Ice is seen in the high waters of the Grand River in Brantford where residents were being evacuated due to flooding after an ice jam upstream of Parkhill Dam sent a surge of water downstream on Feb. 21, 2018.Aaron Vincent Elkaim
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Ontario's Tories allow Patrick Brown to run for party's leadership
Patrick Brown has been given the "greenlight" by a party committee to run for the leadership. The decision comes after a number of chaotic weeks for Ontario's Official Opposition, which saw Mr. Brown removed from caucus and forced to resign as leader amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
Adam Radwanski writes that Mr. Brown shows it's all about him, no matter the collateral damage to Ontario PCs: "What is clear is that he is willing to risk taking a whole lot down with him – including the ability of his party to mount a successful general-election campaign, and the opportunity for Ontarians to have a viable alternative to their unpopular current government – as he tries to fight his recent fate."
'We've had enough of thoughts and prayers': Florida survivors demand gun-control action
Survivors descended on the Florida's state Capitol on Wednesday with one overarching message: It's time for action. The students entered a gun-friendly political climate in Tallahassee, where lawmakers have rebuffed gun restrictions since Republicans took control of both the governor's office and the legislature in 1999. Politicians didn't offer specific answers and on Tuesday lawmakers refused to debate an assault weapons ban – the students' biggest wish. The students offered scathing words for lawmakers while thousands of other rallied outside. President Donald Trump is sitting down with about 20 parents and students from the school during a session Wednesday.
In the absence of meaningful action by lawmakers, schools are attempting to chart their own path forward. That boils down to asking a series of questions that should not have to be asked: What is the best way to prepare children without scaring them? Is it ever appropriate to arm school staff? Joanna Slater looks at how schools across the United States are struggling to respond to mass shootings.
OLYMPICS 2018
Four years after finishing fourth in Sochi, skier Brady Leman topped the podium giving Canada a gold medal in men's ski cross for the first time.
Two-time defending Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries took bronze in the women's bobsled with brakeman Phylicia George. They were 0.44 seconds slower than the first-place Germans after the four runs. Canadian teams also finished sixth and seventh.
The Canadian men's hockey team beat Finland 1-0 in the quarterfinal match to advance to the semifinals against Germany. The women's team will play the United States for gold tonight.
Cathal Kelly writes that with grit and pluck, Team Canada pushes through to Olympic hockey semis.
Canada's women curlers didn't advance to the playoffs and won't be in contention for a medal after losing to Britain 6-5. They defeated the athletes from Russia 9-8, but a 4-5 record wasn't enough to advance. Since curling made its return to the Winter Olympics in 1998, a Canadian team has never before finished out of the medals on either the men's or women's side. The men will play the Americans in the semifinal match Thursday after finishing with a 6-3 record from round-robin play.
Cathal Kelly writes about the women's team dropping the curling ball: "Were this any other team in any other sport, you'd shrug and say, 'Good try, good effort. This is why they play the games.' But since it is curling in Canada, this feels like the end of an era."
Kaetlyn Osmond, who took silver at last year's world championship, sits third after the short program in ladies singles figure skating. Gabrielle Daleman sits in seventh.
The North Koreans at the Olympics have been unfailingly polite. But, as Nathan VanderKlippe reports, it took only a fraction of a second on the ice to tatter that image, after what looked like a dirty tripping attempt.
Medal Count (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total)
- Norway: 13, 11, 9, 33
- German: 12, 7, 5, 24
- Canada: 9, 5, 7, 21
- Netherlands: 6, 6, 4, 16
- United States: 6, 4, 6, 16
Coming up (All times Eastern)
- 9:30 p.m. Feb. 21: Freestyle skiing (Men’s freeski halfpipe final, featuring Canadians Mike Riddle and Noah Bowman)
- 11:10 p.m. Feb. 21: Ice hockey (Women’s hockey gold medal game, Canada vs. U.S.)
- 5:00 a.m. Feb. 22: Short-track speed skating (Men’s 500m finals, women’s 500m finals, men’s 5,000m relay finals)
- 6:05 a.m. Feb. 22: Curling (Men’s semifinals Canada vs. U.S.)
Here is our full guide of what you missed and what is coming up.
Toddler missing as flooding forces almost 5,000 residents from homes in Brantford, Ont.
Days of mild temperatures and torrential rain caused an ice jam clogging the Grand River to release, sending water surging into Brantford, Ont. City officials said 4,900 residents and 2,000 homes were affected by an evacuation order. The mayor said a state of emergency went into effect Wednesday morning, adding that the river is still rising and expected to peak later in the day.
In Orangeville, Ont. police say a three-year-old boy is missing after a car slid into the swollen Grand River. The boy's mother was able to pull him from the car, but lost her grip and the boy was swept downstream. The mother is "safe and sound" as divers, a helicopter and ground personnel are searching for the boy.
Nova Scotia teachers vote for illegal strike action that could affect 118,000 students
The president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union said on Wednesday that 82.5 per cent of the teachers voted in favour of the illegal job action in response to sweeping changes that the government plans to make to the education system. The Liberal government announced changes that include the dissolution of all seven English-language boards and replacing them with a central advisory council and removing principals and vice-principals from the union. The changes come a year after Nova Scotia's government passed legislation ending a lengthy contract dispute with teachers and putting a stop to work-to-rule action.
