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Thousands more people were ordered to evacuate their homes in northern Alberta on Sunday, as raging wildfires continued to burn homes, vehicles and thousands of hectares of forest, all the while straining the firefighting resources of local communities. Here is a glance at how the story has progressed over the weekend:
- With unseasonably high temperatures expected to last at least another day, and no sign of rain in sight for a week, authorities said the situation remains dangerous and in flux.
- There were 87 active fires Sunday afternoon, including 24 deemed out of control.
- More than 19,000 people were under evacuation orders throughout the province, said Colin Blair, executive director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. This was thousands more than the previous day.
Read our explainer to keep up with the latest on the Alberta wildfires.
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Turkey faces election runoff, with Erdogan in lead
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has ruled his country with an increasingly firm grip for 20 years, was still locked in a tight election race Monday, with a make-or-break runoff against his chief challenger possible as the final votes were counted.
The results, whether they come within days or after a second round of voting takes place in two weeks, will determine if a NATO ally that straddles Europe and Asia but borders Syria and Iran remains under Erdogan’s control or resumes the more democratic path promised by his main rival, opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu.
Dr. Renee Hall is photographed at the Willow Clinic in Vancouver, May 5, 2023.JENNIFER GAUTHIER/The Globe and Mail
Free contraception in B.C. causing long wait times for IUD insertions
B.C. became the first to cover the cost of most forms of prescription birth control as of April 1, a move that was hailed as an important step in providing equitable access to contraception.
But doctors in B.C. say the province’s move to make prescription contraception free has come with some unwanted consequences: In the case of intrauterine devices, the demand for insertions is far outstripping the supply of qualified clinicians who can perform the procedure.
A year ago, the typical wait for an IUD appointment ranged from one to two weeks at the Willow Clinic, which provides birth control, abortions and other reproductive health services. Now, the next available appointment is in July.
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Also on our radar
Trade: Global maritime trade is enormously complex. Diversifying supply chains, geopolitical tensions may shift global trade flows away from the Panama Canal.
Politics: The former grand chief of Northern Ontario’s largest Indigenous political group harassed and discriminated against two women staff members, violating code-of-conduct policies, an internal investigative report for the Nishawbe Aski Nation has concluded.
Space: About a four-hour drive from the border between New Brunswick and Maine, there is a US$25,000 reward being offered to anyone who can find a kilogram-sized piece of the meteorite, should it exist.
Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, extending a European tour that has elicited fresh pledges of military support.
Gaza Strip: Palestinians and Israelis resume normal life after Gaza truce despite rocket sirens.
Debt limit: Talk are likely to resume on Tuesday at the White House over the debt limit, as the country continues to edge closer to its legal borrowing authority with no agreement in sight.
Title 42: Migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have fallen, not increased as expected, since Title 42 curbs expired last week.
Opioids: Nearly every participant in a study of a Vancouver safer-supply program involving opioid-dispensing machines continued to use illicit drugs – but they used less, they experienced fewer overdoses and they reported improvements in health and well-being.
Morning markets
Global stocks advance: World stocks rose on Monday on cautious optimism ahead of this week’s deliberations over the U.S. debt ceiling. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.33 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.18 per cent and 0.46 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.81 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.75 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was higher at 73.99 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
A new centreman won’t help the Leafs. A new leader might
“The Leafs spent seven years acting like things happen to them – good things (they win the draft lottery) and bad things (the refs job them in the playoffs again). Before this all falls apart, try making things happen for a change.” - Cathal Kelly
Two solitudes emerging on immigration in Quebec
“So while the sudden panic in Quebec over immigration was driven by tabloid fear, it does matter that there is now a two-speed immigration plan in Canada that will keep generating political disputes, without much regard to facts. No wonder sovereigntists were rubbing their hands with glee.” - Campbell Clark
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by David Parkins published May 15, 2023.David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
The case for exercising outdoors
Of course, there are some obvious advantages to lifting with a roof over your head, especially here in Canada where the snow can fall right into May. But for whatever the reason, Paul Landini mostly can’t stand working out indoors.
Training solo outside is like going to the movies or a concert alone. Quick connections you will make while outside can feel essential for one’s mental health, and they don’t happen if you’re grinding away in my basement.
When you train outside your senses shift into overdrive. And then there’s all that fresh air to fill our thirsty lungs. Another advantage: You never have to wait for a rack or bench to become free, so training sessions become more efficient.
Moment in time
Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sit in front of monitors at their command centre in Halifax, June 13, 1995.Mike Blake/Reuters
RCMP duties at home and abroad
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re looking at the RCMP, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary.
The motto of the RCMP is “Maintiens le Droit,” which, translated from French, means to “maintain the right” or, in English, “uphold the right.” But the force’s role in law enforcement is far more complicated than arresting bad guys. Aside from day-to-day police operations, it is responsible for international crime fighting (with Interpol), border integrity and enforcing Canadian firearms laws, among other duties. In the photo above, it’s a more mundane task, as RCMP officials watch monitors at a command centre in Halifax in June, 1995, ahead of a G7 summit, where it was providing security. Occasionally, the RCMP’s duties take it abroad, too, such as training law-enforcement officers in Haiti in the 1990s, helping Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and, recently, providing a new musical ride horse for King Charles. The RCMP also manages the deployment of Canadian police in international peacekeeping missions, including planning, training and providing support throughout the deployment. Philip King
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