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Canada’s four largest provinces — Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia — are seeing a surge of COVID-19 cases in areas that had suppressed the virus. In particular, Alberta reported 141 new infections on Tuesday on top of the 368 confirmed since Friday, making the province’s rise in per-capita cases the steepest in the country.
Public-health officials are tracing many of the new cases to the reopening of parts of the economy and to private gatherings and house parties where people are failing to stay two metres apart. Many of these cases have also been linked to young individuals. In response, while some noted “a fatigue factor” in maintaining physical distancing measures, other government officials like Ontario Premier Doug Ford was much more blunt in his message.
“Guys, you gotta rein it in. Simple as that,” Mr. Ford said. “You may get through it, but maybe your grandparents won’t get through it.”
A handful of diners are seen on restaurant patios Tuesday, July 21, 2020 in Montreal.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
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Edmonton CFL team to change name
Edmonton’s CFL team announced that its board of directors has decided to discontinue its long-time name, which featured a racial slur against Inuit communities. The decision follows allegations of racism from Indigenous politicians and threats by sponsors to pull their support.
The club will be using the names EE Football Team and Edmonton Football Team, while undergoing a “comprehensive engagement process” on a new name that will include season-ticket holders, casual ticket purchasers and partners.
Canada should work with allies to impose sanctions on Chinese officials linked to Uyghur abuses, says Bill Browder
Bill Browder, the U.S.-born financier who has led the international effort to establish Magnitsky-style laws around the world, said Ottawa should work with Britain to impose sanctions on Chinese officials who are responsible for atrocities against Muslim Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province. Browder testified in front of the House of Commons subcommittee on human rights Tuesday.
The U.S. announced sanctions earlier this month against a top member of China’s Communist Party and three other senior officials in response to rights violations against the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. The U.S. has also recently placed sanctions on 11 Chinese companies it says are implicated in these abuses.
The subcommittee has spent the past two days studying the plight of the Uyghurs, hearing emotional stories from members of the minority group who had been detained in internment camps.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Alberta outlines full-time back-to-school plan: Alberta has announced that students will return to school full-time this fall, amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Under the plan, schools will be encouraged to physically distance students by staggering start times for classes and recesses. There will be enhanced cleaning of surfaces and more frequent hand washing. Students and staff could also choose to wear a mask.
Calgary mandates mask-wearing in indoor public spaces: Calgary council has voted in favour of making masks mandatory in indoor public places and on transit. However, Premier Jason Kenney is resisting calls to make masks mandatory province-wide, amid a surge of COVID-19 cases in Alberta.
Corporate, cultural leaders take sides in Bondil affair: On July 13, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts terminated the contract of director Nathalie Bondil over allegations of a toxic workplace. Since then, Canada’s corporate and cultural leaders are taking sides, while Canada Council said it is placing the museum on “concerned status.”
Nathalie Bondil, director and chief curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.Valerian Mazataud/The Globe and Mail
RCMP arrest suspect in B.C. home care hoax: Lynn Valley Care Centre, which saw the first COVID-19 death in Canada, alleged that a prank call from someone pretending to be with the local health authority hindered its initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The B.C. nursing home said this led to 19 other resident deaths. The RCMP said they arrested the suspect in the hoax “in recent weeks,” but have not recommended charges to the provincial Crown.
WE Charity pitch to Morneau’s office prior to Trudeau announcement: WE Charity sent the Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s office a proposal for a program that included engaging youth in service the day before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government’s new student service grant. This was two months before Trudeau awarded the now-cancelled contract to WE Charity. Morneau is set to appear before the House of Commons finance committee to testify about the contract today.
Read more
- Andrew Coyne: Ottawa’s WE deal has many parts – and each one contributes to the makings of a scandal
- Editorial: Protecting itself from the WE scandal is distracting the Trudeau government from the pandemic fight
MORNING MARKETS
U.S.-China tensions weigh on global stocks: News from China that the United States had told it to close its consulate in Houston caused a bout of risk aversion in European trading, but stock markets had already been consolidating after recent surges. Just before 6 a.m. ET, the FTSE 100 was down 0.95 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 fell 0.50 per cent and 1.31 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended down 2.25 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.58 per cent. New York futures were lower. The Canadian dollar was trading at 74.29 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
The pandemic triggers a rare moment of EU unity – and integration – that may not last
Eric Reguly: “The unity may not last if reckless spending starts, but at least it shows that the EU is largely intact and capable of decisive action for the benefit of all when it is cornered by the enemy – an invisible virus in this case.”
In the midst of a pandemic, B.C.‘s NDP government rides a huge wave of popularity
Gary Mason: “As we know, things can change quickly in politics, including the affection of voters. Nonetheless, with [John] Horgan’s administration marking its third year in power this past weekend, it’s worth noting that many didn’t give his minority government a hope of surviving beyond 12 months.”
Trump’s restraint at a press briefing is a good first step if he has any hope of gaining on Biden’s lead
John Ibbitson: “To close the gap with Mr. Biden, one of two things has to happen: Mr. Trump must either convince voters that he is, finally, on top of the COVID-19 situation and that things are getting better. Or something must occur that takes voters minds off of the pandemic. Tuesday was a good first step at tackling the first scenario. The second scenario doesn’t bear contemplation.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Cameron Diaz is selling wellness wine. But, is there such a thing as “clean” wine?
Actor Cameron Diaz and entrepreneur Katherine Power recently launched Avaline, a new vegan-friendly, organic wine brand that brought the notion of “clean” wine to the masses. But there has yet to be universal definition of “clean” wine. And as Globe wine writer Christopher Waters pointed out, there’s a well-documented risk to our health with even moderate consumption of wine or alcohol in general. That’s ultimately the biggest myth surrounding “clean” wine.
MOMENT IN TIME: July 22, 1944
Forty-four United Nations and associated nations meeting in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to discuss monetary stabilization as an aid to post-war trade. The United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference was held in July 1944.UN Photo/UN Photo
A deal is struck to peg world currencies to the U.S. dollar
As Allied troops pushed into Europe in the summer of 1944, the Allies’ leading economic thinkers gathered in the resort village of Bretton Woods, N.H., to finalize what became the most influential economic agreement in modern history. There, for three weeks in July, representatives of 44 countries hammered out a system for postwar co-operation on currencies, trade and global finance, aimed at eradicating the economic aggression that had contributed to the Great Depression and two world wars. The talks boiled down to a negotiation between the two dominant economic powers of the day – the United States and Britain – and their delegations’ respective leaders, Harry Dexter White and John Maynard Keynes. Keynes was the most famous economist of his time, while White was a relatively obscure Washington bureaucrat. The war had all but bankrupted Britain, leaving the U.S. in a powerful bargaining position. On July 22, the delegates emerged with a pact featuring a system of fixed exchange rates pegged to the U.S. dollar – effectively placing the U.S. at the centre of global finance. The deal also laid the foundations for the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and, eventually, the World Trade Organization – launching the era of globalization. David Parkinson
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