Evangelist Billy Graham, whose preaching reached millions, dies at 99
Billy Graham, who transformed American religious life through his preaching and activism, becoming a counsellor to presidents and the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, died Wednesday. Mr. Graham, who long suffered from cancer, pneumonia and other ailments, died at his home in North Carolina.
Mr. Graham made his Canadian debut in 1955, when he was 36 years old. We looked back through the archives to find reporter Stanley Westall's story on that first sermon, which was delivered to a crowd of 10,000 people at the CNE Coliseum.
Ian Hunter writes that as a presence at many of the formative events of the 20th century – presidential inaugurations, international crises and national tragedies – Billy Graham preached in person to more than 200 million people in 185 countries: "Preaching the Gospel to all who would listen – that was Billy Graham's life. Christians believe that he is now experiencing his eternal reward, that when he passed over in the early hours of Wednesday morning, he heard words he had spent his life in service of: 'Well done, my good and faithful servant.' "
Ontario court dismisses Catalyst's challenge in suit against West Face
The Ontario Court of Appeal has dismissed a challenge brought by Catalyst Capital Group Inc. against rival fund manager West Face Capital Inc. from the bench, without hearing from West Face's lawyers. The Toronto-based distressed debt fund had been requesting a new trial of its lawsuit against a former employee, analyst Brandon Moyse, and West Face, which hired Moyse in 2014.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index closed higher on Wednesday. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 0.55 per cent to finish at 15,524.01, its highest close since Feb. 2. Meanwhile, U.S. stocks closed lower in a rocky session after the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting pushed yields on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note to a four-year high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.67 per cent to close at 24,796.75, the S&P 500 lost 0.55 per cent to end at 2,701.39 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.22 per cent to finish at 7,218.23.
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WHAT'S TRENDING
A Pennsylvania church is encouraging couples to bring their AF-15 rifles with them to a commitment ceremony at the church. The church believes the AR-15 symbolizes the "rod of iron" mentioned in the Bible's apocalyptic book of Revelation. The AR-15, authorities say, is the gun used in the attack on a Florida high school last week that left 17 people dead.
TALKING POINTS
It's time to stop moaning about high-priced homes
"Here's the unvarnished truth: If you don't qualify under the new mortgage rules, you're not ready to own a home. So take advantage of the fact that you're crashing in your parents' basement and keep saving. Or aim to buy smaller digs. I know this isn't what you want to hear, especially from someone on the wrong side of 40, but delayed gratification is a good thing. From where I sit, your angst is all for naught. Millennials won't miss out on home ownership. You're a highly educated bunch about to reap the benefits of a massive societal shift." (for subscribers) – Rita Trichur
On global health, Canada is not 'back'
"This failure to prioritize global health in the G7 process could not come at a worse time. Global health stewardship works like a stoplight; we only recognize its importance when it fails. And it may be on the brink of failing. The world has long relied on the 'health security umbrella' of the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) sends epidemiologists around the globe to investigate outbreaks and provide assistance to stop their spread. CDC budget cuts will soon end such work in 39 countries, including outbreak hot spots such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, inciting panic among many global health experts." – Valerie Percival
With public art, you don't know what you've got till it's rejected
"My home town, Halifax, has the honour of having a piece of public sculpture so repulsive it regularly shows up on 'Ugliest Public Art Worldwide' lists. It is on the campus of Dalhousie University. Marine Venus by Robert Hedrick was installed in 1969. It is a large piece of white marble – two smooth lobes, with a shaft rising from them, culminating in another bulb that is slit open and vomiting some kind of sticky mass. It is unmistakeably phallic. It evokes bodily fluids and rupture, both orgasm and injury. It is truly disgusting. I walked past it every day of my life until I left home and I stopped seeing it, just like everyone else who lives and works there. I would be terribly sad if it were to be removed." – Russell Smith
LIVING BETTER
Why you shouldn't care when you've been unfollowed on social media
Our feeds are curated, highly calculated representations of the way we want the world to see us, and for our biggest efforts to be rejected – by even an acquaintance – can make it seem as though we've failed at being alive. To be unfollowed feels personal. It feels mean. It feels the way it did when, as a teen, you weren't invited along to the mall. In other words, cold-blooded rejection. Except that it's not. Social media isn't real life. While it may feel personal, Anne T. Donahue writes that it is just business.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Have we gone soft? Canadians are no longer willing to move for work
Despite a national unemployment rate that recently hit a 40-year low, provincial rates range from 14.7 per cent in Newfoundland to 4.6 per cent in British Columbia. In other words, anyone who finds themselves out of work in one province could probably find better prospects simply by moving. Despite our claim to be a nation of hard-working immigrants, however, these days Canadians seem increasingly incapable of putting that concept into practice. Most Canadians would rather stay put, regardless of where the jobs are. To solve the riddle, Statscan finally decided to ask unemployed Canadians. The replies are surprising, and utterly depressing. Most people said they wouldn't want to leave their family and friends behind.
Toronto's LGBT comedians of colour carve out space with The Ethnic Rainbow
Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world, but you wouldn't know it if you went to see stand-up comedy. This month will mark a major milestone with The Ethnic Rainbow, the first and only show that features LGBTQ comedians of colour. For the comedians, the fact this is the first show of its kind is both a reason for celebration and a source of frustration. While more stages are opening for people of colour and comedians who identify as LGBTQ, as Dave McGinn reports, life as a stand-up who is both can be especially difficult.
Evening Update is written by Jordan Chittley and Kristene Quan. 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.