Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
A child under age 5 has died in Ontario after contracting measles this year, says a new Public Health Ontario report. Another four children were hospitalized because of complications from measles. None had been vaccinated against the virus.
The country is experiencing more measles cases after the pandemic. As of May 4, the Public Health Agency of Canada said there have been 75 cases reported countrywide so far this year, the highest number since 2019, when there were a total of 113 cases.
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses, but it no longer spreads in Canada, thanks to decades of work making sure enough children are vaccinated. Two doses of vaccine are needed, with the first administered when a child is 12 months old. Unvaccinated children, especially those under 5, are at higher risk for measles complications, such as pneumonia, brain swelling, blindness and respiratory failure.
- Related: Is Canada prepared for a measles outbreak? Many health officials are on high alert
- Also: NACI recommends universal immunization program against RSV for infants
- Explainer: How to check if you need a measles vaccine
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Dead sex offender from U.S. identified as killer of four Calgary women in 1970s
A sex offender from the United States, who has since died, was identified today by the RCMP as the serial killer behind the deaths of four young women who were strangled in and around Calgary in the 1970s. Their cases have remained unsolved for nearly half a century.
RCMP say Gary Allen Srery is responsible for killing teenagers Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen, both 14, Melissa Rehorek, 20, and Barbara MacLean, 19. Srery died in prison in the U.S. in 2011, while serving a life sentence for rape. Police believe he may be responsible for other offences in Canada.
Israel denies genocide charges; trucks roll across new U.S. pier into Gaza
A ship is pictured off the coast of Gaza near a temporary floating pier anchored by the United States to boost aid deliveries, as seen from the central Gaza Strip May 16, 2024.Ramadan Abed/Reuters
The United Nations’ top court wrapped up the third round of hearings on emergency measures requested by South Africa, with Israel strongly denying charges of genocide and telling the court it was doing everything it could to protect the civilian population during its military operation in Gaza. Meanwhile, trucks carrying badly needed aid for Palestinians in Gaza went across a newly built U.S. pier for the first time today. However, the U.S. and aid groups warns the floating pier is not a replacement for land deliveries that can provide much more.
- Also: Israeli military says forces seized bodies of three hostages from Gaza
- Analysis: After decades of support, Israel now finds itself with few allies
Families of missing Ukrainian civilians fight for any news of where their loved ones went
Halyna and Vasyl Khyliuk hope to be reunited someday with their son, a journalist captured by Russian troops in 2022, but there has been no news of him in a year and a half.Olga Ivashchenko/The Globe and Mail
Ukrainians, many of them civilians, are missing. When Russia invaded more than two years ago, troops took people from occupied areas. Officials say more than 30,000 have been reported missing since the war began. Very few of the taken have come home, and Ukrainians want to know why. Janice Dickson reports on families who remain in the dark about whether their loved ones were captured or killed.
- Read more: As war depletes its ranks, Ukraine takes a new tack to bolster its military recruits
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Western Canada wildfires: Hard-working fire crews and rain have helped keep the wildfire menacing Fort McMurray, Alta. from growing. Thousands fled the city earlier this week, fearing a repeat of the 2016 blaze that torched more than 2,400 homes.
Safer supply: Ontario Premier Doug Ford wants the federal government to stop approving safer supply drug sites and to formally review current ones in the province.
Retail: In an unusual move, advisory service Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. recommends investors support Browning West’s bid to return Glenn Chamandy as CEO of Gildan.
Renting in B.C.: Renovictions in British Columbia are less common now, but the landlord-use clause is being wielded often to evict tenants. Kerry Gold has more here.
Putting the ‘cat’ in ‘education’: Max the tabby cat is getting a “doctor of litter-ature” bestowed on him by a Vermont university for being, well, really friendly and nice.
Max the Cat stands in front of Woodruff Hall at Vermont State University Castleton, on Oct. 12, 2023.Rob Franklin/The Associated Press
MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks ended mixed today as investors took a breather after a weeks-long rally.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 165.54 points at 22,465.37. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 134.21 points at 40,003.59. The S&P 500 index was up 6.17 points at 5,303.27, while the Nasdaq composite was down 12.35 points at 16,685.97.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.45 cents US.
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TALKING POINTS
The transition from the U.S.-led global order will be rocky
“Otherwise sober diplomats and scholars now routinely end conversations with the sentence, ‘We’re doomed.’ So just how bad is it?” - Robert Muggah and Misha Glenny
If Canada wants to respect and recognize treaty rights, it must kill Bill C-53
“I don’t often write about Métis issues because I’m not a community member. The definition of who is Métis, who is not, and who speaks for them is the subject of much debate among Métis themselves; it is not for me to decide. But I do know that until everything is cleared up, we can’t be changing laws and potentially redrawing maps in ways that are not built on Indigenous laws and protocols.” - Tanya Talaga
Is the Jewish moment in North America over?
“Jews, by virtue of their success, are seen as a part of the establishment now. Not allies, as Jews were to African Americans during the civil-rights era, but ‘white-adjacent’ and fair targets for shunning.” - Noah Richler
LIVING BETTER
Wedding woes: Share your story with us
Did you pay top dollar for a meal no one ended up eating? Splurge on a quintet that made the day more memorable?photominus/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
It can be hard to stick to a wedding budget, where committing to one item means pulling funds away from another. So what was worth the splurge at your wedding? And what do you regret spending money on? Share your story with The Globe here.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Sitting on the dock of the bay, wasting time? Not in this family
Illustration by Klaus KremmerzKlaus Kremmerz/The Globe and Mail
Thinking of kicking back once you arrive at the cottage? Think again. This writer’s Georgian Bay cottage has always meant work, specifically the kind of labour that unites siblings, cousins and friends, with a common purpose and a collective benefit. Daniel Sanger writes about days starting with a swim and porridge and ending with a swim and a beer.
Evening Update is written by Maryam Shah. 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.