Good evening, let’s start with the latest coronavirus news:
COVID-19 deaths in Canada outpace forecast, while infections appear to be slowing
Canada has exceeded the national projections for potentially 3,883 COVID-19 deaths by May 5, with more than 4,200 dying to date. Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam says the spread still appears to be slowing down, with the doubling time for infections now at about 20 days.
The country is on track to complete its millionth test for COVID-19 sometime in the next 24 hours, but is falling short of the daily tests thought possible. Canada has averaged more than 28,000 tests a day over the past week, to a total of 970,000 this morning. Two weeks ago, Tam said she believed the provinces had the capacity to expand to 60,000 tests a day.
Meanwhile, a small number of MPs have convened for a once-a-week, in-person sitting of the House of Commons, where they’re expected to focus on the agriculture aid package announced yesterday that fell short of the $2.6-billion the industry was asking for. Absent is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau., who is attending a repatriation ceremony at CFB Trenton for the six Canadian Forces members who died in last week’s helicopter crash off the coast of Greece.
Opinion: Farmers expected a miracle. No wonder they’re disappointed by Ottawa’s aid package - Sylvain Charlebois
Across the provinces: The Ontario government has temporarily shelved a plan to introduce performance-based funding for postsecondary institutions amid the pandemic uncertainty. Alberta, though, is pushing ahead with a similar initiative that it says will be up and running by the end of this month.
Separately, Ontario has announced plans to allow non-essential essential retail stores to open for curbside pickup. It is also extending its emergency orders, set to end today, another two weeks to May 19 and renewed lower electricity rates to the end of the month.
British Columbia is releasing its plans later today.
Read more: Here’s our guide to reopening plans by province and territory.
Your reopening questions answered: Join health columnist André Picard and senior audience editor Madeleine White on the Globe’s Instagram channel for a livestream Q&A tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. ET. They will explore what we know about reopening, and how it will affect your life. You can submit your questions now by e-mail to audience@globeandmail.com.
In business: Shopify shares rose today after the retail software company posted stronger-than-expected first quarter results from a lift online shopping during the pandemic. It has now surpassed Royal Bank of Canada as the largest Canadian company by market capitalization.
International news: One day after saying that the COVID-19 task force would be winding down, U.S. President Donald Trump said today that it would continue indefinitely, but focus more on rebooting the economy.
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Pompeo reiterates U.S. not involved in failed Venezuela coup – and the Canadian-American who says he planned it
The U.S. government will use “every tool” available to secure the return of Americans if they are being held in Venezuela, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has vowed, after Venezuelan officials said they had captured two U.S. “mercenaries” in a failed armed incursion.
“There was no U.S. government direct involvement in this operation,” Pompeo told reporters, echoing President Donald Trump’s remarks a day earlier. He added: “[If] we’d have been involved, it would have gone differently.”
Canadian-born Jordan Goudreau, who served with the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now a U.S. citizen, says he was at the centre of the thwarted coup attempt – and described his role in the plot on Twitter.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Ottawa, B.C. reach agreement on Wet’suwet’en: The B.C. and federal governments have agreed on a process that would ensure hereditary leaders within the Wet’suwet’en Nation, not elected chiefs, have the power to exercise authority over what goes on in their traditional territory.
Ginsburg on U.S. Supreme Court call: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg participated today in a U.S. Supreme Court teleconference argument, one day after being hospitalized for non-surgical treatment for an infection arising from a gallstone in her cystic duct.
Ontario drops blue licence plates: The Ontario government is dropping its redesigned blue licence plates and reverting back to the old white plates because of “visibility issues,” Premier Doug Ford’s office says.
Kraftwerk co-founder dies: Florian Schneider-Esleben, a co-founder of German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, has died at age 73 after reportedly suffering from cancer.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archie turns 1: Prince Harry and wife Meghan celebrated the first birthday of their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, by releasing of a video of his mother reading him a story.
Meghan reading from the book Duck! Rabbit! to son Archie, on his first birthday. (Photo by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex/AFP via Getty Images)THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX/AFP/Getty Images
MARKET WATCH
North American markets closed mixed today, with the S&P 500 and Dow falling after U.S. President Donald Trump cast doubt on a trade deal with China and data showed U.S. private employers laid off 20 million workers in April, underscoring the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 218.45 points or 0.91 per cent to 23,664.64, the S&P 500 dropped 20.02 points or 0.70 per cent to 2,848.42, and the Nasdaq Composite rose 45.27 points or 0.51 per cent to 8,854.39.
Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index inched higher, closing up 19.18 points or 0.13 per cent at 14,830.74.
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TALKING POINTS
New central bank chief faces bigger challenges than Canadians realize
“Financial markets have welcomed the central bank’s recent interventions. But those same markets could just as easily turn against Canada once the crisis subsides and investors focus on the country’s declining fundamentals.” - Konrad Yakabuski
Alberta’s AIMCo fiasco is just part of the province’s pension-plan problem
“If AIMCo is going to manage the savings of Alberta’s teachers and other groups, it should win that business on the basis of its performance, rather than having funds assigned by the government.” - Max Fawcett, writer
Background: Alberta pension manager loses $4-billion on investment bet gone wrong
LIVING BETTER
As the country gradually emerges from lockdown, you may be wondering how and when to wear face masks. Most of the disposable masks you typically see are medical masks, which may be in short supply and could be a longer-term burden on the environment. If you’re considering cloth as an alternative, the Public Health Agency of Canada says masks should be made of at least two layers of tightly woven fabric, such as cotton or linen, fit securely, and completely cover the nose and mouth. It offers instructions online for how to make your own, including non-sewing options.
TODAY’S LONG READ
The Big Park: How airlines are storing their unused aircraft during a pandemic travel ban
By bringing much of the global economy to a grinding halt, the COVID-19 crisis has sidelined countless vehicles – and not just the car in your neighbour’s driveway. Planes and ocean-going vessels have begun migrating from the world’s busiest airports and harbours to remote locations where the workhorses of the global economy go to rest, or die.
Having far fewer passengers and far less cargo to carry, airlines and shipowners are forced to decide where to store underutilized assets until the day they’re needed again. That could be months, even years away. Or never.
Reeling from travel bans, many airlines have grounded their entire fleets, while most others have cancelled the majority of flights. Major hubs such as international airports in Chicago and Frankfurt have converted unused runways into airliner parking lots. Other options include moving planes to regional airports, maintenance hubs and dedicated storage facilities, where owners are scrambling to make more space for an expected surge in new arrivals. Read Matthew McClearn’s full story here.
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