Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Russia destroys power and water infrastructure across Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that ever since Russia intensified its bombardments of electricity, heat and water services on Oct. 10, 30 per cent of the country’s power stations have been destroyed, causing widespread blackouts.
Earlier this week, he asked people to cut their energy use between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. in order to save supplies and prevent power outages. “We must reduce our electricity consumption,” he said. “This is a step that, along with others, will ensure the failure of Russian terrorist plans.”
The bombing campaign appears to be a new phase in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s effort to demoralize Ukrainians just as winter begins to set in. Even cities far from the front lines such as Lviv, which have been relatively calm for months, have been hit in recent days.
Opinion:
- The arguments against supporting Ukraine - Globe editorial
- Canada should back the declaration to protect civilians from explosive weapons - Simon Bagshaw and Jennifer Welsh
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.
Trudeau accused Ford of hiding during convoy protests, new documents show
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Ontario Premier Doug Ford of hiding during the more than three-week protest in Ottawa that “completely outnumbered” the city’s police force within days of arriving in the capital, according to evidence presented at the public inquiry probing the federal government’s unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act.
In a call between Trudeau and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Feb. 8, the two leaders discussed Ford’s absence from meetings meant to co-ordinate the response by the three levels of governments to the disruptive anti-government, anti-vaccine-mandate protests.
In his testimony, Watson acknowledged that it was clear by Jan. 31, three days after protesters arrived, that the Ottawa police could not deal with the situation on their own. Watson also spoke with Trudeau on Jan. 31, when he asked the federal government for RCMP resources for the first time, according to meeting minutes of that call.
As calls grow for a doubling or tripling of Canada’s electricity generation capacity, some utilities have other ideas
Plans for widespread adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps and electric arc furnaces imply surging demand for electricity. And the investment required to build all that capacity has been likened to wartime spending.
But Canada’s major utilities aren’t preparing for anything of the sort. Nor are major planning bodies such as Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator and the Alberta Electric System Operator telling them to.
That’s the main take-away from annual reports and planning outlooks published by these organizations and reviewed by The Globe and Mail, and interviews with decision makers.
Beijing hikes propaganda, censorship during Communist Party Congress to drown out dissent
Across Beijing this week, the face of Chinese President Xi Jinping has been gazing out from TV screens and the front pages of state-controlled newspapers, after he opened a key Communist Party Congress expected to confirm him as leader for an unprecedented third term.
Online, the congress and Xi himself are inescapable, dominating trending topics on social media. At the same time, there’s intense censorship of posts about a small but audacious protest in the heart of the capital last week.
While public dissent in China is still rare, the protest was indicative of growing dissatisfaction with COVID-19 controls, which stand in stark contrast to measures in the rest of Asia, which has now joined Europe and North America in opening up.
ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY
Breaking news: An RCMP officer in Burnaby, B.C., has been killed in what Solicitor General Mike Farnworth calls a terrible tragedy. Media reports say the female officer was stabbed to death at a homeless camp while assisting a bylaw officer.
Morneau joining CIBC board: Former federal finance minister Bill Morneau will become a member of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s board of directors effective Nov. 1.
More bling for Drake: The rap star has won several songwriting prizes at the 2022 SOCAN Awards, including two for his singles Wants and Needs and Way 2 Sexy, at a Toronto gala. That’s in addition to winning songwriter of the year in the performer category, announced earlier this month.
Griner turns 32 in Russian jail: WNBA basketball star and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner, whose appeal against a Russian jail term is due to be heard next week, sent supporters a message of thanks today on her 32nd birthday.
Canadian NBA record: A record number of 22 Canadians will be on opening-night rosters in the NBA, which tips off the 2022-23 season today. The Toronto Raptors start the season tomorrow at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
MARKET WATCH
U.S. and Canadian stocks closed higher for a second straight day today as solid quarterly results from Goldman Sachs and Lockheed Martin lessened worries of a weak earnings season.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 337.98 points or 1.12 per cent to 30,523.80, the S&P 500 gained 42.03 points or 1.14 per cent to 3,719.98 and the Nasdaq Composite added 96.60 points or 0.9 per cent to end at 10,772.40.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed up 177.16 points or 0.95 per cent at 18,798.18. The loonie traded at 72.78 U.S. cents.
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
Are we prepared for the wallop long COVID will deliver?
If one in four, or one in 10, or even one in 100 of those infected with COVID-19 – about 60 per cent of the population so far – have lingering health symptoms, that’s going to have an impact on everything from the health system to the work force. - André Picard
The disappointing populism of Danielle Smith’s political plan
“For [Danielle] Smith, this is all about playing to a constituency she desperately needs if she has any chance of winning the next election in the spring of 2023: rural Albertans who hold a disdain and hatred of everything Ottawa and Liberal.” - Gary Mason
Do you have a safety net? The coming recession could be the most unfair ever
“Never has there been such a clear dividing line between those who can arm themselves with savings for a recession and those who can’t afford to.” - Rob Carrick
TODAY’S LONG READ
New project targets misconceptions about sexuality and disabilities
At his high school in Aurora, Ont., Grade 9 sex ed stood out for Andrew Gurza, just not for the usual reasons. “I remember being asked if I should leave the classroom for sex ed because, what do I need it for?” said Gurza, who has cerebral palsy and is now 38.
The prejudice that disability and sex don’t mix persists today, with disabled people shut out of critical conversations about consent and sexual health. Sex ed curricula make scant reference to those with physical and developmental disabilities. The same discomfort lingers in health care settings, where disabled people find themselves talked down to when they seek answers about their sexual health. The fallout can be significant.
A new project is poised to begin addressing the exclusion of disabled people from receiving information and care in the sexual health realm. Late this summer, the federal government pledged $2.8-million to sexual health organizations across the country to improve education and services for underserved youth, including those with autism and physical disabilities. One goal of the two-year project is to break down misconceptions and stigma in schools and health care settings around the sexuality of these historically overlooked populations. Read Zosia Bielski’s full story here.
Evening Update is presented by S.R. Slobodian. 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.