U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson participates in a panel discussion after his remarks on U.S.-European Relations at the Wilson Center in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2017.YURI GRIPAS/Reuters
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
White House planning to replace Tillerson with CIA chief: U.S. official
Senior administration officials said Thursday the plan would be to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Mr. Tillerson has had a strained relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump over North Korea and other issues and Mr. Pompeo is known as a Trump loyalist. Mr. Tillerson's departure has been rumoured for months. In October, he was reported to have privately called Mr. Trump a "moron." It isn't clear if Mr. Trump has given final approval for the plan, but one official said Mr. Trump asked for the plan to be put together.
In an opinion piece, Lawrence Martin writes why we shouldn't knock Mr. Tillerson, because he keeps a lid on Mr. Trump.
How Richard Baker plans to transform Hudson's Bay
Hudson's Bay Co. is a complex company in a difficult market. Richard Baker, the wealthy U.S. real estate investor who acquired a string of department stores, including HBC, has a grand vision to transform his retail empire into one of the world's most "spectacular." However, spectacular is also a word some may apply to HBC's net losses over the past six quarters, which total $938-million. Marina Strauss sits down with Mr. Baker in New York to talk about the future of HBC. (for subscribers)
One aspect HBC is counting on is the downfall of Sears. In a related story, we took an in-depth look at who killed Sears Canada. (for subscribers)
Air Transat slammed, fined for handling of hours-long tarmac delay
The Canadian Transportation agency has ordered Air Transat to cover out-of-pocket expenses for passengers who were caught in an hours-long tarmac delay this summer as part of a ruling that places the blame solely on the airline. The ruling made public Thursday came almost four months after the two flights sat on the tarmac in Ottawa for more than five hours with passengers unable to disembark. One of the planes ran out of fuel, then lost power, causing the air conditioning to shut down.
Police uniforms, vehicles no longer allowed in Vancouver Pride parade
The Vancouver Pride Society has decided not to allow uniformed officers, police vehicles or weapons in the annual parade in August. The organization made the decision after more than a year of community consultations where members of the LGBTQ community said they were uncomfortable seeing uniformed officers or police vehicles at the event because of historic police oppression. The decision follows similar moves in Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto after Black Lives Matter halted the Toronto parade in 2016 demanding organizers ban uniformed police. Plain clothes officers will still be welcome to march.
Under Pressure: Why Enbridge sold $1.5-billion of new shares
For the past few weeks, the burning question swirling around Enbridge Inc. has not been whether to raise cash, but how: Sell assets or sell new shares? The surprising answer came from management late Wednesday: We'll do both. Following a strategic review, Enbridge announced plans late Wednesday to sell at least $3-billion of assets, and also labelled a total of $10-billion more as "non-core." The company also announced $2-billion in new share sales – $1.5-billion by the parent company and $500-million by subsidiary Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc. (for subscribers)
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MARKET WATCH
Canada's main stock index had its biggest one-day gain in more than two months on Thursday as energy stocks rose on news of an OPEC production cut extension. The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index closed up 0.62 per cent to 16,067.48. It was a record day on Wall Street as the Dow pushed above the 24,000 mark for the first time and the S&P 500 hit a record closing high as investors were optimistic of a U.S. tax overhaul. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.38 per cent to 24,272.21, the S&P 500 gained 0.82 per cent to 2,647.58 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.73 per cent to 6,873.97.
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WHAT'S TRENDING
Fisher Karissa Lindstrand has been banding lobster off New Brunswick for four years, and while she has seen some odd looking lobster, this was the first with an image on it. While banding she came across a lobster with the image of a Pepsi can on it. She says the image wasn't paper and couldn't be scraped off. A Fundy Baykeeper says the lobster hasn't necessarily been hurt, but it shows the "prevalence of marine debris in our coastal waters."
TALKING POINTS
Why a Trump tweet struck a nerve in the U.K.
"Mr. Trump may feel that he's scored his social-media hit for the day, but in the U.K., the mood, for once, is united. Ms. May, an embattled Prime Minister, has been defended by left and right for standing up to Mr. Trump. Indeed, many are hoping for more, recalling the famous scene in Love Actually where Hugh Grant's British Prime Minister says no to a bullying U.S. President. It's amazing the consensus Mr. Trump can bring about in a single tweet." — Julia Rampen
Women need to play a role in 'restoring' Saudi Islam
"The problem is that much of this patriarchal Islamic tradition – developed by male medieval scholars – is still taught uncritically in many Muslim seminaries and reflected in a number of Muslim cultures, where male privilege reigns." — Sheema Khan
Quebec yawns as France's grammar war escalates
"France is three decades or more behind Quebec in this regard. The feminization of titles has been the norm in la belle province since the early 1990s, when the Office québécois de la langue française adopted guidelines that have been almost universally embraced by francophones on this side of the Atlantic. Hence, in 2012, Pauline Marois could become Quebec's first female premier without any debate about what to call her. She was simply la première ministre." (for subscribers) — Konrad Yakabuski
LIVING BETTER
Two new drugs, currently in development, are cutting the frequency of migraines, providing hope for millions who suffer. The drugs, administered as a shot every month, are the first preventative medicines developed specifically for the painful and disabling headaches. No worrisome side effects emerged, but the studies conducted were short, so long-term safety and effectiveness are unknown. Both drugs, erenumab and fremanezumab, have been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Winnipeg's church perogy programs face uncertain future
In perogy-mad Winnipeg, where 16 per cent of the population identifies as Ukrainian, one doesn't buy the beloved dumpling from a supermarket, especially not around Christmas. People make them on their own or buy them from a church, such as St. Nicholas. Starting at 7 a.m. sharp, the basement is a beehive of activity with upward of 40 volunteers pinching, boiling, cooling and packaging hundreds of perogies. Over the years demand for perogies hasn't changed, but as Corey Mintz reports, the number of people making them is on the decline.
U.S. Christmas tree shortage a gift for Canadian growers, a scramble for buyers
While a shortage of Christmas trees in the United States is turning into an exporting boon for growers in Eastern and Central Canada, British Columbia shoppers are expected to face stiffer prices and a more dismal selection of evergreens. The problem in the U.S. is attributed to the recession. In 2007 there were fewer sales, less harvesting and U.S. growers planted fewer trees, which need a decade to grow. B.C. relies on U.S. imports because limited agricultural land has pushed farmers toward higher-value crops. As a result, big-box retailers in Canada and the U.S. have been turning to Nova Scotia growers to pick up the slack.
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.