Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Prince Philip, the often-cantankerous but steadfastly loyal husband of the Queen, died Friday at 99.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement Friday.
A member of the Greek royal family at birth, Philip ended up as Britain’s longest serving consort.
The Prince was famously outspoken and often prone to gaffes. Travelling in Canada during a 1976 visit, he quipped, “We don’t come here for our health. We can think of other ways of enjoying ourselves.”
He began courting his distant cousin, Princess Elizabeth, in 1944, and they married in 1947 in Westminster Abbey.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Prince Philip “earned the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth and around the world.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Philip a man “of great service to others – first as a decorated naval officer and later as a dedicated leader in the areas of community engagement and philanthropy – the Duke always sought out the best in people and challenged them to strive for greater heights.”
Because of the pandemic, Buckingham Palace said it is planning modified “funeral and ceremonial arrangements” for Prince Philip.
Read more:
- The Globe’s Obituary: Prince Philip was Queen’s ‘liege man of life and limb’ to the end
- How his loved ones and the world’s leaders are remembering Prince Philip
- Prince Philip: His life in photos
- ‘They don’t make ‘em like him any more.’ Globe readers remember Prince Philip
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Ontario hospitals instructed to ramp down elective operations as COVID-19 cases surge
The president and CEO of Ontario Health sent a note to the province’s hospitals on Thursday night, instructing them to begin preserving critical care and human resources starting Monday.
Matthew Anderson said hospitals in northern Ontario are exempt but added they should be prepared to follow similar protocols in the future.
The body that oversees the province’s health system is also wants hospitals to identify staff who could be moved to other facilities if needed.
Ontario reported 4,227 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday.
Also:
Opinion:
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
WestJet, Sunwing warned by Boeing to inspect some 737 Max aircraft for possible electrical problem: The two Canadian airlines are among 16 operators of the 737 Max told to ground and inspect some aircraft for possible electrical problems. Boeing has told the airlines to examine certain models of the Max for potential problems related to a component of the electric power system. WestJet said one of its 14 Max aircraft are affected by the warning, while Sunwing said two its four 737 Max planes may be affected.
Why billions in federal sick-leave benefits have gone untapped: Canada Revenue Agency data show that federal sick-leave benefits have gone unclaimed and unspent since the program was launched in the fall, even as coronavirus cases have surged across the country. According to CRA, just $391.4-million was paid out under the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit as of March 28, less than one-sixth of the $2.6-billion that the government projected the program would cost for fiscal 2020-21 ended March 31 in its November economic statement.
Vancouver Canucks GM says players are ‘mostly on the other side’ of major COVID-19 outbreak: Jim Benning says the players who have tested positive for COVID-19 are recovering and the team still intends to play a full season. An outbreak ripped through the team over the past week and a half with 25 people – 21 players and four coaching staff – testing positive, and one additional player being deemed a close contact.
Archeologists unearth a 3,000-year-old lost city in Egypt: The 3,000-year-old city, complete with mud brick houses, artifacts, and tools from pharaonic times, was discovered in the southern province of Luxor. It dates back to what is considered a golden era of ancient Egypt, the period under King Amenhotep III of the 18th dynasty.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index slipped ever so slightly on lower commodity prices as it capped a record-setting week while the loonie rose on a strong jobs report for March.
The S&P/TSX composite index was down less than one point from the previous day’s record close to reach 19,228.03.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 reached unprecedented levels with the Dow up 297.03 points at 33,800.60 and the S&P 500 index up 31.63 points at 4,128.80. The Nasdaq composite climbed 70.88 points at 13,900.19.
The Canadian dollar traded for 79.72 cents US compared with 79.50 cents U.S. on Thursday.
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TALKING POINTS
It’s time to treat Pikangikum as a nation
“Pikangikum should be in control of their own police force and health care. The community should not depend on a provincial police force it has lost trust in and a health service that the federal government can apparently revoke at will.” - Tanya Talaga
Let’s hope Biden is another LBJ – the transformative 1964 version, that is
“This is all domestic policy, but it is very important for Canada and other democratic countries that it succeeds. For what has happened during the past half decade is not just an internal U.S. political rout, but a collapse of liberal democracy and pluralism as models that appeal widely to citizens of countries under one-party government and strongman rule.” - Doug Saunders
Canada is making the same mistakes in Yemen that it did in Vietnam
“It would be nice to think that we learned from our Vietnam War experience. We have not. In 2017, we exported $1.03-billion in arms, with the U.S. our best customer. Second was Saudi Arabia, which has been tagged by Amnesty International for violating human rights at home and in its dirty war in Yemen.” - John Boyko
LIVING BETTER
Quonset houses are a modern spin on pre-fab homes
doublespace photographydoublespace photography/The Globe and Mail
In the village of Singhamton, Ont., visitors will encounter what looks to be a grain shed – a domed steel shell with no windows. But, look closer at the utilitarian structure and you’ll discover the home of Robert Iantorno.
Once inside, visitors are greeted with 20-foot ceilings soaring over an open-concept living, dining and kitchen area. “I like the simple, pure form,” Iantorno says. “And it’s beautiful inside.”
This type of dwelling is known as a Quonset house, named for a military base in Rhode Island where they were developed to house soldiers and equipment. Over time, they were modified for agricultural purposes, then houses. Now, thanks to growing interest in prefabricated homes that work generous space and natural light into a more affordable structure, architects are adapting the Quonset for contemporary living.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Ukrainian commander sees parallels with 2014 as Russian military build-up raises fears of a larger conflict
For weeks, images of Russian tanks, troop trucks and artillery pieces – all of them apparently headed toward the country’s border with Ukraine – have filled social media accounts. Many in the Ukraine think Russian President Vladimir Putin is bluffing, believing that his real intent is to press the Ukrainian government into making concessions to the Russian-backed separatists that control parts of eastern Ukraine. Others see Mr. Putin sending a message of defiance to U.S. President Joe Biden.
But Major-General Serhiy Deyneko, commander of Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, says it feels like 2014, when Russia also massed troops near the frontier. At the time many dismissed the possibility of a Russian invasion, until masked Russian troops entered both the Crimean Peninsula as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in the east.
As the size of the build-up became obvious this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a series of calls asking NATO to quickly open a path for Ukraine to join it. Zelensky knows from experience that his country could never face Russia’s military machine alone.
Read Mark MacKinnon’s full story here.
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