Canada's Finance Minister Bill Morneau takes part in a meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2017.CHRIS WATTIE/The Globe and Mail
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Federal government to give provinces 75 per cent of marijuana tax revenues
Ottawa will hand over most of its marijuana tax revenue to the provinces under a deal reached Monday between Canada's finance ministers. The deal will see the provinces receive 75 per cent of the excise tax levied on cannabis, with Ottawa retaining 25 per cent to a maximum of $100-million a year. Finance Minister Bill Morneau previously suggested it should be evenly split. Ottawa's initial estimates suggest the total pot of tax revenue from marijuana sales could reach $1-billion per year. (for subscribers)
Globe in New York: Suspect in New York pipe bomb explosion was inspired by Islamic State: officials
A man inspired by the Islamic State group set off a crude pipe bomb strapped to his body Monday in a crowded subway corridor near Times Square. The blast injured the suspect, slightly wounded three others and sent New York commuters fleeing in terror through the smoky passageway. Police say it isn't clear if the bomb, which went off at 7:20 a.m. Monday, was set off intentionally or prematurely. The suspect, a 27-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh living in Brooklyn, was apprehended and taken to hospital. As Joanna Slater reports from New York, one senior intelligence official with the police says there's not a lot that can be done to stop a guy with a coat and a pipe bomb.
B.C. to proceed with Site C hydroelectric dam
Despite earlier denouncing the Site C dam as a "boondoggle", British Columbia Premier John Horgan confirmed Monday the project will continue under his minority NDP government. It is B.C.'s most expensive public infrastructure project with a revised budget of $10.7-billion, up from $8.8-billion, and already $2-billion into construction. Mr. Horgan said in a statement the dam had passed the point of no return and said the top deciding factors were the impact that cancelling the dam would have had on the province's finances and electricity rates.
Gary Mason writes about why the decision on Site C is mainly a matter of politics: "While the party's activist environmental wing will be upset, and possibly disillusioned enough to begin drifting toward the Green party, Premier John Horgan's decision to push ahead with the much-maligned project will be a lot less costly to his government in the long run."
Celebrity chef Mario Batali steps down after sexual-misconduct allegations
The chef has surrendered oversight of daily operations at his restaurant empire following reports of sexual misconduct over at least 20 years. Media reports suggest the incidents involve at least four women, three of whom worked for Mr. Batali. In a statement, the chef took responsibility, apologized for "any pain, humiliation or discomfort" he caused and said the complaints "match up" with his past behavior.
Harvey Weinstein's ouster has brought forward more stories of misogyny and abuse in cinema and other industries, and renewed focus on old accusations against alleged predators. We take a look at who else is accused of sexual misconduct so far.
Last week, The Globe and Mail hosted a symposium on stopping sexual harassment and came up with a list of recommendations and practical solutions on how to make the Canadian entertainment industry better in a post-Weinstein era.
Morneau advisers urge sweeping changes to cope with looming tech disruption
To prevent Canada's economic growth from falling behind that of other nations, Finance Minister Bill Morneau's expert panel of economic advisers is recommending a modernization of Canada's tax and regulatory system to make them more innovation friendly. In a set of reports scheduled for release this week, the group is warning Canada is ill-prepared for the effects of widespread technological disruption reshaping the global economy. In addition, it is calling for a $15-billion spending surge to retrain workers. The reports come as Mr. Morneau crafts his third budget and likely provide a sense of policy themes he's considering. (for subscribers)
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MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index ended the session slightly higher on Monday as a jump in oil prices pushed energy stocks up and some miners also had gains. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 7.44 points, or 0.05 per cent, at 16,103.51. On Wall Street, the major indexes rose on rising technology and energy stocks, and expectations of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve later this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.23 per cent to 24,386.1, the S&P 500 gained 0.32 per cent to 2,659.99 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.51 per cent to 6,875.08.
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WHAT'S TRENDING
The majority of people treated in an Ontario emergency room after a suicide attempt are not seen by a psychiatrist within six months, according to a new study. The large-scale study published Monday in the CMAJ highlights the chronic problem in the country's mental-health care system: The people most in need don't get access to the specialists best trained to heal them – even in times of crisis. As Erin Anderssen reports, it is like showing up in an emergency room with a heart attack and not seeing a cardiologist after you leave.
TALKING POINTS
Is fake news okay if the cause is good?
"Like a lot of climate-change research, it's complicated. The issues are complex, and the data are imperfect and conflicting. Polar-bear researchers themselves disagree about what's going on. The polar bears have survived for 100,000 years or so in the harshest climate in the world, so I wouldn't count them out quite yet. But the doomster narrative is wildly popular – even among people who should know better." – Margaret Wente
Trudeau's shiny stars have a lot of scuff marks now
"There are now a lot of scuff marks. Mr. Sajjan isn't hobbled running defence, but he's less valuable in selling the not-quite-as-advertized Liberal defence policy. Ms. Joly is no longer a glamorous representative in Quebec. Mr. Morneau will not be effective setting finance policy if his own Liberals doubt he can do the politics. And Mr. Trudeau is going to have to recruit again in 2018." – Campbell Clark
No, the so-called war on sex does not exist
"It bears asking why we are so quick to defend a culture that is so willing to place ratings over morals. That places men's right to unbridled "courtship" above women's right to not be propositioned – or worse – at every turn. We fear regressing into an anti-freedom, anti-sex society while ignoring that we currently exist in a society that is apathetic to its own toxicity and abuse. For many women the sex they want is ruined by the sex they never asked for. For many men they believe their only known path to sex is through power, or vice versa. And dare we ask how we've arrived at a place where we so easily conflate flirting and abuse, consent and rape, in the first place?" – Imogen Grace
LIVING BETTER
Scientists have been working on a group A strep vaccine for at least 100 years, to no avail. Group A streptococcus causes more than 600 million cases of strep throat worldwide and is responsible for the continuing outbreak in London, Ont., that has claimed nine lives. While infections are generally treated with antibiotics, the ability to prevent outbreaks remains elusive. However, as Wency Leung reports, new findings are edging scientists closer to beating the bug.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Unfounded: 37,272 sexual-assault cases being reviewed, 402 unfounded cases reopened so far
In February, after a 20-month investigation, The Globe found that one in five sexual-assault allegations reported in Canada is dismissed as unfounded. Now, law-enforcement agencies are reviewing more than 37,000 case files as part of a nationwide effort to improve how police handle sexual-assault investigations – an unprecedented overhaul of oversight, training and investigative practices designed to address substantial flaws in the way sexual violence is policed in Canada. But, as Robyn Doolittle reports, for some police services, it's still status quo, and depending on where you are in the country, the change looks different.
In order to get a better picture of sexual-assault case reform, The Globe developed an 18-question survey for 177 police services across Canada. Read more about the methodology here.
The stories that go untold when a small town loses its newspaper
By small-town standards, it was a busy week in Orillia, a town of about 30,000, a couple hours north of Toronto. Important decisions were made, problems debated, city leaders pressed ahead with plans to remodel the downtown, cheering volunteers handed out groceries at a food bank, a hockey game was postponed, officials prepared for the Ontario Winter Games and grieving mothers told their stories at a vigil to raise awareness about the city's drug-overdose crisis. And a local pub held a wake for a newspaper that for 147 years used to chronicle all these events. The Packet and Times was just one of many small Ontario papers axed in the Postmedia deal with Torstar. Marcus Gee spends a week in Orillia telling the stories that won't be told anymore.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and Omair Quadri. If you'd like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.