Morning Update: Ford’s top staffer knew of Phillips’s vacation; Former Supreme Court Justice to review military misconduct

Good morning,

The federal government’s decision to appoint former Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour to lead an independent review of the military’s handling of sexual assault, harassment and other misconduct takes place in the wake of months of criticism of the military’s culture and the way it responds to such cases.

Two parliamentary committees have been looking into the issue of sexual misconduct in the military and three military police investigations are under way. Stories of sexual trauma in the military have sparked a national dialogue on the prevalence of misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces and what is being done to confront it. Catch up on the story so far.

• Justice reporter, Sean fine writes about how Arbour’s dealings on the human-rights stage led to her appointment to review misconduct in the military
• Campbell Clark says: Endless spin and circles of inaction mark Liberals’ response to sexual harassment in the military

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COVID-19 in Canada

All adults in Canada’s two largest provinces will be eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment before the end of May. Ontario and Quebec will be dropping the eligibility threshold to the age of 18 as the country’s immunization campaign kicks into high gear.

Ottawa is expecting two million doses a week from Pfizer in May, twice the amount the vaccine-maker shipped to Canada in April, which should help other provinces, too. British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces have said they plan to offer shots to the youngest adults in June, but others have yet to say precisely when they will do so, although Alberta introduced new restrictions.

Meanwhile in Ontario

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s top staffers were aware that Rod Phillips would be away from Toronto and “not available in person.” E-mails obtained by The Globe and Mail show that, on two occasions, Phillips’s former chief of staff informed the Premier’s office that his boss would be away for weeks at a time.

• Robyn Urback: Ontario’s government should be a laughingstock for shuttering outdoor activities – again
• Editorial board: Ontario’s paid sick leave plan is flawed. So is Ottawa’s. But put them together and you’d have a winner

Real estate: The trouble with ‘bubble’

Soaring real estate prices can have serious economic consequences, but the market incentives that drove them there aren’t likely to go away overnight – even when the pandemic panic subsides.

So maybe, just maybe, we should be cautious about throwing around that bubble label. Have Canadian real estate prices surged upward at an unsustainable pace in recent months? Absolutely. Are lofty prices leaving the economy vulnerable to future threats, such as unexpected interest-rate increases and other possible shocks? For sure. But is Canada’s housing market an epic bubble on the verge of popping? Not so fast.

• What does $700K buy across Canada? We looked at properties priced at (or around) the national average, from coast to coast

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

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Transat reaches federal aid deal: Transat will borrow as much as $700-million from the federal government, a bailout that will let the Montreal-based tour and airline operator stay afloat and give refunds to customers whose flights were cancelled in the pandemic.

India’s COVID-19 infections top 18 million: The country passed another record number of daily infections, as gravediggers worked around the clock to bury victims and hundreds more were cremated in makeshift pyres in parks and parking lots.

Trans Mountain can keep name of insurer secret: The federal Crown corporation argues that revealing its insurer would therefore result in higher premiums, because fewer companies are willing to insure the pipeline.

On a lighter note: Canadian authors tell us the books that shaped them (and the ones kids should read today). Margaret Atwood, Esi Edugyan and more talk about what they loved reading when they were young, and the contemporary books they recommend for kids

MORNING MARKETS

World shares near record high: World stocks held near a record high and the euro was on course for its best month in nine as strong U.S. data and corporate earnings plus the Federal Reserve’s commitment to support the economy fuelled investors’ appetite for risk. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.27 per cent. Germany’s DAX gained 0.48 per cent and France’s CAC 40 was up 0.03 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.83 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1.97 per cent. Wall Street futures were lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 81.46 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Wokeism is threatening Joe Biden’s presidency

Konrad Yakabuski: “The country is already polarized enough without the left wing of the Democratic Party indulging in the fetish of wokeism.”

The killing of Abraham Natanine echoes a grim chapter in RCMP history

Gary Mason: “There can’t be two levels of justice and accountability in Canada – one for the big cities, and another for those who live in the Far North.”

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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LIVING BETTER

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Leaving cities for smaller settings isn’t always a smooth transition

The motivations for the migration are understandable. But while remote homes, with their treed-in acreages, tend to look beautiful in MLS listings, there are often myriad adjustments to be made.

Figuring out how a septic tank works. Replacing drafty windows. You might not have the same high-speed internet and natural gas hook-up. Even small things, such as an estate that was built as a summer cottage and won’t have storage for winter coats. And these things can’t all change when you move in either. A rural move doesn’t always have that TV-perfect ending.

HOROSCOPE

IF TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY: You may be more controlled, emotionally, than most people but you know when it’s right and proper to open up and over the coming year there will be many occasions when your true feelings burst through. They’ll be good feelings, too, so everyone will be happy.

Read today's horoscopes. Enjoy today's puzzles.

MOMENT IN TIME: April 30, 2019

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Emperor Akihito of Japan abdicates

Over his 30-year reign, Emperor Akihito brought the Japanese monarchy closer to its people. Born the fifth child and eldest son of Emperor Hirohito and Empress Kojun, Akihito often broke with tradition. He met his future wife at a tennis court and she became the first commoner to marry into the Imperial Family in 2,600 years. He developed a passion for marine biology, becoming a published researcher and is considered an expert on goby fish (one species is even named after him). He ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 1989 after the death of his father. He was often an emissary for reconciliation and peace for his father and stepped up those efforts soon after becoming emperor, issuing several statements of remorse for Japan’s treatment of other Asian countries, including China. After the tsunami and nuclear crisis in Fukushima in 2011, he made his first televised speech to the country, encouraging people not to give up hope. On this day in 2019, his reign, known as the Heisei era, came to a voluntary end and he was succeeded by his son Naruhito. He was the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 200 years. Iain Boekhoff

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