RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki sits for an interview in Ottawa on Friday, May 4, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin TangJustin Tang/The Canadian Press
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
New Commissioner Brenda Lucki looks to rank-and-file Mounties to help change the RCMP
When she talks about harassment in the RCMP, Commissioner Brenda Lucki does not dwell on her personal experience as a young officer in the 1980s and 90s. Instead, she commends the first Mounties who had the courage to file formal complaints against their colleagues and superiors.
On April 16, Commissioner Lucki took over as the first female permanent commissioner of the RCMP, and the 24th since the creation of the national police force in 1873. In a wide-ranging interview with The Globe and Mail, she acknowledged joking as a cadet about becoming the first female commissioner, explained her management style and made it clear that she doesn’t think the problems facing the force are unsolvable.
The real test Ontarians should apply to Doug Ford in Monday’s debate
The first leaders’ debate before Ontario’s June election begins at 6 p.m. ET on City. It is the first of three debates and will focus primarily on Toronto-area issues. As Adam Radwanski writes, this debate is the real test Ontarians should apply to Doug Ford: “If Mr. Ford can smile his way through the debate the way he has many other public appearances so far — a stiffer test if Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne and the NDP’s Andrea Horwath try to get under his skin — he will take another step toward refuting some of the most obvious concerns about him as a potential premier.”
While the federal Conservative and NDP leaders are helping their provincial counterparts with the Ontario election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has no plans to campaign for Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals.
A recent Nanos poll puts Mr. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives at 42-per-cent support, 11 points ahead of the Liberals. The Ontario New Democrats sit 10 points behind the Liberals, but Ms. Wynne still scores lower than Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Mr. Ford for preferred premier, the poll said.
Emergency-alert system fails first test in Quebec
A glitch in the new national public alert system for mobile devices affected the entire province of Quebec on Monday, said a CRTC spokeswoman. The problem did not originate with cellphone service providers but appears to have occurred between emergency management in Quebec and Pelmorex Corp., which operates the system, said the CRTC.
HBC, RioCan agree to sell downtown Vancouver store for about $675-million: source
The Canadian department store and joint venture partner RioCan REIT have signed a conditional agreement to sell HBC’s flagship store in downtown Vancouver for $675-million to an Asian buyer, according to a person familiar with the matter. The buyer, who owns a closely-held real estate company, is seeking to arrange interim financing from at least one Canadian lender, according to the person, who declined to be identified as the deal has not been made public yet. The source declined to identify or give the nationality of the buyer, but said the deal is expected to be finalized by mid-June.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index climbed to a more-than-13-week high, as the energy sector got a boost from higher oil prices and talks to update the North American free-trade agreement entered a crucial week. The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX rose 76.81 points to 15,806.21. Wall Street climbed, boosted by Apple’s sixth straight day of gains and by a surge in oil prices to their highest levels since 2014. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 94.67 points to 24,357.18, the S&P 500 gained 9.18 points to 2,672.6 and the Nasdaq Composite added 55.60 points to 7,265.21.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
A new study focusing on pregnant women who have had a cesarean section says there is a need to better evaluate risks during a subsequent pregnancy and to bring down the overall C-section rates in Canada. The study, released Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, showed higher rates of complications, including mortality, for women who attempt a vaginal birth after a previous cesarean section, or VBAC, compared with women who instead scheduled a C-section beforehand. But those risks were still low − about 11 in 1,000 deliveries for VBAC compared with six in 1,000 for a repeated C-section.
TALKING POINTS
A prescription for reconciliation: Start with a land acknowledgment
“The single most powerful symbol of inequality in Canada is the yawning gap between the health of Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people. Doctors should know that because they see the impacts of the social determinants of health every day in their practices. Physicians should be using their power and privilege to help the most vulnerable.”- Andrè Picard
Remind us, why does Canada want a seat on the UN Security Council?
“To date, Canadians have been given no reason why the government is going to such lengths to win a Security Council seat. What is the agenda Canada wants to pursue through membership on the council? The absence of a rationale leaves the impression that for Canada a seat on the Security Council is an end in itself, rather than a means to an end. A more cynical interpretation is that this is motivated by a Canadian conceit and sanctimony that the world – and hence the Security Council – simply needs more Canada as its Moralizer-in-Chief.” - Eugene Lang and David Perry
As Trump and Xi spar, an ancient trap awaits both
“There are two ways this can now go. The United States and China can fall together into the Thucydides Trap, starting with a trade war and escalating into a real one. The alternative is what Henry Kissinger in his book On China called “co-evolution.” That second route is not going to be easy. But it surely must be preferable to repeating the history of the Anglo-German antagonism.“ (for subscribers) - Niall Ferguson
LIVING BETTER
Benefits of ballet class – even at 80
Instead of classical ballet music, mid-20th-century hits are mixed in to the playlist for a class in Edmonton where the students range in age from 70 to 94. Some have mobility issues and take the class in their wheelchairs; others have Alzheimer’s or other dementia issues and may require a companion aide. The classes are adapted and designed to improve balance, movement, memory and cognitive skills. The program, which is in its first year, offers exercise, social engagement, increases co-ordination, lifts mood and the music helps stimulate memory, according to the ballet’s managing director.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
How I learned to love the weather’s fickleness and fury
We live in the age of the meteorological app, a technology designed to convince us we can control the uncontrollable. But, as Ian Brown writes, that app on your smartphone gives you an illusion of exactitude in a realm where consistent precision is simply not possible. He spent the week before the ice storm in Southern Ontario being tutored in the unpredictability of weather forecasting while backcountry skiing in British Columbia. Experiencing weather firsthand reminds us how little we know – especially about what the future will bring.
Governor-General’s Medals award the best new buildings in the country
Beautiful design can show up in a hospital, in a park, and even under an expressway. That’s the message of the 2018 Governor-General’s Medals in Architecture, which recognize the country’s best projects.
Many of these buildings continue the mainstream of Canadian high architecture, devoted to natural materials, quiet forms and craftsmanship; Omar Gandhi, a first-time winner, moves that tradition along. But there are divergent voices in the muscular steel of Winnipeg’s 5468796 and the minimalism of Toronto’s GH3. Alex Bozikovic examines the projects on the list.
PLAYOFFS
With a win tonight, the Winnipeg Jets will advance to the Western Conference finals. The Jets beat the Nashville Predators handily in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. As Marty Klinkenberg writes, with Paul Stastny, the Jets are primed for takeoff. If they win the series, it will be the first time the Jets have advanced past the second round in an NHL history that dates back to 1979.
The Toronto Raptors are on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second year in a row. The team is down 3-0 in the series going into Game 4 in Cleveland at 8:30 ET tonight. As Cathal Kelly writes, despite their stars, the Raptors’ playoff equation keeps yielding nothing: “It’s about time for DeRozan, Lowry and everyone else on the Raptors to stop talking about being better. No one believes it any more. From now on, try aiming for just good enough.”
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and SR 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.