Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce is calling on the union representing education workers to withdraw its Friday strike notice to keep students in class while the parties negotiate a counteroffer brought forward by the union late Tuesday.
Mr. Lecce said the government is willing to negotiate with the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) through mediation, but is asking for the strike notice to be removed. However, the union says the strike planned for Friday will continue “until further notice.”
Premier Doug Ford’s government tabled legislation Monday that would impose a contract on education support workers and ban their right to legally strike. If passed, the bill would invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause and eliminate the rights to collectively bargain and strike for the first time in Canada.
Read more:
- Explainer: What’s the latest in CUPE and Doug Ford’s school fight in Ontario? Bill 28 and labour rights explained
- Andrew Coyne: What Ottawa should say to the provinces: See your notwithstanding clause, raise you disallowance
- The Editorial Board: Using the notwithstanding clause to negotiate a union contract? That’s like cracking eggs with a jackhammer
- Trudeau weighs options as NDP calls for action on Ford use of notwithstanding clause
Convoy protesters received leaked information from police, lawyer tells Emergencies Act inquiry
Convoy protesters in Ottawa received leaked information from police and had former law-enforcement officers and military personnel co-ordinating logistics, a lawyer representing key convoy organizers told the Emergencies Act inquiry.
The lawyer, Keith Wilson, told inquiry lawyers in an interview that people gathered at a downtown Ottawa hotel had training in incident and crisis response and included former law-enforcement officers, ex-military, and ex-CSIS personnel. A summary of that interview was tabled with the inquiry on Wednesday.
“They had radios, maps, and ariel [sic] photos,” says the interview summary. “They were co-ordinating the distribution of fuel, removal of waste, managing the stage, and dealing with problematic protesters. Many of these ex-service personnel were connected and brought in intel.”
Ethiopia and Tigray sign peace agreement in bid to end devastating war
Ethiopian and Tigrayan authorities have signed a peace agreement to end a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and forced millions to flee their homes in northern Ethiopia over the past two years.
The agreement was announced in Pretoria and signed by senior officials on the Ethiopian and Tigrayan sides on Wednesday after 10 days of peace talks mediated by the African Union in South Africa.
Both sides acknowledged that the agreement is only a first step and will need careful monitoring and verification to ensure it is implemented. But the agreement is seen as a major breakthrough after several failed negotiating efforts in the past.
House of Commons votes in favour of Auditor-General review of ArriveCan app spending
The House of Commons has approved a motion calling on Auditor-General Karen Hogan to investigate federal spending on the ArriveCan app.
The Bloc Québécois and the NDP voted in favour of the Conservative motion, while Liberal and Green Party MPs voted against. The final vote tally was 174 to 149.
The motion, which was put forward by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Tuesday, includes a preamble that says “the cost of government is driving up the cost of living” and calls on the government to “eliminate wasteful spending,” before recommending that the House call on the Auditor-General to conduct a performance audit of all aspects of the ArriveCan app, including payments, contracts and subcontracts.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
U.S. Federal Reserve delivers another big rate hike: The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates today by three-quarters of a percentage point but signalled future increases in borrowing costs could be made in smaller steps.
The latest on Ukraine: Russia said on Wednesday it would resume its participation in a deal freeing up grain exports from war-torn Ukraine. Meanwhile, residents in Ukraine’s decimated cities struggle to cover the cost of repairing their homes, writes The Globe’s Paul Waldie.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer considers mask recommendations: The “triple threat” of a bad flu season, COVID-19 and the resurgence of a childhood viral illness is putting a strain on the health system, Ontario’s top doctor said Wednesday, with a decision on masking recommendations possibly coming in a couple of weeks.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes tried to reach Trump after Jan. 6, witness says: Days after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes tried to get a message to then-President Donald Trump that urged him to fight to stay in power and “save the republic,” according to trial testimony on Wednesday.
Thousands of officers honour B.C. Mountie Constable Shaelyn Yang: Thousands of officers dressed in red serge marched in unison in a procession led by an RCMP pipe band, a hearse and riderless horse in the funeral for fallen RCMP Constable Shaelyn Yang Wednesday.
MARKET WATCH
U.S. and Canadian stocks ended sharply lower on Wednesday, as comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell shattered initial optimism over a Fed policy statement that raised interest rates by 75 basis points but signaled that smaller rate hikes may be on the horizon.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down 240.70 points at 19,277.01.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 505.44 points at 32,147.76. The S&P 500 index was down 96.41 points at 3,759.69, while the Nasdaq composite was down 366.05 points at 10,524.80.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.37 cents US, compared with 73.45 cents US on Tuesday.
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TALKING POINTS
‘Can you feel it? This is Uganda.’ Fifty years after fleeing Idi Amin, my family sees home on our own terms
“In many ways, my parents’ story is representative of the Canadian story – one of flight, and of finding a new home. And yet the expulsion of Ugandan Asians, as well as its impact on Canada and its immigration system, remains a story largely untold.” – Omar Sachedina
Do we have a conspiracy-theory problem on our hands?
“[Lara] Logan is not the only celebrity who has surprised us with leaps into the netherworld of dark conspiracy and outright suspicion of authority figures, though. We have them here in Canada, as well.” – Gary Mason
Against the odds, a Republican wave threatens to crest in the U.S. midterms
“Less than six months after Roe v. Wade was overturned, America’s attention appears to have shifted. The anger and anguish that once boosted the Democrats’ prospects through large increases in registered voters seems to have fizzled out.” – Jen Gerson
LIVING BETTER
‘Upcycling’ should be called ‘jazzing up’
Thrifted decor pieces are becoming increasingly popular thanks to sustainability awareness, inflation and supply chain issues. How do you elevate the look of thrift store decor? British-based design expert Jermaine Gallacher’s must-have tools for tweaking thrifted finds include high-gloss paint and masking tape. “I like taping things off and painting on patterns. And slopping gloss around makes something look so expensive,” he says. Read more tips on how to get the most from thrifted items.
How to manage rising costs when dating
Listen to the latest episode of The Stress Test podcast, where we hear from three Canadian daters to learn how they’re coping with higher costs and offer advice for ways to not break the bank while dating.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Shikotan island appears through a telescope at Cape Nosappu, on the east coast of Japan's Hokkaido region. Shikotan is part of the Kuril archipelago disputed by Japan and Russia.James Griffiths/The Globe and Mail
Japan’s hope of reclaiming Kuril Islands sinks as Russia’s war in Ukraine raises animosity in the Pacific
The Kurils is a chain of islands stretching 1,300 kilometres from Japan to Kamchatka in the Russian far east. The Soviet Union invaded the southern part of the chain in August, 1945, and the islands have been controlled by Russia ever since.
Thousands of Japanese were expelled after the seizure, and a dispute over sovereignty has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from ever signing a peace treaty officially ending their war.
And with the war in Ukraine souring relations between Japan and Russia, the already slim chances of a settlement are now vanishingly small.
For the former islanders and their children, and for those Japanese who rely on the waters around the islands for their livelihood, the breakdown in relations has been devastating.
Today’s Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.