Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Toronto Police Service Constable Michael Theriault has been convicted of assault in the brutal 2016 beating of Black teenager Dafonte Miller. The officer was off duty at the time of the attack.
The officer and his brother, Christian Theriault, were acquitted of charges of aggravated assault and obstruction of justice.
Miller, who was 19 at the time, lost an eye in the beating.
The verdict comes in a moment of growing protest against anti-Black racism and calls for greater accountability for police. In his decision, the judge noted his task was not to conduct a public inquiry on race and policing, or to deliver the verdict sought by the public – it was to determine the case based on the evidence.
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.
Glasses frame production. Staff and equipment at Thalmic Labs (soon to be renamed North), in Waterloo, Ont. are photographed on Oct 9 2018.Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail
Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, is in the process of purchasing Kitchener-based North Inc., a manufacturer of “smart glasses”.
North Inc., previously Thalmic Labs, was seen as a standout in Canada’s startup scene, developing glasses “that use a laser in their right arm to shoot alerts for e-mails, meetings and other notifications onto a holographic film in the lens.”
The company had encountered difficulties in manufacturing and fitting, and ultimately laid off a third of its employees in 2019 after sales declined.
Josh O’Kane reports the sale, for about US$180 million, leaves North Inc. with “a legacy of products few people wanted, plus a trail of aggravated staffers and investors who once bought into its vision.”
Wholly unprepared
A months-long Globe investigation shows the mishandling of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic by authorities in Canada and Ontario.
As early as January, experts were warning authorities to prohibit flights incoming from China, and to stock hospitals with protective equipment and ventilators.
Miscommunication, discrepancies between provincial approaches, and a lack of clarity marred the country’s response to the pandemic.
In interviews with politicians, epidemiologists, and public health authorities, the Globe uncovers a health system barely changed from the one that hampered the 2003 SARS outbreak.
Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu announced today that Ottawa will work to improve national standards for health data collection, in an effort to better prepare for a second wave of the virus.
In the U.S., cases of the virus continue to surge in primarily southern states. Today, Texas and Florida announced renewed restrictions on restaurants in an effort to combat the spread.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Glasgow stabbing: Six people are injured, including a police officer, after an unidentified man began stabbing people on a populated street in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday. The man was shot and killed by police.
Gig economics: The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in favour of Uber drivers demanding to be recognized as employees rather than contractors. The decision will allow them to seek better pay and benefits.
In defence of the court: Canada is stepping up to defend the International Criminal Court, after the U.S. deployed travel bans and asset freezes on the staff of the court, Geoffrey York writes.
Damages: Calgary’s June hailstorms, which caused severe damage to vehicles and homes, is raising questions for homeowners about whether insurance will cover the costly repairs and replacements.
Restricted: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced today that the U.S. will be imposing visa restrictions on Chinese Communist Party officials believed to be complicit in restricting freedoms in Hong Kong.
MARKET WATCH
After a rocky week of trading, the major indexes fell in Friday’s trading, The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 730.05 points, or 2.84%, to 25,015.55, the S&P 500 lost 74.71 points, or 2.42%, to 3,009.05 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 259.78 points, or 2.59%, to 9,757.22.
Among factors including tense U.S.-China relations, the uptick in coronavirus cases in the U.S. had investors feeling risk averse.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
TALKING POINTS
Indigenous women who encounter police often get more harm than help
“We know that the history of Indigenous women’s relationship with police, stewed in centuries of racism and sexism, has been marred by sexual misconduct, exploitation and a fatal lack of attention to the real dangers threatening them. This has been well documented, over and over again, as we’ll see. But while the reports are being written and the press conferences held, nothing much actually changes to keep Indigenous women safe” - Elizabeth Renzetti
Forget the V-shaped recovery. Millions of U.S. families can’t even pay rent
“Despite Mr. Trump’s relentless optimism about the economy – “This is better than a V. This is a rocket ship,” he said this month – the pain for families seems more likely to get worse in the near term, for two reasons. The first is that the coronavirus infection rate is soaring; the second is that funding for some of the support programs is coming to an end.” - Eric Reguly
Our competitive advantage: Canada hasn’t completely gone off the deep end
“Our companies may never pay as well as the big players in Silicon Valley. But our cities are diverse and peaceful, our education system is one of the best in the world, and the pandemic proved how superior the Canadian health care system is to the American. Such things may matter more to newcomers today than they did even a few months ago.” - John Ibbitson
LIVING BETTER
If you’re anything like us, quarantine has resulted in an over-abundance of household streaming options to browse through before selecting the evening’s entertainment. If you’re feeling spoiled for choice, the Globe has compiled the best new shows on each streaming service.
TODAY’S LONG READ
FILE PHOTO: Green dots are placed in the schoolyard to help students keep distancing as schools outside the greater Montreal region begin to reopen their doors amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi/File PhotoChristinne Muschi/Reuters
The kids are alright - but perhaps a bit bored.
To kick your weekend off, the Globe interviewed kids across Canada to get their perspective on months of quarantine.
Their answers are both charming and insightful.
Evening Update is written by Claire Porter Robbins. 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.