Good evening, this is the final Evening Update of 2018. We won’t be publishing the newsletter next week but will be back Jan. 2. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Freeland demands Canadians' release
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland formally demanded that Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor be released from Chinese custody. Mr. Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Mr. Spavor, a businessman who’s lived in China for years, were arrested on security grounds just days after Canadian authorities in Vancouver arrested Meng Wanzhou, a senior executive with Chinese firm Huawei Technologies, so she can be extradited to the United States to face fraud charges.
Michael Spavor, left, and Michael KovrigThe Globe and Mail
In a written statement, Ms. Freeland said: “We are deeply concerned by the arbitrary detention by Chinese authorities of two Canadians earlier this month and call for their immediate release.” Earlier in the day, a source familiar with Mr. Kovrig’s case said he is being denied legal representation and is not allowed to turn the lights off at night. Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor were arrested and accused of security violations after Canadian police arrested Ms. Meng Dec 1. Meanwhile, Sarah McIver, an Alberta woman who was detained while teaching English in China, has, according to a friend, told her family that she would be held for 10 days and then deported.
Bell and Telus warn of 5G delays, higher costs if if Canada bans Huawei
Canada’s second- and third-largest cellular carriers are trying to convince the federal government not to block them from using Huawei equipment in building their next-generation wireless networks. Executives from the companies say they will need to purchase equipment from other vendors, which will likely cost the companies more (and conversely, will cost customers more). They also say it could also take longer to build because they might need to rebuild parts of current networks.
As Telecom Reporter Christine Dobby explains, 5G networks, which will be much faster, more reliable and will reduce lag-time, are expected to support sensitive new applications such as smart-city sensors, factory automation and autonomous-vehicle technology. Bell and Telus argue that security concerns can be addressed by testing equipment and restricting gear to non-sensitive parts of their networks. And the companies argue the whole campaign by the United States to persuade other countries to block Huawei is more about trade ambitions than legitimate security fears.
Also related to cybersecurity: Canada has joined major allies including the United States and Britain in identifying China as the country responsible for a state-sponsored hacking campaign to steal data from military service members, government agencies and private companies in the United States and nearly a dozen other countries. A statement from Canada’s Communications Security Establishment said it was “almost certain that actors likely associated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ministry of State Security (MSS) are responsible for the compromise … beginning as early as 2016."
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Mattis resigns in protest of Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday in protest of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria and his rejection of international alliances. Mr. Mattis, whose experience and stability were widely seen as a balance to an unpredictable President, had repeatedly told friends and aides over recent months that he viewed his responsibility to protect the United States’ 1.3 million active-duty troops as worth the concessions necessary as defense secretary to a mercurial president. But yesterday, in an extraordinary rebuke of the president, he went to the White House and made a last attempt at persuading Trump to reverse his decision. When that failed, he handed over his resignation letter.
Allies express concern: The United States’ key allies expressed concern today about Mr. Mattis’s resignation, praising him as a committed partner. “Mattis checked President Trump’s worst instincts & was a strong supporter of NATO & multilateralism. His departure is bad news & makes it look like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s plan is being delivered on,” former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, head of the liberals in the European Parliament, said on Twitter.
My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held. Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.
— Jim Mattis, in his resignation letter
The latest: The Associated Press reported today that Mr. Trump’s decision came after agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, citing two U.S. officials and a Turkish official. The officials said Mr. Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, according to U.S. and Turkish officials.
Exxon Mobil shelves $25-billion B.C. LNG project
Exxon Mobil Corp. has scrapped plans for a $25-billion liquefied natural gas terminal in British Columbia and is the latest in a number of abandoned energy projects on the West Coast. At least 15 LNG proposals in the province have either been cancelled or stalled over the past two years, Brent Jang reports from Vancouver. Exxon Mobil and its Canadian unit, Imperial Oil Ltd., had hoped to export LNG to Asia from a terminal at Tuck Inlet, near the city of Prince Rupert in northwestern British Columbia.
