Good evening,
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The executive chair of Hudson’s Bay is leading a bid to take the retailer private for nearly $1-billion
Hudson’s Bay executive chairman Richard Baker is spearheading a bid to take Hudson’s Bay Co. private.
“While we continue to believe in HBC’s long-term potential, it has become clear that the significant challenges, risks and uncertainties facing HBC in the rapidly evolving retail environment are best addressed in a private market setting,” Baker said, arguing that this deal will allow public shareholders to cash out on their shares at a premium value while undertaking none of the risk he foresees for the company. He was part of the group that bought HBC in 2008 and helped bring the company back to the public markets in late 2012.
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As if you didn’t already know: the Raptors could win their first NBA championship tonight
The Toronto Raptors will play Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors tonight, with a 9 p.m. tip-off back in Canada. Since Toronto is up 3-1 in the series after Friday’s comeback-driven victory, they just need one more win – and tonight could be the night they make history by seizing their first NBA title in the team’s 24-year history.
- Fred VanVleet, who took an elbow to the face that earned him seven stitches under his right eye and broken teeth, will be playing, sporting a new smile. Looking at the other side of the bench, reports say Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant will play for the first time in nine games after an injury to his right calf in early May took him off the court.
- The team has chosen to forgo a celebrity singer for tonight’s national anthem kick-off, instead opting to have crowds both inside and outside the stadium sing O Canada together. It’s a move emblematic of the nationwide enthusiasm the Raptors have stirred up during their playoff run.
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is showing his spirit (and confidence), betting beer and bagels against U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s wine and chocolate.
- Pretty much everyone has jumped on the Raptors bandwagon – even golfers. All-star Kyle Lowry struck up a friendship with Rory McIlroy, the world’s No. 3 golfer, after exchanging numbers after Game 2 on June 2. After McIlroy’s Canadian Open win yesterday, he pulled on an autographed Lowry jersey and shouted, “Raptors in five!”
Photo by Adrian Wyld/The Canadian PressAdrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Check back later tonight at GlobeSports.com for the game results and highlights.
Hong Kong presses ahead with extradition bill despite protests
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday to protest against a bill that would allow suspected criminals to be sent to mainland China for trial, a move that has been heavily criticized by human rights activists and those wary of mainland influence. The demonstration was predominantly peaceful, but later in the day many protesters were detained and pepper-sprayed – you can see protest images here.
The government of Hong Kong announced today that it will be pressing ahead with the bill regardless. “While we will continue to do the communication and explanation, there is very little merit to be gained to delay the bill. It will just cause more anxiety and divisiveness in society,” Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said. Protesters have demanded Lam’s resignation, but Beijing dismisses criticism of the bill as stemming from foreign influence in Hong Kong.
The bill is scheduled for a second reading in the city’s Legislative Council on Wednesday, and is widely expected to pass a final reading by the end of June. Some have called for a new set of protests to begin late Tuesday night.
“We will fight till the end, by all means necessary," said Baggio Leung, a Hong Kong activist and politician.
WHAT ELSE IS ON OUR RADAR
Canada wins first match at Women’s World Cup: Canada took on Cameroon in first-round action at the Women’s World Cup in France today, winning the match 1-0 (for subscribers). Canada next meets New Zealand on Saturday. As John Doyle writes, “after three days of play, it’s clear: This World Cup is a gripping, gratifying event” (for subscribers).
Ottawa to ban single-use plastics: Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government laid out plans to ban a range of everyday plastics as part of a strategy to push provinces and manufacturers to overhaul recycling and waste-reduction efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is ready to put new tariffs on China: Trump is threatening tariffs on up to $300-billion of Chinese goods if he does not meet with President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit later this month – a conversation China has not yet confirmed will happen, though they say they are open to talking (for subscribers).
Former Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz shot by gunman in his native Dominican Republic: Ortiz has had his gallbladder and part of his intestine removed after being shot in a bar. The 43-year-old, better known as “Big Papi” to fans, was a superstar hitter during his time with the Red Sox as a 10-time all-star who hit 541 home runs. A spokesperson said that he will be flown to Boston once his condition improves.
House of Commons passes new legislation to end breeding and captivity of dolphins and whales nationwide: Nicknamed “Free Willy," the legislation “heralds a change in how Canadians are thinking” and marks a new era of animal rights, said the chief executive officer of Humane Canada, Barbara Cartwright. It allows marine institutions to keep mammals conceived before legislation was passed, but it will only come into play at the two remaining institutions keeping these creatures: the Vancouver Aquarium and Marineland in Niagara Falls.
“You Sir, are no Tommy Douglas”: Actor Kiefer Sutherland took to Twitter to ask Ontario Premier Doug Ford to stop using his late grandfather Tommy Douglas’s name and image as part of what he calls Ford’s “political agenda.”
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index edged lower today, as resources stocks declined. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite index closed down 14.70 points at 16,216.26.
On Wall Street, stocks were boosted by a United Technologies agreement to combine its aerospace business with defense contractor Raytheon to create a new company worth about US$121-billion (for subscribers).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 78.74 points to 26,062.68, the S&P 500 gained 13.39 points to 2,886.73 and the Nasdaq Composite added 81.07 points to 7,823.17.
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TALKING POINTS
This Pride month, we raise our flags for Indigenous peoples affected by colonial violence
“The testimonies we heard during the Truth Gathering Process reinforce the point that when communities are homophobic or transphobic, they are reinforcing colonial actions – both outside Indigenous communities as well as within.” – Brian Eyolfson, a commissioner of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
In our surveillance society, somebody is always watching
“It is not said often enough: What is most eroded in a surveillance society is human trust. Instead of trusting each other, we put that trust in spying eyes, GPS trackers and networked machines." – Ziya Tong, author of The Reality Bubble: Blind Spots, Hidden Truths, and the Dangerous Illusions That Shape Our World.
LIVING BETTER
Does walking 10,000 steps a day really keep you healthy? A closer look at step counting
Keeping your step count high really is good for you – but that magic number might not mean as much as we thought. (for subscribers)
Two new studies presented at the American College of Sports Medicine conference in Orlando earlier this month shed some light on the devices that have become incredibly popular with fitness fanatics and people just getting into exercise alike. The research shifted the focus to a topic less explored when it comes to step counters: their impact on lifespan. “What is common about both our studies,” one researcher said, “is that a modest increase in step count of an additional 2,000 steps per day over what one is already doing, among those not doing much, is associated with significantly lower mortality rates.”
Maybe 10,000 steps a day is unrealistic for your fitness level and lifestyle. Luckily, a slight increase above your own personal baseline might be the best choice for you.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Paint your wagon: A female driver’s pioneering pink ride in a Wild West sport
Amber L’Heureux is the world’s first female professional chuckwagon driver, and she’s making history decked out in pink, pulling pink reins and sitting atop a pink-adorned wagon.
As The Globe’s Carrie Tait reports from Saskatchewan, L’Heureux doesn’t even like the colour that much, but she isn’t here to make friends: she’s here to make a statement. The 26-year-old has been racing horses since she was young, but found a bigger personal challenge in entering the male-dominated sport of chuckwagon racing, which sees riders re-enact a Wild West story line of “breaking camp” to escape attackers at dangerous speeds.
“If you don’t believe what I can do, watch me prove you wrong,” she says. “I’ve let it fuel my fire."
Photo by Leah HennelLeah Hennel
Evening Update is written by Samantha McCabe. 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.