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Konrad Winrich von Finckenstein, a former chair of Canada’s broadcasting regulator, has been named interim federal conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, after the government’s previous pick for the role resigned amid concern about the appropriateness of the appointment.
The commissioner’s office announced von Finckenstein’s six-month appointment yesterday. The ethics commissioner administers the federal Conflict of Interest Act and helps elected and appointed officials avoid conflicts between their public duties and private interests.
A former Federal Court justice, von Finckenstein is the second interim commissioner named since the position’s last permanent occupant, Mario Dion, stepped down in February, citing “persistent health issues.”
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Death toll rises to 74 after fire rages through historic Johannesburg building
The fire took place in a historic five-storey building in downtown Johannesburg, casting a spotlight on the city’s failure to deal with dozens of “hijacked” buildings controlled by criminals and occupied by impoverished residents.
Scores of bodies, covered by blankets, lay in a downtown street after the blaze in the early hours of yesterday morning. Ten of the bodies were burned beyond recognition and will need DNA testing to identify, city officials said.
Ontario Housing Minister Steve Clark apologizes for lack of oversight in Greenbelt process, but refuses to resign
Premier Doug Ford continued to back his minister, saying he has confidence in Clark despite being “not happy” with the way the lands were chosen for development.
Clark said he accepts responsibility for the “very clear flaws” in the process laid out in a scathing report Wednesday from Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake. That process, led by Clark’s former chief of staff, Ryan Amato, was marked by “misinterpretation, unnecessary hastiness and deception,” the report found, which created “an opportunity to further the private interests of some developers improperly.”
The report said Clark failed to properly oversee “an important initiative in his ministry” – namely, the process by which 3,000 hectares of land were removed from the province’s Greenbelt, an environmentally protected zone that arcs around the Greater Toronto Area. The government added new protected land elsewhere – part of what was described as a land swap.
Collector shares new details about Canadian provenance of long-lost photos showing early days of Auschwitz
It began with a WhatsApp message on March 1. Marek Tomaszewski received black-and-white photographs of the Polish city of Tarnów, where he lives and has published five books about its history. Tomaszewski eventually identified the images as previously unknown pictures of a key moment in the city’s history: the departure on June 14, 1940, of the first mass transport of prisoners to the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz.
The discovery was made public this summer, on the anniversary of that first deportation, with the announcement that Tomaszewski had published the new photos in a book. Now, Tomaszewski has shared with The Globe and Mail new details about the Canadian provenance of the pictures and about the steps he took to confirm that they documented the beginning of Auschwitz’s operations.
A German officer sitting next to a 1940 wall calendar. This photo, part of a set of 96 newly discovered pictures that once belonged to a Canadian lawyer, was crucial in determining that they were snapshots of the first mass deportation of prisoners to the Auschwitz Nazi camp on June 14, 1940.Courtesy of Marek Tomaszewski/Supplied
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Also on our radar
G20 summit: When leaders gather at the G20 summit in New Delhi, countries including Canada will court Modi as an ally. But no matter the size of his country’s economy, his illiberal politics can be obstacles to trust.
- Explainer: Trudeau will attend the G20 summit in New Delhi. Here’s what to know
Emergencies Act: Six months after receiving the final report from the Emergencies Act inquiry, the federal government is still reviewing which recommendations it will accept. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said responses to individual recommendations will only be released in February, 2024.
Wildfires: British Columbia and the Northwest Territories both extended their states of emergency as tens of thousands of residents remain displaced or ready to flee a sudden blaze even as the cooler temperatures of September arrive.
Polar bears: A study published yesterday in Science’s Policy Forum says scientists for the first time are able to directly quantify the impact of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions from specific sources on polar bear cub survival.
The Globe in Ukraine: Volunteers are warning that Ukraine’s substandard medical supplies are endangering soldiers on the front lines of the war with Russia, including faulty tourniquets, lack of trained medics and personnel shortages.
Donald Trump: The former U.S. president pleaded not guilty yesterday and waived arraignment, which was initially set for Sept. 6, in the case accusing him and others of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
COVID-19: The general consensus among medical experts is that the new variant EG.5 is closely related to the version of the virus targeted by the vaccine, so it should still work well.
Banks: TD, BMO and CIBC have disclosed that about 20 per cent of their residential mortgage borrowers – representing nearly $130-billion in loans – are seeing their balances grow as their monthly payments no longer cover all the interest they owe.
Morning markets
Markets await U.S. jobs data: Global shares were steady on Friday as investors scrutinized China’s latest moves to bolster its flagging economy before turning to U.S. jobs data later for clues on whether the Federal Reserve will raise rates this month. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.56 per cent. Germany’s DAX added 0.16 per cent and France’s CAC 40 was up 0.33 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei ended 0.28-per-cent higher. Markets in Hong Kong were closed. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was little changed at 74.05 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives still don’t have a viable climate plan
“Poilievre’s focus shows the Conservative Party’s continuing disdain for climate action. In 2019, Andrew Scheer’s Conservative platform acknowledged ‘climate change is real’ but didn’t put forward tangible proposals to do something about it. In 2021, Erin O’Toole tried to do more but offered only half-measures. Poilievre has circled back to Scheer territory – and doubled down.” - The Editorial Board
Polyemployment: the harsh new economic reality of holding multiple jobs
“This is the polyemployment paradox: Some efforts to create income security and a personal safety net can leave workers in even more precarious situations. This is important, because the rise of polyemployment and its impact on the social safety net isn’t uniquely American – it’s also an issue in Canada.” - Alexandrea J. Ravenelle
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by Brian Gable
Living better
2023 is the year of the millet. Here’s how and why to eat this climate-friendly grain
Millets are having a moment this year. They are sustainable, hardy, drought-resistant crops that are ready to harvest about 45 days after planting, faster than wheat, rice, oats and quinoa. Julie Van Rosendaal writes about how you can integrate the underrated crop in a batch lunch recipe consisting of corn, beans and avocado.
Moment in time: Sept. 1, 2001
Jockey Tim Moccasin sets North American win record
Jockey Tim Moccasin at Assiniboia Downs with horse, Honorable Lady.Ken Gigliotti/Winnipeg Free Press
For jockey Tim Moccasin, riding horses was as natural as walking. A member of the Saulteaux First Nation near Cochin, north of North Battleford, Sask., Moccasin learned to ride bareback at an early age and loved to compete in the pony races on sports days. He was 17 when he started his jockey career at Saskatoon’s Marquis Downs in 1994. In his first few years, he rarely won, placed or showed. But as he matured as a jockey, he worked on race strategy, especially keeping his composure during the adrenalin-rushing dash from post to finish. He also spent mornings exercising the horses, getting to know them before putting on his race silks. In the 2001 season at Marquis Downs, Moccasin put together a North American thoroughbred racing record – 14 consecutive wins. At the end of August, he won 10 consecutive races, including all seven on one card. Then, before a raucous crowd that anticipated something special on the race track this day in 2001, he won four more in a row before the streak ended. Moccasin’s record ride, a mile distance, was aboard the horse Intricate Stitch, and paid $2.70, $2.40, and $2.20 for win, place and show bets. Bill Waiser
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