Oct. 27, 2017: People react as they watch the parliament session on a huge screen during a rally outside the Catalan parliament.SANTI PALACIOS/The Associated Press
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Spanish Senate approves direct rule as Catalonia declares independence
Lawmakers in the Catalan regional parliament voted to unilaterally declare independence on Friday, prompting the government to immediately adopt special constitutional powers to stop the region's attempt to secede. Spain's Senate voted to approve direct control of Catalonia, activating the never-before-used constitutional clause to fire the region's leaders, take over its police force and assume control of its public broadcasters. We take a deeper look at the crisis so far.
In a recent column, Konrad Yakabuski looks at why Spanish democracy will just get messier.
Rachel McAdams goes public with sexual harassment allegations against James Toback
Canadian actress Rachel McAdams tells Vanity Fair magazine that when she was 21 she auditioned for director James Toback for a movie role. Ms. McAdams alleges that Mr. Toback insisted she meet him at his hotel room after the audition to rehearse more and "pretty quickly the conversation turned quite sexual." When Ms. McAdams told her agent the next day, her agent said, "I can't believe he did it again." Toback has reportedly been accused by some 200 women of sexual assault.
Harvey Weinstein's ouster has brought forward more stories of misogyny and abuse. Some men have faced serious consequences; others haven't. From entertainment to politics and media, we take a look at who else is accused of sexual harassment.
Senior Montreal police officer suspended after investigators raid headquarters
Montreal's police chief announced the suspension of his right-hand man Friday after a team led by the Sûreté du Québec conducted raids on the force's downtown headquarters and a neighbourhood post along with the department's archives and payroll office. The chief said investigators were looking for evidence of fraud and breach of trust related to the payment of overtime and bonuses.
Facebook to test new ad transparency features in Canada
Beginning next month, Facebook will use Canada to test new features that will show how advertisers are targeting their messages and will introduce more controls on political advertising. Previously people only saw ads when they were part of the target audience. Now, any ad purchased on Facebook will have to be associated with a Facebook page and anyone will be able to see what ads an organization has purchased and how they were targeted.
OSFI's new mortgage stress test may arrive sooner than you think
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) tells us that "approved loan applications occurring between Oct. 17, 2017 and Jan. 1, 2018 might be subject to the new rules, depending on the institution. This is because … where possible, institutions are encouraged to comply with the new rules as soon as they can."
This means two things if you have above-average debt ratios and apply too late: your choice of lenders will shrink, and it's less likely you'll get the best rate and terms.
MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index closed at a record high, boosted by surging energy stocks and oil prices, and investors anticipating the Bank of Canada will slow the pace of rate hikes. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 0.39 per cent to 15,953.51. On Wall Street, gains in the tech sector and an Amazon rally lifted the Nasdaq to its best day in nearly a year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.14 per cent to 23,434.19, the S&P 500 gained 0.81 per cent to 2,581.07 and the Nasdaq Composite added 2.2 per cent to 6,701.26.
WHAT'S TRENDING
Shawn Clearly, a Halifax city councillor, says he will no longer use the term "marijuana" because it is racist. He says an officer who works on the cannabis legislation beat brought it to his attention that in the early 1900s, during the criminalization of cannabis in the United States, "marijuana" was used to demonize marginalized communities, namely Mexicans. The move has sparked a debate in Halifax and on social media over the common synonym.
TALKING POINTS
Universities can't have it both ways on free speech
"I am sorry to say that no university in Canada has yet followed the lead of the University of Chicago, which explicitly advises incoming students that it does not believe in trigger warnings, safe spaces, dis-inviting speakers, or presumably, in policing students' Facebook posts. The administrative time and energy that could be saved by adopting such a policy would be truly awesome. And imagine what would happen if universities stopped treating students like kindergarteners: They might grow up." – Margaret Wente
A guide to what is and is not a sport
"Tennis? Yes. Running, jumping, hand-eye co-ordination; have to look good in shorts. Definitely a sport. Table tennis? Sure. Same idea on a smaller scale. Golf? Okay. I guess. A sport. Though less so. Car racing? Weeeellll … Bowling? Crossing the argumentation threshold at which there is real potential for a fistfight. Darts? We now have to ask ourselves if we've gone too far." – Cathal Kelly
Marital rape myths have no place in Canadian law
"Marital rape myths include the beliefs that women live in a state of continuous consent to sexual activity within spousal relationships, that women cannot credibly claim rape if they have had consensual sex with their partner following the assault, and that women may fabricate stories of spousal sexual assault to gain an upper hand in custody and access disputes. These myths have been denounced as the product of a time when women were the property of men, and have no place in a society where we constitutionally protect women's rights to equality, security of the person and sexual autonomy." – Jennifer Koshan, Melanie Randall and Elizabeth Sheehy
LIVING BETTER
As if job stress and concerns about children and aging parents weren't bad enough, women over the age of 40 face a physiological sleep thief: hormonal changes in perimenopause and menopause. Just one night of four or five hours' sleep can deplete the body's natural killer cells – the ones that target cancer. But stressing about it doesn't help. Adriana Barton examines the issue and how best to cope with the most common causes of sleep loss for women.
LONG READS FOR THE WEEKEND
Inside Western Canada's wealthiest dynasty – and the question of who will run it next
Over the past 160 years, the Richardson family has quietly built a $9-billion prairie powerhouse. Little-known outside of Canada's agricultural heartland, the company that started trading grain is now Canada's largest independent, privately owned enterprise. CEO Hartley Richardson is hoping to retire soon, but it's not evident who, if anyone, from the sixth generation could replace him because not one of them works for the family firm. The Richardsons allowed Sean Silcoff unprecedented access to interview 12 members of the notoriously discreet clan as they try to figure out who will run the company. (for subscribers)
Plenty of Fish founder Markus Frind on love, steel mills and selling out for $800-million
Markus Frind started the dating site Plenty of Fish at a tumultuous time in his life in 2003. He was just trying to spruce up his resume, so to help learn a new programming language he wrote the site in two weeks from his home PC. By the following year he was making $200,000 a month. Mr. Frind eventually sold POF and walked away with $800-million. Today, he says he can afford to spend 2 to 3 per cent on super-risky stuff each year, but also invests in a lot of real estate and dabbles in the steel industry. His best advice for young entrepreneurs: spend time with your spouse. (for subscribers)
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.