U.S. girds for government shutdown
U.S. President Donald Trump conceded today there was a good chance the Senate would not approve his demand for $5-billion (U.S.) toward funding his border wall project and that there probably would be a government shutdown beginning at midnight tonight. And despite the Republicans controlling Congress and Mr. Trump declaring last week he’d be “proud” to shut down the government over the issue of the wall, he blamed Democrats.
Boats are battered by waves at the end of the White Rock Pier that was severely damaged during a windstorm, in White Rock, B.C., on Thursday December 20, 2018. One person who was trapped on the pier had to be rescued by helicopter.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Thousands still without power in B.C. after severe windstorm
An intense windstorm that swept British Columbia’s southern coast has knocked out power and caused millions of dollars in damage, including to a 457-metre pier in White Rock, which could be closed for months until repaired. BC Hydro said about 155,000 customers were still without power by midday Friday and some could be in the dark for days as crews work to repair outages on Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast and Fraser Valley. At its height, about 400,000 customers lost electricity and many remained without power overnight.
Edmonton judge denies Omar Khadr’s request for eased bail conditions
A judge has denied former Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr’s request for relaxed bail conditions and a Canadian passport, reports The Canadian Press. Mr. Khadr wanted to be able to travel to Toronto without the approval of his bail supervisor to visit his family more easily and to make court appearances related to a civil lawsuit filed by the family of an American soldier killed in the Afghanistan firefight in which mr. Khadr was captured. Justice June Ross said that nothing has changed since the last time mr. Khadr asked for eased bail conditions and there’s no evidence the current restrictions create hardship or are needlessly strict.
MARKET WATCH
North American markets concluded a painful week by closing well in the red as crude oil prices sank and the loonie hit a 19-month low. The S&P/TSX composite index lost 206.33 points to end at 13,935.44.
On Wall Street, stocks fell sharply Friday underscoring fears that the longest bull run in the history of U.S. stocks could soon be over. The Nasdaq Composite Index confirmed it is in a bear market for the first time since 2008, finishing the day down 21.9 per cent from its Aug. 29 record closing high.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average capped its worst week in 10 years Friday falling 414.23 points, or 1.81 percent, to 22,445.37, the S&P 500 lost 50.8 points, or 2.06 percent, to 2,416.62 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 195.41 points, or 2.99 percent, to 6,333.00.
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WHAT’S POPULAR WITH READERS
Raw key lime at The Moth cafe in Edmonton Alberta, April 12, 2018.JASON FRANSON/For The Globe and Mail
Top new Vancouver restaurants for 2018: Restaurant critic Alexandra Gill releases her ever-popular top 10 picks for new restaurants in Vancouver this year.
10 best new restaurants in the Prairies: Meanwhile, Dan Clapson and Jenn Sharp list the “hot new” spots in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
TALKING POINTS
John Semley, author, on dreaming of a heathen Christmas: “Like any other atheist who abhors shopping malls, and for whom the ideal present is an utterly thoughtless gift card, Christmas snares me in a weird holiday double-bind. Both the religious and secular aspects of holiday are entirely unappealing, and even vaguely offensive.”
Omar Aziz, journalist and policy adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, on being Muslim and feeling that the Christmas spirit moves him: “As an adult, and a child of East and West, I appreciate and celebrate the holiday of Christmas in my own, non-sectarian way. Beyond the merriment of families and the happiness of children – good enough reasons for any celebration – what Christmas represents for me is a spiritual renewal, a reawakening of my class consciousness, which has been eroded through the labours of the year and the focus on the self that these labours entail. Because at the heart of Christmas as I see it is a concern for those less fortunate – not as a political project, but as a moral one, caring for “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,” as the Bible puts it. This is the Christian idea embodied, as it is the Islamic one – as it is the idea of what it means to be a thinking, feeling human being.”
Iain Reid, author of Foe and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, on winter, the most widely reviled season: “Winter started on Friday, officially, but each year, beginning some time in November, we look for ways to endure or escape the cold, dark, wind and snow. Even the mechanics of walking change to a head down, bunched-up, hurried stride. It’s a narrative of accepted suffering, a perpetual desire for time to pass, for spring and for light.”
