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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Canada’s Donna Strickland shares Nobel physics prize
University of Waterloo associate professor Donna Strickland has been named a winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in physics. She is the first Canadian woman to win the Nobel in physics and one of only three women to do so, Ivan Semeniuk writes. First was Marie Curie in 1903, followed by Maria Goeppert-Mayer in 1963.
Dr. Strickland helped pioneer the development of lasers that produce brief but intense pulses of light for a range of applications. She shares half the $1.4-million prize with French laser physicist Gérard Mourou, with the other half awarded to U.S. physicist Arthur Ashkin. She conducted her Nobel-winning research while still a PhD student working with Dr. Mourou in 1985 at the University of Rochester in New York.
$40-billion LNG Canada project given green light in B.C.
A $40-billion liquefied natural gas project in British Columbia has been given the green light by its owners in what will be the largest private-sector investment in the province’s history. The project led by Royal Dutch Shell PLC calls for an export terminal to be built in Kitimat on the West Coast.
Besides thousands of construction jobs at the Kitimat terminal and along the pipeline route, up to 950 permanent employees will be needed to operate the West Coast plant once it’s built.
The decision to proceed with construction on the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation was made official at a news conference today in Vancouver. LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C. Premier John Horgan, Haisla chief councillor Crystal Smith and Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth attended the signing ceremony. (Brent Jang and Shawn McCarthy, for subscribers)
Quebec premier-designate to invoke notwithstanding clause to ban some from wearing religious symbols
François Legault, the premier-designate of Quebec, says he will invoke the notwithstanding clause to work around the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to ban people in positions of authority in the province from wearing religious symbols. That would prevent public servants, from teachers to judges, from wearing religious garments such as the Muslim hijab and Jewish kippa when they interact with the public.
Mr. Legault revealed his intentions during his first news conference since he and his Coalition Avenir Québec party were swept into power in a historic election last night. The right-leaning CAQ won a majority, while both the incumbent Liberals and the Parti Québécois suffered record defeats in popular vote. The PQ lost official party status. Here’s your guide to the election results and what happens next.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford planned to use the notwithstanding clause last month to push through cuts to the size of Toronto City Council during the municipal election, which a judge had ruled against. An appeals court ruling instead paved the the way for the ward reduction.
Online shoppers in Canada get a break as U.S. retailers gain an edge in e-commerce under USMCA
Online shoppers will get price breaks on some products they buy from websites outside of Canada as a result of new e-commerce rules in the new proposed trade agreement, Marina Strauss writes. Under the new rules, the amount that can be imported to Canada without duties or taxes would rise to C$150 for customs duties. That includes C$40 for sales taxes. Currently under NAFTA, the threshold is C$20. (for subscribers)
For the latest on what we know so far about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, check out our guide.
These days, Canadians aren’t big fans of the U.S.
Canada’s opinion of the United States has tumbled to a “low point,” a new survey suggests, with confidence in U.S. President Donald Trump markedly lower than for his predecessor.
The Pew Research Center found that “just” 39 per cent of Canadians had a favourable opinion of the U.S., Matt Lundy writes, the lowest percentage in polling since 2002. Two years ago, during the final stretch of Barack Obama’s presidency, 65 per cent of Canadians expressed a favourable opinion of their southern neighbour.
The drop was even more dramatic for Mr. Trump. “Only” 25 per cent of Canadians have confidence in him, the report said – a slight uptick from 2017, but plummeting from 83 per cent in the final year of Mr. Obama’s tenure.
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MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index fell today in broad-based declines led by bank stocks, which were pressured by turmoil in European markets following an Italian lawmaker’s anti-euro comments. Energy, health care and tech stocks also took a hit. At the close, the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 87.20 points at 16,017.23.
The Dow hit a record closing high, but a drop in Facebook shares weighed on both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 122.73 points to 26,773.94, the S&P 500 lost 1.16 points to 2,923.43, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 37.75 points to 7,999.55.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
Twitter lit up today with the hashtags #yycsnow and #abstorm after parts of Alberta were hit by a dump of wet, heavy snow. Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning today for Calgary and most of southwestern Alberta, forecasting 10 to 25 centimetres of snow overnight. But Calgary International Airport already had 16 centimetres by 5 a.m., it said. While it created a tough slog for commuters, there was an upside for at least two Calgary residents: The Calgary Zoo released photos of panda cubs Panpan and Yueyue frolicking in the fresh snow.
TALKING POINTS
Don’t celebrate just yet. USMCA is far from being a done deal
“While majority governments in Canada and Mexico will be able to secure legislative implementation, passage in the next U.S. Congress is no sure thing. We need to continue the advocacy campaign into the regions and within the Washington beltway. Most Americans still have no idea that their main export market is Canada and that jobs and prosperity depend on mutually beneficial trade and commerce.” - Colin Robertson, vice-president and fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute
Chrystia Freeland, warrior princess
"Ms. Freeland has cemented her reputation as Mr. Trudeau’s most able minister, the standout in a generally weak and mediocre pack. And she can wear her unpopularity in Washington as a badge of honour. Her broader goal is to make Canada a dedicated force for (Liberal-style) good in the world, and that will keep her busy. As for her own future, it looks brighter than that of any woman in Canadian politics I can recall. She’s a star and everybody knows it. " - Margaret Wente
The fuse has been lit on Canada’s debt bomb
“Any way you look at it there is a huge financial reckoning on the horizon, and a lot of people aren’t going to enjoy what that looks like. The public doesn’t like to hear the word no. And politicians don’t like using it because they know voters are listening. But society better brace for it, because soon there will be no other option.” - Gary Mason
Tear down the Gardiner? It’s a billion-dollar question
“This isn’t really about numbers, nor is it about the social and economic impacts on Toronto’s resurgent waterfront. It’s about cars, and making drivers feel that they’re being catered to. The debate around the Gardiner has been proof of that.” - Alex Bozikovic
LIVING BETTER
Sure ultra-low-cost carriers such as Wow Air or Swoop can offer great deals: You get a single, small carry-on bag free - anything else will cost you. Here’s how to pack to not spend an extra dime. Pockets are your friends: Wear a sweater or jacket and use the pockets for extra storage. Layer up: Start with a T-shirt or tank top, top with a long-sleeve shirt and finish off with a sweater. Be judicious: Pick one pair of shoes, and don’t pack any clothing you can’t wear as part of multiple outfits. Travel editor Domini Clark’s trick: Upon return, buy a small duty-free item, ask for a large bag and load it up with stuff you’ve acquired along the way.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
‘Women are closing the infidelity gap:’ New book explores why wives cheat
Female infidelity remains both widely condemned and highly misunderstood, Zosia Bielski writes. Recent books challenge the cultural myth that women are inherently monogamous and shine a light on the motivations wives have when they step out of their marriages.
“Women are … closing the infidelity gap. We’re just not talking about it,” author Wednesday Martin wrote in her incendiary new book Untrue: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust and Infidelity is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free.
Contraception, earning power, increased independence and digital connections have all opened a door for women looking beyond their marriages. Even so, female infidelity “is not only an offence against cultural norms regarding monogamy; it is a gender transgression as well,” Alicia Walker wrote in her book The Secret Life of the Cheating Wife: Power, Pragmatism And Pleasure in Women’s Infidelity.
Here, four Canadian women – all of whom chose not to use their full names to protect the privacy of their families – share why they chose to look outside their marriages and how they experienced their double lives.
Evening Update is written by S.R. Slobodian. 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.