Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
First civilians evacuated from besieged Mariupol steel plant head for safety
The first civilians evacuated from the bombed-out steel plant that has become the last stronghold of Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol slowly made their way toward safety today, as others who managed to escape the city described terrifying weeks of bombardment and deprivation.
More than 100 civilians left the rubble-strewn Azovstal steel mill yesterday and set out for the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, according to authorities and video released by the two sides.
Mariupol Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov said high-level negotiations were under way among Ukraine, Russia and international organizations on more evacuations.
Read more: For Ukrainians, buying a car becomes a challenge amid dwindling supply and gas shortages
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Stellantis announces $3.6-billion retool of Ontario plants to make electric and hybrid-fuel vehicles
Canada and Ontario are jointly investing more than $1-billion to help Stellantis NV retool auto plants in the province to make electric and hybrid-fuel vehicles.
Stellantis, the company created a year ago by the merger of Fiat Chrysler and France’s Groupe PSA, is investing another $2.4-billion in the projects.
They include creating flexible assembly lines that could pump out battery-electric and hybrid vehicles at Stellantis plants in Windsor and Brampton.
Puck drops tonight on the NHL playoffs
The quest for the Stanley Cup starts in earnest tonight for two of the three Canadian teams in the playoffs: The Toronto Maple Leafs, who play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Edmonton Oilers, at home against the Los Angeles Kings. Action for the Flames begins tomorrow in Calgary against the Dallas Stars. Check back later tonight at GlobeSports.com for scores and highlights.
Regulars visit at Uncle Glenn's Eatery & Sports Pub in Edmonton on April 29, 2022.Amber Bracken/Amber Bracken
Hockey fans aren’t the only ones cheering: After many months of suffering through the pandemic, Canada’s bars and restaurants are looking for a boost from the NHL playoffs.
Opinion: After 29 years of failure, is Canadian hockey now defined by losing? - Cathal Kelly
How returning to the office could hit your wallet
Canadians returning to the office are finding that trading the kitchen table or home studio for corporate quarters is squeezing not only their free time, but also their wallet.
It’s not just adding new or long-forgotten costs to monthly budgets. They’re also finding that many of those expenses are much higher than they were before the pandemic.
Take an office lunch, for example. In big cities across the country, buying a soup and sandwich now costs nearly $18 on average, up 24 per cent from about $14.50 in March, 2020, according to data from digital payments company Square.
Read more: Why cannabis prices are plunging – unlike just about everything else
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Six candidates cleared for Tories’ leadership race: The federal Conservatives cleared six candidates today to run in the party’s leadership race but disqualified three others who all said they had met the fundraising and nomination requirements to make it to the final ballot.
B.C. tables data collection law: The British Columbia government is introducing data collection legislation that it says will start the process of dismantling systemic racism faced by Indigenous and other racialized communities in the province.
Trial for Hedley frontman under way: The sex assault trial of Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard is getting under way after multiple delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Polar bear killed in Quebec: A polar bear that ventured into a residential area in Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula this weekend prompting a public safety alert has been shot dead, authorities said yesterday.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street’s main indexes seesawed throughout the session to close higher today, as investors sought to pick up technology names that had been beaten down in recent days ahead of this week’s U.S. Federal Reserve meeting, while Canada’s main stock index declined.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 84.29 points or 0.26 per cent to 33,061.50, the S&P 500 gained 23.45 points or 0.57 per cent to 4,155.38, and the Nasdaq Composite added 201.38 points or 1.63 per cent to end at 12,536.02.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index dropped 69.78 points or 0.34 per cent to 20,692.22. The loonie was trading at 77.62 U.S. cents.
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TALKING POINTS
‘Sorry, Grandma, we’re cutting your benefits.’ No politician will ever say that. But maybe they should
“Refusing to raise the age of OAS eligibility, and then offering bonus payments to those 75 and over, was great politics. But is it good for Canada?” - Globe editorial
Suncor’s safety record helped make it a target for activist investors
“Suncor’s continuing safety and operational issues, and the resulting weakness in its valuation, leave its board vulnerable to the same revolution that reshaped CP Rail.” - Andrew Willis
Pierre Poilievre has a point on central bank digital currencies
“Having all our financial data directly in the hands of the government is a frightening thought.” - Ethan Lou
LIVING BETTER
Beyond its role in immunity, vitamin C is critical for healthy blood vessels, wound healing, antioxidant protection and much more. Here’s a primer on why you need it and how to get more of it every day. Prime sources include fruits such as citrus, strawberries and pineapple, but also raw peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. And there’s no harm in taking a supplement to boost your vitamin C intake.
TODAY’S LONG READ
PEI potato farmers face uncertainty after export ban lifted
Andrew Smith, a fifth-generation potato farmer, assesses the soil on last year’s cover crop, where he expects to plant fewer potatoes this season.DARREN CALABRESE/The Globe and Mail
Andrew Smith doesn’t need new things to worry about. As a potato farmer, he already frets about the rain. The frost. Wireworm. Blight. Pests. Weeds. Rising fertilizer, labour and fuel costs.
This spring, he added a new item to his list of worries: a potato chip plant in Pittsburgh, to which, for the past 12 years, Smith Farms has shipped a quarter of the spuds it grows on its 1,115 acres in central Prince Edward Island. The owner of that chip plant recently told Smith the business relationship is coming to an end.
The reason? Potato wart, a disease caused by the Synchytrium endobioticum fungus, which spreads easily and can reduce harvests. After the wart was detected in two PEI fields last fall, Canada quickly shut down most shipments of the province’s potatoes to the United States, in order to dissuade the Americans from imposing their own ban.
While Smith’s farm has never had any sign of potato wart, the export ban – which ended in March – is still affecting his business directly. For one thing, it spooked the American chip plant, which needs a consistent flow of potatoes. Read Greg Mercer’s full story here.
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