Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it’s “hard for anyone” to have faith in Hockey Canada’s leadership after it was uncovered that the organization keeps a special multimillion-dollar fund, which is fed by the registration fees of players across the country, that it uses to pay out settlements in cases of alleged sexual assault without its insurance company, and with minimal outside scrutiny. Speaking to reporters in B.C. today, Trudeau says the fund is “totally unacceptable.”
This reserve fund has exceeded $15-million in recent years, a Globe and Mail investigation has found. Details of how it operates are not disclosed in Hockey Canada’s annual report. Nor is it listed in the organization’s handbook for parents and players, which describes how registration fees are spent on Hockey Canada insurance coverage, even though some of that money is channelled into the fund.
The money is used at Hockey Canada’s discretion and can be deployed to write cheques to cover out-of-court settlements for a variety of claims, including allegations of sexual assault, that are deemed uninsurable or are settled without the participation of its insurer.
The existence of the fund raises new questions about how Hockey Canada handles allegations of sexual assault, while recent statements by the organization acknowledging it deals with multiple allegations of this nature a year prompt questions how much Hockey Canada is spending internally to settle complaints without going to court.
Read more:
- Canadian world junior player asked woman whether she had gone to police after alleged sexual assault
- Explainer: Hockey Canada faces revolt over its handling of sexual assault allegations. Here’s what to know
Temperatures in Britain top 40 C for first time as heat wave disrupts travel, causes dozens of fires
Britain has never before experienced 40 C temperatures, and this heat wave – stretching from London to Wales and Scotland – has been far more extensive than any previous hot spell.
Unlike most cities in North America, Britain is ill-prepared for extreme heat. Air conditioning is virtually non-existent in homes, and everything from rail lines to highways have been built with the country’s moderate climate in mind.
The scorching heat this week has closed schools, disrupted rail service and shut down a section of a major highway after the road warped, causing ripples to appear along the surface. The hot air and parched land also caused dozens of fires in several cities. In London, more than 250 firefighters struggled to contain a series of grass fires in parks, woodlands and open fields. The Globe’s Paul Waldie reports.
A person wets their hair in a fountain at Trafalgar Square in central London, July 19, 2022.Aaron Chown/The Associated Press
Gunman in Nova Scotia mass shooting accumulated cash through ‘illegitimate or suspicious’ means
The man behind the Nova Scotia mass shooting used “illegitimate or suspicious means” to collect cash and spend beyond his reported $40,000 annual income, the inquiry into the murders has found.
In a document published today, the inquiry says it found no evidence the gunman was involved in organized crime or was a police informant, despite rumours that circulated after it was revealed he withdrew $475,000 in cash from a Brink’s office shortly before his rampage.
A newly released summary of evidence examines the possible schemes Gabriel Wortman used to boost his income and his tendency to hide large sums of cash, including $705,000 found buried under the deck at his Portapique, N.S., property.
The high spending of the gunman did not match his “modest reported annual income and other visible sources of revenue,” reads the document. “While there are no definitive answers about the sources of all of his income, there is a clear pattern of misdealing.”
Related:
- Robyn Urback: The spouse of the Nova Scotia shooter was another one of his victims
- Listen to the Decibel: What we learned from the Nova Scotia shooter’s spouse
- Nova Scotia shooter’s spouse tells inquiry she lived in fear of her partner
Ukraine launches ‘dronation’ campaign to leverage commercial drones in its fight against Russia
Ukraine has launched a “dronation” campaign to create an army of drones for the war effort. Mykhailo Fedorov, the country’s Minister of Digital Transformation, recently tweeted that the campaign had received about 200 million Ukrainian hryvnias (about $9-million), which was used to purchase two Warmate unmanned systems, as well as dozens of commercial drones.
“The number we need is immense,” a senior Ukrainian official, Yuri Shchygol, told reporters last week. He said Ukraine wants to purchase 200 NATO-grade military drones but will eventually require 10 times more.
Training schools are being opened in collaboration with drone companies across the country, with the goal of training 500 pilots per month. The drones will be used primarily for infantry reconnaissance, but also to correct mortar and artillery fire. The Globe’s Janice Dickson has the story.
