Good morning, and welcome to the weekend.
Grab your cup of coffee or tea, and sit down with a selection of this week’s great reads from The Globe.
In this issue, we offer a smorgasbord of eye-opening charts. Globe business reporter Jason Kirby asked dozens of economists and industry experts for charts that illustrate what issues they think will be important in the year to come.
“You never really know what you’re going to get until the charts start to come in,” says Kirby, who’s been doing this project annually since 2015. Back then, the issue of the year was the oil price crash; 2023, meanwhile, was all about interest rates. So, what did 2024 bring?
“I knew that this year we’d see a number of charts specific to Canada’s population boom, which has been driven by a surge in non-permanent residents, but I was surprised by the extent to which that theme carried through so many of the charts and accompanying write-ups.” From housing and rent to employment, Canada’s surge in population has touched many facets of the country’s economy. Dive into the full collection of graphs and tables that paint the economic picture of 2024.
And, as North American universities struggle to navigate the politics of the Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s war in Gaza, Jacob T. Levy analyzes what’s going on in campuses, and explains the difference between freedom of speech and academic freedom.
The United States kicks off its marathon presidential race on Monday with the Iowa caucuses. Adrian Morrow spent some time in that state this week to take the pulse of Republican voters, many of whom think Trump is just what the country needs.
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2024 in charts: Experts predict what’s to come for housing, jobs, wages, interest rates and more
Illustration by MATTHEW BILLINGTON
Canada’s economy begins 2024 in an uneasy state after a year of surprising resilience in the face of high interest rates. Will recession come to Canada? What will happen to housing markets? Can paycheques keep up with inflation? And is your job safe from artificial intelligence? Jason Kirby reached out to dozens of experts – including economists, academics, investors and business leaders – and asked them to each pick a chart that highlights an issue that will be important to watch in 2024.
Campus culture wars are a teachable moment in how freedom of speech and academic freedom differ
A protester in convocation garb and a keffiyeh scarf attends a Nov. 20 protest at Columbia University, where students, alumni and supporters criticized the school for banning the groups Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Universities throughout North America are scrambling to navigate ugly campus politics brought to a head after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Six Canadian universities are being sued for allegedly failing to protect Jewish students from hostile, sometimes violent antisemitic environments. Demands to suppress the speech of pro-Palestinian student protesters have reached as high as the U.S. Congress, and have cost two elite university presidents their jobs. Jacob T. Levy writes that universities have shifted away from the principles of academic freedom, and that this war has amplified problems that have been developing on campus for years.
Donald Trump in the lead as Republican primaries begin
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in New York State Supreme Court during the civil fraud trial against the Trump Organization in New York on Jan. 11, 2024.SHANNON STAPLETON/Getty Images
Despite his legal troubles, Donald Trump is far ahead of his Republican rivals in the presidential nomination race. Most polls ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses give Mr. Trump between 50 and 60 per cent in the state, with his closest rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, sitting between 10 and 20 per cent. As Adrian Morrow reports from Iowa, Trump’s supporters are angry about high inflation, which they blame on President Joe Biden’s government spending and climate policies, and for the record numbers of migrants arriving at the U.S.’s border with Mexico.
Canada’s best architecture and interiors for 2024
Devil’s Glen by StudioACFelix Michaud/Supplied
There’s more than one way to embrace modern living with style. This year’s edition of Designing Canada puts the spotlight on the country’s best architecture and interior design that highlight multifunctional, multigenerational and multiuse spaces. Take, for example, the challenge of updating a 4,000-square-foot multiunit home in Vancouver, nicknamed the Bird’s Wing for its folded front roof line. The solution? Using muted colours to create a cohesive interior look and staying flexible about the use of space: some units could be designated offices or rental spaces if needed. This edition also features design inspired by rocks and pebbles, sustainable furniture and houseware items meant to last and a must-visit destination for joyful finds that make a home stand out. Read more from the 2024 issue of Designing Canada.
The death of DVD has been greatly exaggerated
Brendan Whelton, store manager at Bay St. Video, at the store in Toronto on Nov. 28, 2023.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
The prevailing narrative of the streaming wars has been one of digital manifest destiny – the inevitable supremacy of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of user-friendly streamers to replace your expensive and cluttersome DVD and Blu-ray libraries. But there are heartening signs that not every consumer places so much blind faith in the cloud and Netflix-like giants. While the streaming wars seemed intent on killing physical media, Barry Hertz reports on why it seems that discs will live to spin another day.
The Jets are in gear, so Winnipeg’s assessing its many blessings
A Furby St. mural by Mandy van Leeuwen illustrates Winnipeg’s love of hockey. It features images of Johnathan Toews and Bobby Hull, as well as an early Winnipeg Jets logo and a backyard rink.Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
This past week the Winnipeg Jets soared to the very top of the NHL standings. For a country that has not hoisted a Stanley Cup in 31 years, this was a welcome and hopeful sign at the halfway mark of the 2023-24 season. The city has been harangued by those who do not live there, much loved by those who do – and its NHL team has had plenty of stars over the years but has often struggled for respect from the sports media that is mostly-based elsewhere. The Stanley Cup playoffs are a ways away but the fact that the Jets are within the realm of bringing it home for Canada is a surprise – especially considering a few months ago many thought the team was the verge of yet another rebuild. Roy MacGregor writes about how the Jets got here and what it means for the city.
Bonus: Which landmark HBO series marked 25 years since its debut on January 10?
c. The Sopranos
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