Good evening, let’s start with today’s top news stories:
U.S. 2020 election: Six things to watch in the first Trump-Biden debate
The stage awaits U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic U.S. presidential nominee and former vice-president Joe Biden before their first presidential debate in Cleveland.JONATHAN ERNST/Reuters
As The Globe’s Adrian Morrow writes, “there has rarely been a more dramatic historical backdrop for a U.S. presidential debate: the COVID-19 pandemic, a country economically battered, and a reckoning over institutional racism.”
The first of three tilts between Donald Trump and Joe Biden also takes place amid a clash between their parties over the rules around mail-in voting, the President’s effort to quickly fill an empty Supreme Court seat and bombshell revelations over his taxes. Here are six things to watch.
Stay with The Globe tonight: Biden and Trump face off at 9 p.m. (ET). Follow live and get caught up on the issues
Opinion: TV is Trump’s arena: The debates matter, big-time
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PBO projects $328.5-billion deficit for this year
The Parliamentary Budget Officer is projecting this year’s federal deficit will be $328.5-billion, which is smaller than what the Liberal government is currently projecting, but does not account for the many spending promises outlined in last week’s Speech From the Throne.
The federal government said in a July “fiscal snapshot” that the federal deficit would be $343.2-billion for 2020-21. It has since announced billions in additional spending, including an extension of income supports for individuals. The PBO said the main reasons why its projected deficit numbers are smaller than the government’s is due to different assumptions. The office is forecasting that economic growth will be stronger than the ministry expects, and tax revenue will not be hit as hard.
Canada and Britain impose sanctions on Lukashenko, other senior Belarusian officials
Demonstrators light their cell phones during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020. Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in the Belarusian capital calling for the authoritarian president's ouster.The Canadian Press
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday that Canada and the United Kingdom are imposing sanctions on Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko and other state officials after the disputed presidential election and a crackdown on protesters in the country.
The two countries said they are acting together to ensure the sanctions have a greater impact and to show unity in their condemnation of the situation.
Global Affairs Canada said the sanctions are being taken under the Special Economic Measures Act. The department said since the disputed presidential elections in August, the government of Belarus has conducted a “systematic campaign of repression and state-sponsored violence against public protests and the activities of opposition groups.”
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ontario legislature criticized for plans to fly China’s flag on Wednesday: The Ontario Legislature will fly the flag of the People’s Republic of China on Wednesday to commemorate China’s National Day, a gesture drawing criticism given the two Canadians who remain locked up by Beijing on what Ottawa calls unlawful grounds.
Nurse fired, Quebec coroner’s office to investigate after dying Indigenous woman taunted in hospital: Quebec Premier Francois Legault says a nurse has been fired after an Indigenous woman who was dying Monday night at a Quebec hospital was subjected to degrading remarks.
Former Conservative MP Rob Anders faces tax evasion charges: Former Conservative MP Rob Anders has been charged with tax evasion, as well as other Income Tax Act offences dating back to his years as a parliamentarian. The government alleges that in 2012, 2013, and 2014 he underreported his income, leading to multiple charges of making false statements on a tax return.
U.S. intelligence reports warn of domestic extremist threat around election: U.S. officials are warning that violent domestic extremists pose a threat to the presidential election next month, amid rising political tensions, civil unrest and foreign disinformation campaigns.
Molson Coors to launch Coca-Cola’s first alcoholic beverage in the U.S.: Coca-Cola Co. said Tuesday it will launch the alcoholic version of its Topo Chico sparkling water along with beer giant Molson Coors Beverage Co. It will be the beverage giant’s first alcoholic drink in the country.
MARKET WATCH
North American stock markets are heading toward their first monthly losses since March’s sharp correction after drifting lower on the penultimate day of trading in September.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 31.29 points at 16,211.52.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 131.40 points at 27,452.66. The S&P 500 index was down 16.13 points at 3,335.47, while the Nasdaq composite was down 32.28 points at 11,085.25.
The Canadian dollar traded for 74.68 cents US compared with 74.75 cents US on Monday.
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TALKING POINTS
B.C. Liberals' PST gambit is an election Hail Mary
“Badly trailing the NDP in virtually every poll, the Liberals are in need of a moonshot proclamation, one that prompts voters to think twice about the affection with which they apparently regard the governing New Democrats” - Gary Mason
For First Nations, regulating the casino cartel would hardly be a gamble
“Gambling could well operate in a free market, much as other entertainment industries do. First Nations have shown their ability to compete, and they should be permitted to do so in such a market.” - Tom Flanagan
LIVING BETTER
With popular parks and hiking trails regularly reaching capacity, here’s a reminder that even ‘boring’ routes are worthy of a hike
left: A trail marker for the Trans Canada Trail that leads up to Burnaby Mountain. Right: path on the Trans Canada Trail in North Burnaby. Photo by Ming Wong
In what many outdoor enthusiasts are discovering during the pandemic, the wider public is also rushing to Canada’s natural hotspots.
The Globe’s Ming Wong recounts a trip in July to Squamish, B.C., in hopes of completing a hike at Murrin Provincial Park, a trail that promised stunning views overlooking Howe Sound and an easily accessible lake for a post-summit dip. When her group we got to the parking lot and saw the rows of cars waiting for the limited number of spots, they knew they weren’t getting in.
But this past summer she found joy away from the popular spot. On several occasions, she hiked Burnaby Mountain, a trail in the sleepy suburb east of Vancouver that she had never considered a worthy outdoor excursion.
Finding walks around the neighbourhood may not seem very sexy. But “there is no boring hike,” says Stephen Hui, the Vancouver-based author of 105 Hikes in and Around Southwestern British Columbia. “I find something redeemable about every trail.”
TODAY’S LONG READ
Next Stop brings a snapshot of Black life in Toronto
In Toronto’s outer neighbourhoods it would not be uncommon to overhear a debate about where you get the best Jamaican patty.
The argument, in fact, plays a starring role in the first episode of Next Stop, an anthology comedy series chronicling the lives of Black Torontonians as they go about the daily grind of living in a big city.
The episode Beef features two friends squabbling over the merits of a beef patty purchased at two different transit stops. The episode developed from a four-minute Instagram short by three co-creators. It received enough positive feedback from primarily young, Black viewers that the creators found themselves in talks with CBC Gem, the national broadcaster’s streaming service. The first season of four short episodes, including Beef, is now available to watch on the digital platform, with plans for more episodes exploring different pockets of Toronto to come.
For co-creator Jabbari Weekes, the goal was to make something simple but keep it authentically situated within the city – especially in terms of reflecting the Black community. He and co-creator and roommate Tichaona Tapambwa zeroed in on the idea of looking at the perpetual sense of competition between Toronto’s east end and west end through the aforementioned patties.
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