Read more:
- Putin meets Iranian leader on first trip outside former Soviet Union since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine
- Canada’s turbine decision could weaken united sanctions front against Russia, retired general says
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Why Canada’s steep inflation isn’t entirely our fault: In analyzing the causes of high inflation in Canada, many experts point to interest rates that were too low for too long, along with surging commodity prices. But Canadians may want to consider another culprit: their neighbours to the south.
Hugo Houle wins Stage 16 of Tour de France: He finished the 178.5-kilometre stage through the Pyrenees from Carcassonne to Foix in four hours 23 minutes 47 seconds – 1:10 ahead of France’s Valentin Madouas and Israel-Premier Tech teammate Michael Woods of Ottawa.
The Weeknd reschedules show postponed by Rogers outage: The Canadian pop singer has marked Sept. 22 as the night he’ll make up for the show.
Random COVID-19 testing resumes for travellers at four major Canadian airports: Unlike in the past, the tests for select passengers landing in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal will be completed outside the airports, either through an in-person appointment or a virtual appointment for a self-swab test.
Canada’s West Fraser Timber target of joint bid: Private-equity firm CVC Capital and wood panel manufacturer Kronospan have submitted a joint expression of interest to acquire Canadian lumber company West Fraser Timber Co., people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
MARKET WATCH
Stocks closed with sharp gains on Tuesday as more U.S. companies joined big banks in reporting earnings ahead of expectations, offering some respite to investors worried about higher inflation denting the corporate bottomline.
The S&P 500 gained 105.84 points, or 2.76 per cent, to end at 3,936.69 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 353.10 points, or 3.11 per cent to 11,713.15. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 754.44 points, or 2.43 per cent, to 31,827.05.
In Canada, the S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 1.84 percent to 18,937.71.
The Canadian dollar traded for 77.50 cents US compared with 77.23 cents US on Monday.
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TALKING POINTS
Squabbling over the federal-provincial split in funding won’t fix the health system
“But the more important message is that both Ottawa and the provinces should stop playing these numbers games and focus instead on the task at hand: Fixing the health system.” – André Picard
Medicare needs major surgery. Dr. Brian Day should not be the surgeon
“Revolutionizing Canadian health care by allowing people to spend more of their own money on doctors’ visits or surgeries will not, by itself, magically create more doctors, nurses, hospitals and surgeries.” – The Editorial Board
To end polarization, Canadian political parties need to rediscover the art of co-operation
“If Canadians and their leaders are to avoid further fragmentation, they need to move beyond deeply restricting notions of ‘left’ and ‘right’ in politics – and the either/or style of thinking that goes along with them.” – John Zada and John Bell
LIVING BETTER
How to avoid airport chaos by choosing flight-free travel this summer
Pandemic travel restrictions have lifted, and those eager to return to flying are creating a boom in bookings. But environmental activists are touting the advantages of staying grounded, saying air travel is hurting the planet. On top of that, this summer of travel has already been rife with chaos thanks to airport delays. So, how to go flight-free? Fiona Tapp delves into the movement and shares tips.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Canadian Actors’ Equity will respect U.S. union’s prohibitions on working with producer Garth Drabinsky
Livent co-founder Garth Drabinsky leaves the Ontario Superior Courthouse in Toronto on Wednesday March 25, 2009.CHRIS YOUNG/The Canadian Press
Canadian producer Garth Drabinsky has been added to the Actors’ Equity Association’s “Do Not Work” list, a designation that inhibits his ability to work in theatre in the United States but will also affect his employment of actors and other theatre professionals in Canada.
AEA, an American union that represents more than 50,000 professional actors and stage managers, declared the Toronto-based producer’s projects off-limits to its members immediately after the final performance on Sunday of Paradise Square, a US$15-million production that was the former Livent CEO’s first show on Broadway since serving a prison sentence for fraud in Canada.
The American union’s decision follows a letter sent from artists involved in Paradise Square to AEA last week calling for Mr. Drabinsky to be added to the Do Not Work list and alleging “outstanding payments and benefits” and “a continued pattern of abuse and neglect that created an unsafe and toxic work environment.”
In an 800-word statement e-mailed to The Globe on Monday in response to questions, Mr. Drabinsky among other things denied the allegation of a pattern of abuse and neglect, attributing delayed payments to “available cash flow.” Read the full story.
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.