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A First Nation in Northern Ontario that has been under a 25-year-long boil-water advisory has been forced to evacuate 200 community members from Neskantaga after more problems at the water-treatment plant caused a shutdown of the supply this week. It’s the second evacuation in a little more than a year related to the community’s unresolved water crisis.
Chief Chris Moonias said Neskantaga is in another state of emergency because of leaks in the water-distribution system, which had forced a nightly shutdown of the supply to preserve levels for daytime use since Oct. 8. On Monday, the entire water supply was shut off after an oily, sheen-like substance was found in reservoirs.
Moonias reached out to Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller to help the community with the evacuation and to fulfill the federal government’s commitment to bring the community safe drinking water. A spokesperson for the minister said the department “will be providing funding to cover the costs of this evacuation.”
More coverage:
Ottawa’s climate-change policies fail to protect First Nations against food scarcity: study
Members of Neskantaga First Nations arrive in Thunder Bay on a chartered flight on October 21, 2020.DAVID JACKSON/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
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Clinical trial to test whether interferon is effective early treatment for COVID-19
Researchers in Canada, Australia and Chile are working together on a clinical trial to test the drug interferon and whether it is an effective early treatment for COVID-19.
The trial involves administering the drug to households where one person has recently tested positive for the coronavirus. The design of the study, set to begin next month in the Chilean capital of Santiago, means that scientists could have results in hand in as little as four weeks after its launch.
The aim of the study is to see whether those who receive the drug before symptoms manifest are able to clear the virus more quickly and reduce their potential to spread it to others.
More coverage:
Progress on the COVID-19 vaccine: Science reporter Ivan Semeniuk will answer your questions
British researchers to conduct first human challenge trials for potential COVID-19 vaccine
Canadians appear divided over mandatory COVID-19 vaccines, priority inoculations: poll
Professor at centre of racial slur controversy says she regrets actions
A University of Ottawa professor said she had “absolutely no intention of insulting anyone or of trying to provoke a reaction” when she used the n-word in a class where she was discussing words that had been re-appropriated by marginalized communities.
The incident sparked an outcry at the university and divided the faculty. The students' union said the n-word should never be used in a class setting and blamed the university for not doing enough to address wider issues of systemic racism and institutional discrimination. The Canadian Association of University Teachers said Prof. Verushka Lieutenant-Duval’s words should be protected by academic freedom since they were said in the context of a class and were relevant to the subject.
More coverage:
Konrad Yakabuski: The University of Ottawa throws academic freedom under the bus
Legault says University of Ottawa should have defended professor in debate over offensive language
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
What to watch for in the final U.S. presidential debate: President Donald Trump and his Democrat challenger Joe Biden will square off tonight in the final presidential debate before the election. The organizers have made some changes to the format after a rowdy first debate, but it’s an open question whether they will work. Here are five things to watch for in the final showdown.
Also: How U.S. Latinos galvanized against Trump hope to swing two critical states to the Democrats
NASA spacecraft sent asteroid rubble flying in sample grab: NASA officials say it is very likely that the Osiris-Rex robot probe collected samples from the asteroid Bennu. Scientists won’t know until next week how much was gathered, but close-up pictures and video of Tuesday’s operation raised hopes that goal was achieved.
Cogeco buys Quebec cable company for $405-million: Cogeco Communications has inked a deal to buy a Quebec-based cable company for $405-million, a move the company’s chief executive said proves it can grow into an even larger regional player in the telecom industry. The deal comes amid a $11.1-billion hostile bid for Cogeco by Rogers and Altice USA.
Tim Hortons to introduce bottle-deposit-style reusable cups in cafes next year: Tim Hortons is preparing to test a system at some of its locations in the Greater Toronto Area that would give customers the option to pay a deposit to have orders filled in reusable cups and other packaging and to return those items at its cafés and other drop-off points.
MORNING MARKETS
Global sentiment hit by COVID surge, stimulus stalemate: World shares slid to a two-week low on Thursday, and oil steadied after another heavy fall, as a surge in global COVID-19 cases and contentious U.S. stimulus talks kept financial markets cautious. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.37 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 fell 0.55 per cent and 0.57 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed down 0.70 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged up 0.13 per cent. New York futures were lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.02 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Campbell Clark: “We now know that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is willing to risk an election. More than that: If Mr. Trudeau thinks the window is open for him to win an election, he will worry it won’t be open for long. The opposition parties know that, too. Tick tock. The countdown to the next federal election has begun.”
David Parkinson: “With a second wave of the virus upon us, [pandemic] restrictions will impose a severe speed limit on inflation, and on the economy more broadly. The best prescription is ultimately the same as it is for the pandemic itself: a vaccine.”
Lilly Singh: “YouTube’s open platform has created a voice for so many Canadians who don’t see themselves or their passions reflected in mainstream media. And the system works – Canadian creators are successful, and viewers from around the world are tuning in. As creators, it’s important our continued success is made possible. Canadian policy-makers may not understand the uniqueness of YouTube as a platform, but there’s still time to protect what makes it different and the businesses we have built through hard work and creativity.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
CartoonBrian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Spring forward or fall back? André Picard and Nicole MacIntyre discuss back to school, the new rules of work, and what’s coming next
With our kids back to school, the threat of stricter restrictions, and COVID-19 cases on the rise, Canadians are bracing themselves for what’s to come. In the first of a new webcast series, health columnist and reporter André Picard shares his perspective on progress, the latest developments on rapid diagnostic testing, health care spending, and whether we have to start preparing ourselves psychologically for the possibility of another lockdown.
MOMENT IN TIME: OCTOBER 22, 2014
Floral tributes to slain Canadian Cpl.Nathan Cirillo sit at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. Cpl. Cirillo was killed Wednesday at the National War Memorial by a gunman who then raced to Parliament Hill, where he was killed in a gunfight in the halls of the Centre Block. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean KilpatrickSean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Parliament Hill attack
Confusion reigned that Wednesday morning. How many people were shot? Where? By whom? Police officers with rifles flooded downtown Ottawa, shutting the city down street by street. Teams mobilized in empty parking lots. Workers in office towers – and MPs at their weekly caucus meetings on Parliament Hill – were ordered to shelter in place for hours. Fear and uncertainty gripped the capital. In the end, two people were dead: Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a 24-year-old sentry at the National War Memorial, and the gunman who shot him in the back, stormed the Parliament buildings and then was killed by guards in Centre Block. The attack left its mark on Parliament Hill, through the formation of a new Parliamentary Protective Service, more security equipment and bullet holes pockmarking the Hall of Honour. It also left psychological scars on the officers who brought down the gunman, some of whom have spoken openly about their post-traumatic stress, and the women and men who tried to save the wounded Cpl. Cirillo. Later that week, Cpl. Cirillo’s body was returned to his hometown of Hamilton in a Highway of Heroes motorcade. Chris Hannay
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