Good morning,
As Canada looks to extend its NATO mission in Latvia – currently its single biggest military deployment – some in this former Soviet republic of 1.9 million people say Canadians are wasting their money.
Lilija Lapshina, who sells pickled cranberries and other preserves at a market in the eastern Latvian city of Daugavpils, insisted her country doesn’t require Western help.
“It’s useless,” she said of the multinational NATO battle group that Canada has commanded since 2017 near Riga, Latvia’s capital. “Nobody is going to attack Latvia. We don’t need Canadian soldiers.”
More coverage:
- Ukraine invasion could come ‘any day,’ top Biden aide says
- Odessa tries to keep it cool as Russian ships head for a Ukrainian coast still scarred by 2014′s Crimean conflict
Dmitry Rybnikov is deputy leader of a local non-government organization that says it represents the Russian community in Daugavpils, Latvia, on Feb. 2, 2022.Gints Ivuskans/The Globe and Mail
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Ottawa mayor declares state of emergency over trucker convoy protests
After nine days of noisy and chaotic disruption, Ottawa’s mayor declared a state of emergency as major cities across the country were hit over the weekend by protests opposed to vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictions.
With no end in sight to the protests in the country’s capital, Ottawa police announced that they would begin arresting anyone who attempted to bring material aid, such as fuel, to the protesters, some of whom have set up camp in the city.
On Sunday evening, police stepped up their attempt to choke off the protest’s supplies by removing fuel tankers from a support centre set up by demonstrators in a baseball-stadium parking lot in Ottawa’s east end.
Read more:
- Stress of trucker convoy protest in Ottawa may have long-lasting effects on residents’ health, experts say
- Ottawa business groups call on governments to provide financial support amid disruptive protests
- Kelly Cryderman: Kenney looks to avoid O’Toole’s fate in Alberta’s trucker standoff
- Editorial: Want the pandemic to be over and restrictions to end? Get vaccinated
Yuzuru Hanyu hits the ice, but Winnie the Pooh may not, perhaps much to the relief of Beijing Olympics organizers
Whenever Japanese figure skating star Yuzuru Hanyu finishes a routine at an international competition, volunteers pour onto the ice. Not to repair the surface or assist the athlete, but to collect the Winnie the Pooh dolls that have been tossed by Hanyu’s adoring fans.
Such scenes played out at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang – “It’s raining Winnie the Pooh,” said NBC commentator Terry Gannon after Hanyu’s gold-medal-winning routine – and have done wherever the Japanese skater has performed since 2010.
But it’s doubtful that many Pooh bears, if any, will hit the ice this week at the Beijing Games, as Hanyu goes for a record-breaking third consecutive gold medal.
More coverage of the Olympics:
- Daily Olympic guide: Canada’s Max Parrot wins gold in men’s snowboard slopestyle; Toronto’s Crawford just misses downhill medal
- Canadian speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen gutted, perplexed after 5,000-metre performance
- Without NHL stars, Canada’s men’s hockey team is an inscrutable mix of youngsters and veterans
- John Doyle: So far, so fraught for the Beijing Olympics
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Former Toronto Star publisher John Honderich, among ‘last of the lions’ of Canadian journalism, dead at 75: John Honderich, the long-time former editor and publisher of The Toronto Star, has died. He was 75. Born into a newspaper family, Honderich was a legendary champion for journalism and journalists, endlessly devoted to Canadian political life and social justice issues.
Queen wants Camilla to assume title of ‘queen consort’ when Prince Charles becomes king: Queen Elizabeth says it’s her “sincere wish” that Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, be called “queen consort” when Prince Charles becomes king. The Queen’s announcement ends speculation about what Camilla would be called after the monarch died; it was widely assumed she would be referred to as “princess consort.”
Mike Pence aide Marc Short says ‘snake oil salesmen’ advised Trump on 2020 election: Former U.S. president Donald Trump received bad advice from “snake oil salesmen” who falsely told him then-vice-president Mike Pence had the authority to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, Pence’s former chief of staff Marc Short said.
Canadian renters sound off on renovictions, how much they pay and feeling judged by loved ones: Soaring house prices mean more people will rent – possibly forever. But what do we know about this country’s renters? To find out more about life as a renter, The Globe surveyed recipients of the Carrick on Money e-mail newsletter.
- Opinion: Renting is supposed to offer mobility and flexibility. So why do so many tenants just feel stuck?
- The Globe is expanding its personal finance, business and investing coverage
Listen to The Decibel: How the James Webb Space Telescope will take us back in time: It’s taken billions of dollars and more than two decades to build, but the Hubble Telescope’s successor is now in space. With its ability to observe infrared light, the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to see way beyond Hubble’s range.
MORNING MARKETS
Global stocks and the dollar steadied on Monday after unexpectedly strong U.S. jobs data soothed concerns about the global economy, though diplomatic tensions remained a worry as the White House warned Russia could invade Ukraine any day. After a bumpy ride last week, the MSCI world equities index was flat. European stocks and Britain’s FTSE were also steady. The Canadian dollar was trading at 78.57 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
As a conservative, it pains me that we aren’t learning from our mistakes:
“... It looks like my fellow Conservatives are back to our favourite pastime – fighting with each other while importing American-style outrage and issues that have little resonance for suburban Canadian voters and our diverse cultural communities. Instead of coming together as we did after 2004, with former PCs supporting Mr. Harper as fervently as they did Mr. Mulroney, the current round of infighting brings back memories of the 10 years when a divided conservative movement guaranteed Liberal dominance.” - Paul Brown
Let’s celebrate Toronto’s vaccine success story
“To inoculate all those people in a city of 180 languages, dozens of cultural groups and scores of neighbourhoods has been a staggering task. To reach the hesitant, the disadvantaged and the disengaged, the city has hired hundreds of community ambassadors and translators to get the word out. It has dispatched mobile clinics from one end of the city to the other. It has bombarded residents with text messages, robocalls and flyers.” - Marcus Gee
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Seven nutrient-dense foods to add to your diet now
If you rely on supplements to get your daily fix of nutrients, consider rethinking your menu.
Adding nutrient-dense foods, such as pumpkin seeds, edamame and strawberries, to everyday meals and snacks can significantly impact your intake of a surprising number of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
MOMENT IN TIME: Jamaican Bobsleigh team, 1988
Members of the Jamaican four-man bobsled team walk up the course after wiping out during a run at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Feb. 12, 1988.Morris Lamont/The Canadian Press
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 will feature one of these images. This month, we’re looking at memorable Winter Games stories.
The first Jamaican bobsleigh squad competed in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. After the tiny island nation’s two-man team finished 30th out of the 41 teams competing, the four-man team of Dudley Stokes, Devon Harris, Michael White and Chris Stokes attracted considerable media attention for their sunny vibes and underdog narrative. But when push came to shove, the inexperienced squad lost control of the vehicle and crashed on their third run. After climbing out of the sled, the athletic quartet pushed it to the end of the track. Not bothering with their fourth and final run, they finished last overall. Their plucky story was turned into the 1993 feature film Cool Runnings. Brad Wheeler
Subscribers and registered users of globeandmail.com can dig deeper into our News Photo Archive at tgam.ca/newsphotoarchive
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