Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
A long road to recovery has begun for Canada’s East Coast after the devastation of post-tropical storm Fiona.
Crews worked overnight to restore service to hundreds of thousands who are still without electricity, and the Canadian Armed Forces helped with the cleanup. Officials said it would take many months to rebuild infrastructure and destroyed homes. Both federal and provincial leaders promised financial relief for affected property owners and communities.
But Fiona was not the typical storm. Like other recent global weather disasters, Fiona seemed to cross the boundary between the rare and the hard to believe. Lurking in the background is whether the storm is a once-in-a-lifetime fluke or a sign of more to come. Science reporter Ivan Semeniuk explains how climate change is involved and what it means for future storms.
- Also read: Couple doesn’t let Fiona spoil wedding, already postponed by pandemic
- Opinion: The important lessons we must learn from post-tropical storm Fiona
- Post-tropical storm Fiona updates: Here’s our live coverage of what happened today
Local residents wait in line to fill up gas cans a day after post-tropical storm Fiona hit the Atlantic coast in New London, PEI.Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Ottawa to drop remaining COVID-19 vaccine, mask mandates starting Oct. 1
Federal ministers urged Canadians to continue wearing masks in crowded indoors spaces and to get their shots against COVID-19, but said Ottawa is set to remove the border measures as the peak infection wave passes and the vaccination rate remains high. For domestic travel, passengers will no longer have to undergo health checks for travel on air and rail, or wear masks on planes and trains.
Travellers of all citizenship entering Canada no longer have to:
- Submit public-health information through the ArriveCan app or website.
- Provide proof of vaccination.
- Undergo pre-entry or arrival testing for COVID-19.
- Carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation.
- Monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada.
Read the full story about the announcement, and reaction from aviation and business communities. WestJet had called the mask policy on airplanes “increasingly unenforceable.”
A man walks with his bicycle past banners informing about a referendum on the joining of Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine to Russia, in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region, Monday. The banner reads: "Future. 23-27 September 2022".ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/Reuters
The Globe in Ukraine
Residents in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine are being forced to vote in referendums on whether their home regions should become part of Russia, local officials say, setting the stage for Moscow to annex Ukrainian territory.
The Ukrainian head of Kherson’s military administration said on Telegram that Russian soldiers and collaborators are going to residents’ houses with assault rifles and pressing them to participate in the referendums. He said those who speak out or refuse to vote are told they have 24 hours to leave. “It is not difficult to understand what mark people will put under the muzzles of automatic weapons,” said Oleksandr Starukh, the Ukrainian Governor of Zaporizhzhia, on Telegram.
The votes began Friday in the southern and eastern Ukrainian provinces of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, and will continue until Tuesday.
Also read:
- The Globe in China: Chinese politics has become even more of a black box under Xi Jinping
- The Globe in Taiwan: Tiny island on Taiwan’s frontier with China wants peace – and return of mainland tourists
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ottawa to impose sanctions on those responsible for Iranian woman’s death: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke of those responsible for the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, including Iran’s so-called morality police and its leadership.
- Opinion: By burning their head scarves, Iranian women are restoring their voices
Poilievre condemns threat made against wife: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is denouncing a video in which two men joke about sexually assaulting his wife, calling the pair “dirtbags” and indicating his office has referred the matter to the RCMP.
Delay on Rogers’ takeover of Shaw hurting telecom market, analysts say: In response to criticism on the pace of proceedings, the Ottawa-based regulator said it is moving forward quickly, to eliminate uncertainty in markets and stimulate competition.
Putin grants Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden: A decree signed Monday by Russian President Vladimir Putin listed Snowden as one of 75 foreign citizens listed as being granted Russian citizenship. After fleeing the U.S. in 2013, Snowden said he planned to apply for Russian citizenship without renouncing his U.S. citizenship.
Listen to The Decibel: How two Canadian women were switched at birth, following the story we published last week from freelance journalist Lindsay Jones who unravelled the mystery.
MARKET WATCH
TSX, S&P 500 hit lowest levels of 2022 as bond yields spike and recession fears grow
Wall Street slid deeper into a bear market on Monday, with the S&P 500 and Dow closing lower as investors fretted that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive campaign against inflation could throw the U.S. economy into a sharp downturn.
The Canadian benchmark index logged its fifth straight daily loss and ended at its lowest level in a year and a half. Bond yields continued to spike and the Canadian dollar fell sharply once again to fresh two-year lows. Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index closed down 153.94 points at 18,327.04 - the lowest since March 4, 2021.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.11% to end at 29,260.81 points, while the S&P 500 lost 1.03% to 3,655.04. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.6% to 10,802.92.
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TALKING POINTS
Long live the King – and the Commonwealth
“The Commonwealth, in other words, can redeem injurious colonial errors by becoming a force for vast good. The King can show the way, as a representative of very postcolonial Britain.” – Robert Rotberg
Why are Chinese police operating in Canada, while our own government and security services apparently look the other way?
“Does Canada have no security capabilities on the issue? Our police and security agencies must surely know what is going on, but for some reason prefer to simply curate their information rather than act on it.” – Charles Burton
Where are Pierre Poilievre’s climate change policies?
“The Conservative Leader may be hoping that, come election time, voters will be more concerned about rising prices and rising taxes than they will be about rising temperatures – and that avoiding the media and demonizing journalists will lower their reputation rather than his.” – John Ibbitson
LIVING BETTER
Artificial sweeteners tied to increased heart risk, new study finds
The effect of artificial sweeteners on body weight and health has long been debated. Now, new research published in The British Medical Journal adds to growing evidence that a high intake of artificial sweeteners may harm cardiovascular health. Aspartame intake was linked to a greater risk of stroke; sucralose and acesulfame potassium were associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
If you’re a daily consumer of artificial sweeteners, Leslie Beck advises cutting back. But don’t get too freaked out, there is no evidence that occasional use is harmful.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Bloom, a truffle hunting trained dog, watches as Jérôme Quirion, a biologist/farmer digs at a spot he indicated in Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, Que., on Sept. 10.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
This farmer-turned-biologist wants to put Quebec’s truffles on the culinary map
The word “elusive” comes up a lot in discussions about truffles. They have an enigmatic but fleeting scent that drives wealthy diners to shell out thousands of dollars for just a small handful.
Since 2009, Jérôme Quirion, the scruffy farmer-turned-biologist has proselytized Quebec’s Appalachian truffle. He’s spent the past decade cultivating them at his farm. “French people will say, ‘French ones are the best.’ Spanish people will say, ‘Spain’s are the best,’” he said. But Canadian truffles? “Nobody knew about that,” he said.
Canadian climate and world competition are some of the problems Mr. Quirion faces as he attempts to build a domestic industry.
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. 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.
Sierra Bein