Good morning,
These are the top stories:
The second-in-command of the Canadian military is resigning
The man who replaced Vice-Admiral Mark Norman as vice chief of the defence staff is retiring from the military next month, citing aborted plans to reinstate Norman to the position. In a leaked letter, Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk said that Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance asked him to step aside after charges against Norman were dropped this spring.
The plans were ultimately dropped when Norman decided to retire after reaching a settlement with Ottawa. Still, Wynnyk said he decided to retire this summer, as he had originally planned to before Vance asked him last summer to stay on in the No. 2 spot until 2020.
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An Ontario clinic plans to defy a federal order on cell-based injections
Health Canada says injecting patients with their own cells doesn’t work and poses a risk to the public. But the head of the Sudbury-based Ontario Stem Cell Treatment Centre is ignoring the order, saying it’s up to his clinic’s discretion to offer the procedures.
The treatments, which involve removing cells, manipulating them and re-injecting them, are promoted as a regenerative healing technique. But there is no high-quality evidence showing they are effective and safe.
Regulators in Quebec and Nova Scotia are currently probing some doctors that offer cell-based therapies. Health Canada has ordered three dozen clinics across the country to stop the injections. If clinics don’t comply, it could conduct product seizures or recommend charges.
Bombardier is laying off hundreds at its Thunder Bay plant
The Canadian transportation giant is expected to announce as soon as today that it will cut 550 jobs – half the work force at the Northern Ontario rail-car plant. The Thunder Bay facility has focused on building streetcars for Toronto-area projects, including a contract with Metrolinx that was cut in half amid a legal dispute.
The province’s Transportation Minister, Caroline Mulroney, expressed disappointment at the layoff plans and said Metrolinx is “actively pursuing the purchase” of more than $100-million in additional GO Transit cars that would be built in Thunder Bay.
A Canadian lobbyist says Sudan’s military rulers demanded a return on their $6-million payment
Ari Ben-Menashe says the regime wanted its money back after he criticized it for a June 3 massacre of more than 100 pro-democracy protesters. According to Ben-Menashe, the military blamed “rogue soldiers” within its forces for the massacre. If that is the case, it adds to concerns from protesters skeptical of the military’s ability to uphold a tentative power-sharing deal reached last week.
The federal government has asked the RCMP to investigate whether Ben-Menashe, who has previously lobbied for a Libyan warlord and Zimbabwe’s ousted dictator, violated Canadian sanctions on Sudan.
For his part, the Montreal-based lobbyist said: “We did not break the law.” The contract with the military is still in place.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Carbon monoxide leak at Winnipeg motel: 46 were taken to hospital, 15 in critical condition after a leak in the boiler room at a Super 8 sent dangerous levels of carbon monoxide into the building. Everyone is expected to survive.
Labour Party now backs second Brexit referendum: Leader Jeremy Corbyn has shifted from a long-standing position that his party respects the 2016 vote, saying he would campaign to stay in the European Union should another referendum be called. Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt are currently vying to lead the Tories and become Britain’s next prime minister.
Quebec removes crucifix from legislature: François Legault’s government had been accused of hypocrisy for keeping the cross hanging while imposing a new law banning civil servants like teachers from wearing religious symbols. That legislation is facing a legal challenge as critics seek to stay Bill 21 until the courts reach a decision on its constitutionality.
Nicki Minaj pulls out of Saudi Arabia concert: The rapper cancelled her gig set for later this month, saying: “I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression.”
Bond yields creep higher as markets wait for Fed signals: Shares were treading water on Wednesday while rising Treasury yields kept the U.S. dollar steady, as investors waited to hear whether Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell would confirm or confound expectations for a U.S. rate cut this month when he testifies before Congress later in the day. MSCI’s broadest index of world stocks was little changed after three days of losses. London’s FTSE edged up 0.2 per cent and Paris also rose after better-than-expected French industrial data. Japan’s Nikkei had also finished lower and Chinese blue chips barely budged as data showed inflation remained subdued. Futures on Wall Street were slightly lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 76.20 US cents ahead of the morning interest rate decision from the Bank of Canada.
Time’s up for public-transit assaults, too
John Di Nino: “The story reported by The Globe and Mail on Tuesday highlights a disturbing reality: Each and every day, women on our transit systems are being harassed and violated by sexually-aggressive men. … Transit agencies need to name sexual assault or crimes of a sexual nature. Transit agencies must be held accountable for reporting gender-based sexual violence.” John Di Nino is president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Canada.
The U.S. women’s soccer team shows sport is being politicized - and hurray for that
Lawrence Martin: “Many, it appears, would prefer the athletes to keep their political views to themselves. Zipper the lips. Kick the ball. It was like Lebron James being told by a Fox News host last year to “shut up and dribble” when he offered his views on racial issues and politics. But the World Cup will likely have the opposite effect. There will be no shutting up. It will spur athletes on to more social and political activism. And hurray for that.”
Québec’s move to challenge federal carbon tax is about more than provincial rights
Konrad Yakabuski: “On paper at least, Quebec’s cap-and-trade scheme appears to comply with the federal law on carbon pricing. But much could depend on whether the price of credits on the Western Climate Initiative rises in the next few years and whether Quebec meets its targets for reducing greenhouse gases.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
(Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail)Brian Gabl/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
What if the long-expected boomer retirement boom never happens?
“It has almost become an urban legend: the tale of what will happen when the baby boomers retire,” Linda Nazareth writes. But a new report from the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development shows longer life spans and higher education levels are delaying many from retiring. That could leave younger workers on the sidelines as they seek career opportunities.
MOMENT IN TIME
Thai soccer team rescued
(Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page via AP)Royal Thai Navy Facebook Page via AP
July 10, 2018: What was intended to be a one-hour trip inside a Thailand cave turned into a 17-day search and rescue mission that gripped the world. Twelve soccer players, between the ages of 11 and 16, and their coach went exploring inside the Tham Luang cave complex, a network of tunnels and passageways, on June 23 after a practice. Soon, rainwater flooded the tunnels, trapping them inside. The players’ bicycles were found outside the mouth of the cave and the search began. For nine long days, there was no contact with the team. Then on July 2, two British divers found all 13 of them alive, squatting together deep inside the cave. The players had drank drops of water from stalactites and the cave walls to survive. The next three days brought together Thai navy SEALs and an international team from as far away the United States and Australia for the rescue. One rescuer died after falling unconscious inside the cave while trying to lay out oxygen tanks. The boys were brought out by divers, then were carried to safety on stretchers. The last four boys and their coach were rescued on July 10 to cheers and celebration. – Maria Iqbal
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