Evening Update: Laval community struggles in aftermath of deadly daycare bus crash as premier pays respects

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

Two children injured at Quebec daycare crash released from hospital

Politicians from across the province and country descended on the daycare in Laval, Que., where an apparent bus attack yesterday left two children dead, six more injured, and a man charged with first-degree murder. The leaders offered condolences and urged those in distress to seek mental health care.

Two of the six children who were injured in the crash have been released from hospital, while two more are in “favourable” condition, Montreal health officials say. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.

Pierre Ny St-Amand, a 51-year-old driver with the Laval transit corporation, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and several more counts of aggravated assault, assault causing bodily harm, and attempted murder.

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The latest developments in the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today he had heard from several European Union leaders at a summit that they were ready to provide Kyiv with aircraft, hinting at what would be one of the biggest shifts yet in Western support for Ukraine.

He gave no details, and there was no immediate confirmation from any European countries. But his remarks came amid signs during a European tour that countries were closer to lifting one of the main taboos in military aid for Kyiv since Russia’s invasion last year.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Wagner mercenary group has stopped recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin says.

Public-sector unions and Ottawa at odds over double-digit wage demands

The federal government and unionized workers are preparing to lock horns over double-digit wage hikes to account for higher inflation and rules for remote work in what is shaping up to be a heated series of contract negotiations.

Ottawa is about to begin bargaining for new collective agreements for, or is already negotiating with, nearly all the unions representing more than 300,000 federal public servants.

The biggest and most fraught negotiation is between the Treasury Board and a group of 120,000 workers represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, or PSAC.

Remembering legendary pop composer Burt Bacharach

The singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of Walk on By, Do You Know the Way to San Jose and dozens of other hits, has died at 94 of natural causes.

The Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s into the 21st century. His music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks to iPods, whether Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head and I Say a Little Prayer or I’ll Never Fall in Love Again and This Guy’s in Love with You.

Dionne Warwick was his favourite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs.

ALSO IN THE NEWS TODAY

Hopes fade of further rescues in Turkey and Syria: Cold, hunger and despair has gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes three days ago as the death toll passed 19,000 today. Here’s how you can help.

Canopy Growth shrinking: The cannabis company will lay off 800 workers, about 35 per cent of its work force, as part of a transformation plan that will see the company close its facility in Smith Falls, Ont., and consolidate some of its cultivation operations.

Spy balloons targeted scores of countries, U.S. says: The Chinese balloon shot down by the U.S. was equipped to collect intelligence signals as part of a huge, military-linked aerial spy program that targeted more than 40 countries, the State Department says.

RIP Mendelson Joe: The singer-songwriter, artist and longtime activist, has died at 78 through medical assistance in dying after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than five years.

MARKET WATCH

U.S. stock indexes ended down on today, erasing earlier gains as Treasury yields rose after an auction of 30-year bonds went poorly and overshadowed strong earnings from corporate giants like Disney and PepsiCo. Falling commodity prices and mixed corporate earnings helped push down Canada’s main stock index.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 249.13 points or 0.73 per cent to 33,699.88, the S&P 500 fell 36.36 points or 0.88 per cent to 4,081.50 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 120.94 points or 1.02 per cent to end at 11,789.58.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index slid 81.79 points or 0.4 per cent to 20,597. The loonie traded at 74.29 U.S. cents.

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TALKING POINTS

Why is the head of the CBC picking a fight with Pierre Poilievre?

“She more often than not comes across as thin-skinned and self-serving in her defence of a taxpayer-funded institution that has an obligation to serve all Canadians, not just the ones it chooses to.” - Konrad Yakabuski

The catastrophe in Turkey and Syria should be a wake-up call for B.C.

“You don’t have to be neurotic to know that the Big One could happen any time in B.C. – like right now, as I’m typing this sentence at my kitchen table, or right now, as you’re reading it at yours. And many of us are ill-prepared.” - Marsha Lederman

Alberta’s debt could once again be paid in full thanks to potentially massive resource revenues

“Given mounting global economic and geopolitical risks, the financial gain from lowering debt – in the form of lower interest payments – provides welcome certainty where financial investments do not.” - Trevor Tombe, economics professor, University of Calgary

LIVING BETTER

The deadline for making a registered retirement savings plan contribution for the 2022 tax year is just weeks away. But if a heavy debt load is stopping you from making an RRSP contribution by March 1, focus on debt over saving, personal finance columnist Rob Carrick advises. And if you do have some money to put away, consider a tax-free savings account over an RRSP. TFSA money held in a high-interest savings account can be accessed quickly and is the ideal emergency fund.

TODAY’S LONG READ

Canada’s EV revolution has a problem - not enough skilled labour to support it

In the city long known as Canada’s unemployment capital, there are too many good jobs to go around.

Only a few years ago, it was uncertain whether the auto sector on which the Ontario border city of Windsor was built – shrunken by the long decline of traditional manufacturing in North America – would be able to compete at all in the transition to electric vehicles.

Now, its success in landing major new investments – highlighted by the decision from the auto giant Stellantis NV and LG Energy Solution to partner on Canada’s first EV battery factory here – has created a relative boom. And employees to staff that plant, and offshoots along the supply chain, are in very high demand, which the city and region are struggling to meet. Read Adam Radwanski’s full story.

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