Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories, the wildfires in the west:
In B.C.: West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund said the situation was intense and dangerous overnight, with a “significant” number of structures lost, including houses, though he said it was too early to give a specific number.
More than 2,400 nearby properties are under evacuation orders.
Kelowna, a city with a population of about 150,000, has declared a state of emergency in the face of the McDougall Creek wildfire.
In NWT: Evacuation efforts in Yellowknife continue following a noon local-time deadline to leave the city as a large wildfire threatens the community. Twenty-six evacuation flights were scheduled out of the city to Calgary today. Ottawa says it is contracting private planes to supplement military efforts.
The fire remains out of control 15 kilometres northwest of Yellowknife, according to the territorial government’s website. The update notes “critical, challenging days ahead” are expected, with high winds predicted to push the fire toward the city.
Nationally: The Canadian government is demanding that Meta lift a “reckless” ban on domestic news from its platforms to allow residents to share information about wildfires in the west.
This is a developing story. Follow The Globe and Mail’s live blog for the latest news.
In photos: Wildfires prompt evacuation orders for thousands in NWT, B.C.
Opinion: A wait-and-see approach won’t cut it for today’s intense wildfires - John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, the Making of a Beast
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.
Rogers C-suite fight ramps up
Joe Natale, who was ousted as CEO of Rogers Communications in 2021 amid a dramatic power struggle in the telecom’s upper ranks, is suing the company for at least $24-million for wrongful dismissal and breach of contract.
Rogers countered with a statement alleging that Natale “engaged in serious misconduct” by awarding himself “excessive compensation” without proper approval from the board.
Natale argues that, since being terminated, the company “refuses to fulfill its contractual obligations” to him.
Head of Vancouver-based immigration firm reportedly arrested in China
For years, Linda He helped wealthy Chinese move their money overseas and secure investment visas and citizenship. Last week, reports began to spread that He had been arrested in Shanghai and her company, Wailian Group, raided.
A report in the Liberation Daily, the official paper of the Shanghai Communist Party, said a woman surnamed He was among five people recently detained in connection with illegal foreign currency transactions.
The news sent a ripple of alarm through Chinese expat communities, with some warning those with undeclared foreign residences or citizenship not to travel home.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Elizabeth May says briefing falls short: The federal Green Party co-leader says she is disappointed by a lack of details after gaining access to secret documents reviewed by foreign interference investigator David Johnston. He briefly served as a special rapporteur to the government to probe reports about efforts by the Chinese government to interfere in Canadian politics.
Donald Trump to skip debate: The former U.S. president Donald Trump plans to upstage the first Republican primary debate next Wednesday by sitting for an online interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to multiple people briefed on the matter.
Home sales jump: Home prices in Canada have posted the second-highest increase recorded in a month since Jul,y 2006, the latest Teranet-National Bank composite index indicates.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street stocks ended mixed and U.S. Treasury yields stabilized after a recent surge and as investors awaited further interest rate insight from the Federal Reserve next week. Canada’s main stock index ended slightly higher as energy shares rallied, but the market still posted its biggest weekly decline since March.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 25.83 points or 0.07 per cent to 34,500.66, the S&P 500 slipped 0.65 points or 0.01 per cent to 4,369.71, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 26.15 points or 0.2 per cent to 13,290.78.
The S&P/TSX Composite index inched higher 6.16 points or 0.03 per cent to 19,818.39. The Canadian dollar traded at 73.79 U.S. cents
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
TALKING POINTS
Pierre Poilievre and colleagues sniff out a scandal that doesn’t exist - and they know it
“When you persuade people that all the refs are suspect, what you’re really telling them is that there is no such thing as verifiable truth. In the tribal world of politics, that means that once you’ve got people onside, reality is whatever you say it is.” - Shannon Proudfoot
The Liberals have broken Canada’s immigration system
“The Liberals have brought about a much bigger and little-noticed revolution in the shadow immigration system’s various temporary foreign worker streams – whose accent is on admitting people for low-skill, low-wage, low-productivity jobs.” - Tony Keller
Blame game begins as Jays’ grip on playoff spot starts to slip
“Their competition is in varying degrees of disarray. That may not happen again. They certainly shouldn’t behave as if it will. The opportunity is now.” - Cathal Kelly
LIVING BETTER
Owning dividend growth stocks in retirement is like having an employer who offers generous wage increases every year, personal finance columnist Rob Carrick writes. For example, this group of 21 stocks produced an average annual 7.8-per-cent increase in cash payouts over the past 10 years. While many of the blue-chip names will be familiar, what’s noteworthy is how effective stocks like these are at producing rising retirement income year after year.
TODAY’S LONG READ
A condo development and other housing projects under construction in Coquitlam, B.C., on May 16, 2023.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
A proposed change to B.C.’s Building Code that would require all new homes to have at least one temperature-controlled room presents an important opportunity to build creatively for the future, says an expert in environmental design and sustainable architecture.
Vivian Loftness, a professor of architecture at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, with 30 years of focus on environmental design and sustainability, said there are proven design strategies to help cool the home.
These include “cool roofs” designed to reflect more sunlight than conventional roofs, strategic window placement and retractable awnings and other window coverings. Rainscreen facades – a cladding layer separated from the exterior wall by a small gap – offer additional protection against rain, heat and cold. Read the full story by Andrea Woo.
Evening Update is presented by S.R. Slobodian. 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.