a bad thing.
Travel writer Mary Jane Grant argues that when borders reopen, sticking with the lessons we’ve learned from a slower pace of life will improve the meaning of our travel experiences.
Integrating mindfulness, and relishing the small, simple delights of a new destination, will lead us to “sink deeper into each experience, leaving room for joyful discovery and the restorative power of life’s simple pleasures”.
Evening Update is written by Claire Porter Robbins. 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.