BRIAN GABLE’S SATURDAY EDITORIAL CARTOON
LIVING BETTER
How to argue with people: A holiday guide to not ruining everything for everyone
You find yourself in a heated debate about immigration. Do you open with flattery? Or perhaps an exaggerated argument used as a ploy in order to reach a more middle ground? In an age of hyperpartisanship and bewildering bombast, family dinners are a minefield. How can you make sure reason prevails? Here’s what the experts say.
Travel: Skiing the slopes in Niseko, the Whistler of Japan
Given the relative proximity of first-class ski resorts such as Whistler or Tremblant, why fly all the way to Japan to shush down a slope? The answer is simple: The combination of abundant snow, plus the quiet charm and hospitality of the locals, makes for an experience like nothing at home. For years, Niseko was barely a blip on most skiers’ radars, but word of seemingly endless dumps of snow each night spread. Now it’s a go-to ski destination for an international clientele who come for groomed runs and accessible backcountry or a moonlight ski around the perimeter of Mount Yotei’s crater.
WHAT TO WATCH, READ AND DRINK THIS WEEKEND
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Cap'n Hogie, voiced by Steve Carell, in "Welcome to Marwen."Photo Credit: Universal Pictures/The Associated Press
Robert Zemeckis’s Welcome to Marwen dies in the uncanny valley of the dolls
Like his literal high-wire thriller The Walk, Welcome to Marwen is an unnecessary remake of a fantastic documentary (in this case, Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 film Marwencol). Like The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol, Marwen lies somewhere deep in the uncanny valley, where motion-capture technology attempts to recreate the essence of flesh-and-blood performance but only spews out dead-eyed nightmares. And like his once-beloved, now-rickety Forrest Gump, Robert Zemeckis leans heavily on an aw-shucks star (Tom Hanks then, Steve Carell now) to carry a hugely problematic screenplay.
Hailee Steinfeld in Bumblebee (2018). Credit: Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Bumblebee is a huge step up from the other Transformers sequels — but so is a slap in the face
The new film, directed by animation veteran Travis Knight, has a story with a clear beginning, middle and end. Its characters – the eponymous Autobot, stranded on Earth circa 1987; Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), the alien-robot’s new teenage best friend who’s going through her own family issues; John Cena’s military man, who either has no name or came equipped with a forgettable one – seem decent facsimiles of real people. And its battle scenes are filmed so that you can actually understand which giant robot is fighting the other at any given time.
But basic narrative competence and visual coherence shouldn’t be greeted as the second coming, or at least the 96 per cent “fresh” score Bumblebee currently boasts on Rotten Tomatoes. (For comparison, 2018′s actual best film of the year, Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, has the exact same score.)
Eau Claire Single Malt Whisky Batch 002, Alberta
Beppi Crosariol, The Globe’s wine and spirits columnists, calls batch No. 2, displaying more refinement than most young, New World interpretations of the style for which Scotland is most famous. Bottled at 43-per-cent alcohol, this sequel single malt displays remarkable balance. Light-medium-bodied, it’s silky in texture, with a fetching pear-, raisin- and cherry-like sweetness in the middle that complements delicate grain, soda-bread, menthol and caramel flavours. Stylistically, one might place it somewhere between Glenfiddich 12 and The Glenrothes 10-Year-Old. Delicious and expertly blended. Available at the suggested price below at select liquor stores throughout Alberta and at the distillery, eauclairedistillery.ca.
Photo by Alexandra Boulat. Credit: From Shooting War by Anthony Feinstein, copyright © 2018, www.glitteratieditions.com.
Shooting War brings into sharp focus the violence of conflict – and the impact on the photographers who cover it
Photographers, even more than print, radio or television reporters, may be particularly susceptible to PTSD or to moral injury, author Dr. Anthony Feinstein says. They not only see moments of great calamity, they capture them. Sometimes, they’re a part of them. In Shooting War, Dr. Feinstein writes about the people behind the cameras and asks each one: What was in their mind as they took the pictures? And what happened to them afterwards?
That’s it from us today. See you in 2019
Evening Update was written by Michael Snider. 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.