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None of the proposed deals for the sale of Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile are sufficient to maintain competition in the wireless industry, Canada’s competition watchdog says.
Toronto-based telecom giant Rogers Communications Inc. is looking to sell Shaw’s Freedom Mobile, Canada’s fourth-largest wireless carrier, to gain regulatory approval of a proposed $26-billion takeover of Calgary-based Shaw.
However, Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell is taking issue with the potential buyers that Rogers has put in front of regulators, saying in documents filed with the Competition Tribunal that they are unlikely to provide Freedom Mobile with the same level of financial, managerial or technical support as Shaw.
A Freedom Mobile telephone outlet is seen in Ottawa, Ont. on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.Spencer Colby/The Globe and Mail
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Opposition parties assail Liberals for abandoning Afghans
Opposition parties are sharply criticizing Ottawa for failing to bring Afghans swiftly to Canada as some describe being tortured at the hands of the Taliban while awaiting the necessary documents to settle in this country.
The Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday that people who have aided Canada’s military and diplomatic mission in Afghanistan have been detained and beaten by the Taliban. A former interpreter said he was beaten with a pipe and sticks after Taliban members arrested him when he was retrieving passports. A onetime embassy guard shared photos of abuse the Taliban inflicted on his colleagues.
Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong said the personal accounts are “horrific and avoidable,” saying the government needs to prioritize those with enduring and significant ties to Canada, cut the red tape and urgently work to bring people here.
RCMP was offered access to alerts years before mass shooting
The RCMP could have had direct access to Canada’s alerting system years before the Nova Scotia mass shooting, but the police force never followed through on the province’s repeated invitations to embrace the system, according to a top emergency official.
Paul Mason, executive director of Nova Scotia’s emergency management office (EMO), testified on Tuesday about failed initiatives to bring the Mounties and other police up to speed on public alerting technology. He said emergency officials had been suggesting for years that law-enforcement agencies take on the job of sending public direct-to-cellphone alerts about active shooters, terrorists and similar threats.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
CSIS was concerned about potential violence in relation to convoy protests: The director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service told a parliamentary committee that the organization was concerned by the threat of ideologically motivated, violent extremism and the potential for serious harmful acts in relation to the trucker convoy. MPs and senators on the committee are hearing from witnesses as part of their work to examine the invocation of the federal Emergencies Act by the Liberal government.
Cases of severe hepatitis reported in Canada: Canadian health officials are advising parents to be aware, but not alarmed as they investigate several cases of severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children. The World Health Organization has confirmed about 350 cases globally, with reports of deaths in the United States and Indonesia.
Ties to ‘harmful’ spyware company bring criticism of government adviser: University of Ottawa law professor Vivek Krishnamurthy is one of 12 experts the Liberal government appointed this year to work on overhauling Ottawa’s plan to regulate online harms. But his past contract work at a law firm working on behalf of NSO Group, the creator of Pegasus phone-spying software that undemocratic regimes have used to target journalists and political opponents, has led to criticism of his involvement.
Municipalities grapple with renaming Colonization Roads: Many municipalities across Canada that have “Colonization Roads” have been grappling with whether – and how – to rename them, as an important step toward reconciliation and raising awareness of Indigenous history.
Canadian farmers feeling the pressure of soaring fertilizer prices: In the months since the invasion of Ukraine – a conflict that has ensnared several of the world’s top fertilizer producers – Canadian farmers have seen the cost of many of their most critical supplies skyrocket. This comes as farmers across North America prepare for their spring planting season and on top of the sharp price increases they were already facing before the war.
MORNING MARKETS
Markets await U.S. inflation figures: European shares extended their bounce on Wednesday and bond yields held below recent peaks ahead of inflation data in the United States that will offer a guide to how aggressively the Federal Reserve will raise rates. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.08 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 were up 0.96 per cent and 1.77 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished 0.18-per-cent higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.97 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was trading at 77.13 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
John Ibbitson: “But this week, this month, inflation rages while there’s an election campaign under way in Ontario. You’d think politicians might notice. They sure didn’t during Tuesday’s debate.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Want to take advantage of rising interest rates? Open a new savings account
Personal finance columnist Rob Carrick advises opening a savings account in order to capitalize on the happy side of rising interest rates. The latest generation of alternative banks and credit unions have an online account application process that near instantly gets you a functioning online account and app. Find the highest rates for yourself by trying these resources.
MOMENT IN TIME: MAY 11, 1904
Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali in London with one of his paintings entitled 'The Madonna of Port Lligat', December 1951.George Konig/Keystone/Getty Images
Surrealist painter Salvador Dali is born
Born on this day in 1904, Spanish painter Salvador Dali would become influential in the surrealist movement. Best known for his 1931 painting Persistence of Memory, which features melting clocks, Dali was influenced by Sigmund Freud and increasingly explored the world of surrealism. He studied art in Madrid and later Barcelona, which was the site of his first solo exhibition in November, 1925. In the late 1920s he also spent time in Paris, where he met Pablo Picasso, whose work he admired. Famous for his paintings, Dali actually worked in a variety of mediums, including film, poetry and sculpture. His iconic mustache and eccentric personality – he would often travel with his pet ocelot, Babou – helped catapult him into popular culture. Dali lived to 85; after a few years of heart trouble, he died in 1989. He is buried underneath the museum that carries his name in his hometown of Figueres, Spain. The Dali Theatre and Museum is only 450 metres from the house where he was born. Emily McPhail
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