Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The Department of Global Affairs announced today that Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong appears to have once again been the target of China.
Chong was the target of a disinformation campaign in May that was likely orchestrated by China, according to Global Affairs. This is the second time that the member of Parliament has been on the radar of China because of his outspoken criticism of Beijing’s authoritarian regime.
A statement said that the department’s Rapid Response Mechanism [RRM] Canada detected an information operation targeting Chong, which took place on the social media platform WeChat in May, 2023.
Doug Ford’s Greenbelt plan favoured certain developers, Auditor-General report says
Ontario’s Auditor-General has issued a scathing report on the provincial government’s removal of 3,000 hectares from its protected Greenbelt, saying the move was unnecessary to hit the province’s housing goals, done without considering environmental impacts, and favoured certain developers. The audit recommends that the Ford government re-evaluate its “seriously flawed” decision,
“What occurred here cannot be described as a standard or defensible process,” Auditor-General Bonnie Lysyk writes in her report. The government, in its response to the audit, says it will evaluate the need for better decision-making processes, but declines to reverse course on its Greenbelt decision.
General Fusion delays U.K. demonstration plant to focus on Canadian project
General Fusion’s primary compression prototype has completed over 1,000 shots, consistently achieving its compression performance targets.General Fusion
The B.C.-based firm that aims to advance fusion energy at commercial scale, is delaying plans to build a demonstration plant in Britain to focus on a smaller machine in Canada. The company also announced it has secured $33.5-million to finance the effort, including a $5-million grant from the B.C. government and support from private investors.
The point of the scaled-down device will not be to harness fusion for energy production, but to boost investor interest by showing that the company’s approach can achieve the extreme temperatures required for fusion reactions to occur.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Health care: Emergency rooms across Northern Ontario’s rural hospitals are in “dire” need for more physicians and funding as doctors struggle to keep emergency rooms open through the summer trauma season.
U.S. politics: Special counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a search warrant in January for records related to former president Donald Trump’s Twitter account, and a judge levied a $350,000 fine on the company for a delay in complying, according to court documents.
Polish-Belarusian border: The Polish government announced Wednesday that it is planning to deploy an additional 2,000 troops to its border with Belarus, twice the number the Border Guard agency had requested, as fears of illegal migration rise.
Hawaii fires: A wildfire tore through the heart of Maui, destroying dozens of homes and businesses in a historic tourist town, killing at least six people, and forcing residents to jump into the ocean to flee the flames.
Technology: These home-sharing platforms aim to match students with seniors who have empty bedrooms, attempting to turn unused bedrooms into longer-term rentals.
Taylor Swift: Legions of fans with hopes to purchase tickets starting today, for the singer’s six concerts at Toronto’s Rogers Centre in November 2024, were met with the waitlist as part of Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system.
Listen to The Decibel: Dr. Tina Lasisi, a biological anthropologist who focuses on studying the evolution and genetics of human hair and skin, is on the show to talk to us about the importance of curly hair
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street lower as investors wait for inflation data
U.S. stocks ended lower on Wednesday, the day after a report showed Americans borrowed more than ever on their credit cards in the last quarter, and a day ahead of inflation data that could influence Federal Reserve interest rate decisions. Meanwhile, Canada’s main stock market inched upward in trading, rebounding slightly from the day before.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 191.13 points, or to 35,123.36, the S&P 500 lost 31.67 points to 4,467.71 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 165.93 points to 13,718.40. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 69.29 points to 20,275.27, boosted by energy stocks and partially offset by health care and metals.
The Canadian dollar traded at 74.45 cents US compared with 74.32 cents US on Tuesday.
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TALKING POINTS
Tip inflation, ‘tip creep,’ tipping for everything? Stop complaining about it
“Yet, I served hundreds of customers a day as a barista and my colleagues and I never focused on customer tips like that, nor have I ever felt an employee’s gaze as I selected my tip option as a consumer. This line of thinking, in my view, is little more than guilt over being unwilling or unable to tip.” -Rob Csernyik
Alberta’s freeze on renewable energy projects belongs in the hall of fame of dumb ideas
“It’s absolutely unconscionable that Ms. Smith would sanction such a move as global warming transitions to global boiling. Is this really the time to halt renewable energy development to assuage those who want to keep burning fossil fuels?” -Gary Mason
Learning from the last pandemic to get ready for the next one
“That’s the real fight. Canada and other countries can learn vital lessons from the COVID-19 epidemic – getting them to do it in a sustainable way that survives partisan politics, budget cuts and shifting priorities won’t be easy.” -The editorial board
LIVING BETTER
Ten wines to enjoy this August
To Christopher Waters’ taste, lighter and brighter styles of wine that deliver flavour and refreshment are tailor-made for August entertaining. Good thing there is a wide selection of white, rosé and even red wines that fit the bill. He’s also shared some richly concentrated red wines that would be right at home at a barbecue.
This month’s shopping list includes some satisfying sauvignon blancs made by Canadian producers including Ontario’s Henry of Pelham and British Columbia’s Blue Mountain, which threw a party in July to celebrate the release of its 2022 white wines after being out of stock for two years.
- Also read Waters’ newsletter: Why does wine taste better on holiday?
TODAY’S LONG READ
Sheila Kussner poses for a portrait in her home office in Montreal on July 18, 2023.Andrej Ivanov/The Globe and Mail
Sheila Kussner raised millions for charity. Her secret? She’s really good at asking Montreal’s elite to donate
For a certain kind of well-heeled Montrealer, a lunch invitation from Sheila Kussner is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, it means you are somebody in this town. On the other hand, you are about to part ways with a very large sum of money.
When it comes to fundraising, Kussner insists, “there’s no technique – you just have to know the donor.” But there is a technique, and she has it down cold. Her approach, which involves equal parts charm, chutzpah and a private table at Milos, can make her seem like a cross between Mother Teresa and Hollywood superagent Ari Emanuel.
“I’m a socialist,” she says with a grin. “Robin Hood.”
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. 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.