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These are the top stories:
Justin Trudeau is defending his new tougher line on asylum seekers
Refugee advocates are outraged over new measures in this week’s budget bill that would potentially prevent asylum seekers entering Canada at unauthorized crossings from having access to full refugee hearings. Instead, they’d be referred to an immigration officer for faster processing. The move comes as the Liberal government works with Washington to close a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement to be able to immediately send them back to the U.S.
Trudeau’s view: “We need to recognize that there are larger numbers now than before because of global instability in terms of refugees,” Trudeau said. But statistics show crossings at unauthorized spots were down: there were 1,696 in January and February of this year compared with 3,082 during the same period in 2018. (a government spokesperson said Trudeau was referring to global migration trends)
Behind the change in policy: In 2015, the Liberals campaigned on openness, eventually resettling 25,000 refugees from Syria. But pollsters say Canadians have recently become less supportive of the country’s approach to immigration. Accepting refugees “has gone from a political winner to a political liability,” said Angus Reid’s Shachi Kurl.
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The biggest urban project in Canada by an Indigenous group is promising to bring major change
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart is throwing his support behind the Squamish Nation’s housing plan, calling it a “very exciting initiative” and an opportunity to demonstrate commitment to reconciliation. The 3,000-unit apartment project will be a partnership with Ian Gillespie of Westbank, a major local developer. (for subscribers)
Despite the mayor’s backing, the city has little say over how construction proceeds since it is on Squamish land. That lack of ability to weigh in on the project also applies to residents in Kitsilano who have long protested against even mild forms of density.
Opioid-related deaths continue to climb as a ‘different kind of overdose’ hits B.C.
3,286 people died of opioid-related overdoses across the country in the first nine months of 2018, with Alberta and B.C. hit the hardest. And in Ontario, fentanyl was linked to 71 per cent of opioid-related overdose deaths, up from 45 per cent in 2016.
In B.C., which accounted for more than a third of deaths across the country, health workers are seeing a drug chemically similar to anxiety and sleep medication being cut into heroin and fentanyl. The result is that victims don’t regain consciousness immediately after being treated with naloxone, the overdose-reversing shot. Instead, they remain slumped in chairs with workers unable to tell if they’ve come around.
This is what the Toronto-area transit system will look like under a new provincial plan
The Globe and Mail
A downtown relief line connecting Ontario Place in the west to the Ontario Science Centre in the northeast. A Yonge subway extension to Richmond Hill. The Eglinton West line reaching Pearson Airport. Those are just a few of the promises unveiled as part of a $28.5-billion transit plan.
The announcement came as Doug Ford’s government attempts to take over ownership of Toronto’s subway network. And while Mayor John Tory was kept out of the loop, he expressed cautious optimism in the investment. Others, though, are warning that the change of plans could lead to longer delays; the province says the relief line would be done as soon as 2027.
The announcement came ahead of today’s provincial budget, which is expected to address a large deficit. There will likely also be a new child-care tax credit and free dental care for low-income seniors.
The two Canadians detained in China for four months are barred from going outside
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been in custody since Dec. 10 on accusations of espionage, though neither have been formally charged in what’s widely seen as retaliation for the Vancouver arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou.
While Meng has been free on bail for months as she awaits extradition proceedings, Chinese authorities can hold people for up to six months to conduct interrogations outside the legal system.
Kovrig and Spavor have been subjected to interrogations of six to eight hours a day, as well as 24-hour artificial lighting and constant surveillance, according to a Canadian official. The pair have been prevented from seeing family or lawyers, only leaving the facilities one a month for 30-minute consular meetings.
Experts say the conditions they face constitute a form of torture, with no access to daylight a form of stimulatory deprivation that can create disorientation and impede the ability to get proper sleep.
London police arrest Wikileaks founder Julian Assange after Ecuador withdraws asylum
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested by London police at the Ecuadoran embassy after that country dropped his diplomatic protection.
Assange, The Globe’s Paul Waldie reports, has been holed up in the Ecuador embassy in London for nearly seven years after failing to show up in a British court to face a hearing on possible extradition to Sweden. He has always argued that British authorities would hand him over to officials in the United States where he feared he will be prosecuted for Wikileaks’ activity during the 2016 U.S. elections.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir steps down, government sources say
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was forced to step down by the military on Thursday after three decades of autocratic power, and moves were under way to form a transitional council to run the country, Sudanese sources said.
Government sources and the minister of production and economic resources in North Darfur, Adel Mahjoub Hussein, told Dubai-based al-Hadath TV that Bashir had stepped down and consultations were taking place to form a ruling military council.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Britain now has until Oct. 31 to leave the European Union, after bloc leaders agreed to Prime Minister Theresa May’s request for breathing room. (Britain had been scheduled to leave the EU on Friday with no deal.) If May is able to win approval for a withdrawal agreement in the next few weeks, her country could leave earlier and won’t have to participate in next month’s European Parliament elections.
We finally know what a black hole looks like, with a photo released for the first time yesterday. “For me, seeing the thing makes it real in a way that knowing can’t,” said Avery Broderick, a member of the team that produced the image of the black hole more than 50 million light years away in the direction of the constellation Virgo.
(Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration)Supplied/Reuters
PLAYOFF ROUNDUP
The NHL playoffs are under way, but Bell TV customers in Quebec were out of luck yesterday when they tried to watch French-language broadcasts. That’s because Quebecor pulled the signal for its TVA Sports channel from Bell as the two sides spar over the terms of a contract. Quebecor could now face penalties for defying the warnings of Canada’s broadcast regulator to not follow through on pulling the signal. (for subscribers)
The Winnipeg Jets were the first Canadian team to see playoff action, and they lost 2-1 at home to the St. Louis Blues. Both teams ended the regular season with 99 points, though Winnipeg started strong and St. Louis finished strong. And the Blues carried forward that momentum, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to net two goals in the third period. (for subscribers)
The Winnipeg Jets' Bryan Little gets tripped up by St. Louis Blues' Jaden Schwartz during third period NHL playoff action on Wednesday. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)JOHN WOODS/The Canadian Press
As the Flames kick off their series against the Colorado Avalanche tonight (10 p.m. ET), we take a look at Calgary’s young firebrand Matthew Tkachuk. Few hockey players are as gifted as Tkachuk at driving opponents into a fit of despair, Marty Klinkenberg writes. But the bratty behaviour distracts from just how skilled he really is. (for subscribers)
The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are in Boston tonight to play the Bruins (7 p.m. ET). Over there, Bruins agitator and penalty-minutes machine Brad Marchand insists he’s a changed man. Forget comparisons to a drunk taking the pledge, David Shoalts writes, this is the greatest transformation since the Undertaker went from heel to baby face in pro rasslin’. (for subscribers)
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks mixed
Global stock markets nudged away from six-month highs on Thursday as investors weighed warning signs over growth from major central banks and as concern over protectionism rumbled, with the U.S. dollar and euro holding steady. Tokyo’s Nikkei was up 0.1 per cent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite were down 0.9 and 1.6 per cent respectively. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100 was flat while Germany’s DAX was up 0.2 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 was up 0.5 per cent at about 6:45 ET. New York futures were marginally higher. The Canadian dollar was at 74.86 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Don’t celebrate Faith Goldy’s Facebook ban. Be concerned about what’s next
Brandon Ambrosino: “White nationalism and any other ideology that seeks to protect a “white race” from non-whites is evil, and deserves fierce condemnation (as well as lessons in history and biology). Racism, under any name, is shameful and is a stain upon the human race. That’s not up for question. What is, however, debatable is whether “no-presencing” such people online will have any effect on what they do offline. Banning voices from the conversation is one surefire way of not getting them to go away.” Brandon Ambrosino is a freelance writer in Delaware.
Arab Spring 2.0: New protests, same failures that plague the Middle East
Bessma Momani: While Algerian and Sudanese youth may finally give Arab governments the wake-up call they need and remind them that liberal political reforms and inclusive economic policies are the keys to their long-term national health and survival, the international community also needs to wake up – and see how their inaction can cause more harm than good. Bessma Momani, professor and author of Arab Dawn: Arab Youth and the Demographic Dividend They Will Bring.
Did Trudeau have the power to dump Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould?
Globe editorial: “On one level, the question of whether the two former ministers are still members of the government is entirely academic. ... But this is about something bigger: Who has the power to expel an MP from her party? That is not a theoretical question. Who gets to remove an MP from a caucus, and how, goes to the heart of the relationship between MPs and a party leader, and between Parliament and the PM. It’s fundamental to how our democracy works, and where power lies.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
By Brian GableBrian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
Coming soon: sending tourists into space
In February, Virgin Galactic took the first step toward space tourism when its chief astronaut instructor became the first non-pilot passenger to reach space, spending 4½ minutes weightless nearly 90 kilometres above Earth. And later this year, Virgin is poised to send a paying customer into orbit.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin could be taking reservations for trips in 2020. There’s also Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which will likely sell extra seats on its Dragon capsule that’s set to begin taking astronauts to space in the next year.
Prices, though, will be an obstacle: Virgin has charged as much as US$250,000 per person for the opportunity. (for subscribers)
MOMENT IN TIME
Joseph Merrick, the ‘Elephant man,’ dies
(Royal London Hospital Archives)Royal London Hospital Archives
April 11, 1890: Joseph Merrick had to sleep sitting up, with his legs drawn and his head resting on his knees. A native of England, he toured in freak shows across Europe, being described as “Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant." (In later years, it was thought he suffered from Proteus syndrome, but the exact cause of his condition remains unknown). Merrick’s mother, who he had a close relationship with, died when he was 11 and his father and uncles cast him out when he was a teenager. A chance encounter with Dr. Frederick Treves allowed Merrick to spend his final years living in the London Hospital, where he didn’t have to wear a sack over his face to hide his deformities. He spent his days reading, talking with Treves and building elaborate models. Still, it was a life deprived of “normal” things that most people take for granted, and which Merrick wanted to experience for himself. He was found dead in his room at 27. The official cause was asphyxia. After performing the autopsy, Treves concluded that Merrick must have chosen to lie down on his bed to feel what it was like to sleep like other people. – Dave McGinn
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