Evening Update: Morneau pays WE Charity $41,366 to cover trips to Kenya and Ecuador

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

Finance Minister Bill Morneau revealed Wednesday that he had just written a $41,366 cheque to WE Charity for travel expenses the organization covered for personal trips he and his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017 to view WE projects.

“I expected and always had intended to pay the full cost of these trips, and it was my responsibility to make sure that was done. Not doing so, even unknowingly, it’s not appropriate. I want to apologize for this error on my part,” Morneau said during his opening comments to the House of Commons finance committee, which is reviewing the government’s now-cancelled WE Charity contract.

Morneau also confirmed that his family made two significant donations to WE, each for $50,000. His wife made one in April, 2018, to support students in Canada, and another one in June of this year to support COVID-19 relief in Kenya and in Canada.

In opinion:

• Andrew Coyne: “With so much money flooding out the door in Ottawa these days, so little public scrutiny, so few controls, and such light penalties for violators, what’s to prevent this or any government from rewarding its supporters and enriching – or bailing out – its friends?”
• Editorial board: “At a moment when Canada needs to focus on what matters, the Liberal government is focused on self-preservation. Instead of all hands on deck working to prevent a pandemic from infecting more Canadians, the Liberals are increasingly fixated on preventing a scandal from spreading from WE to he, and further infecting the PM.”

Two Quebec sisters were victims of a double murder committed by their father, police say

After an Amber Alert was sent near Quebec City earlier this month, provincial police say two young sisters were murdered with a blunt object by their father.

The bodies of Norah, 11, and Romy, 6, were found on July 11 in a wooded area in St-Apollinaire, southwest of Quebec City.

Twelve days after the girls and their father disappeared, Martin Carpentier’s body was found several kilometres away, following a July 8 car crash that police have determined was not deliberate.

The criminal investigation is complete, and the province’s coroner will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Trudeau must address allegations of workplace harassment at Rideau Hall, Singh says

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must follow up with complaints made by Rideau Hall staff who claimed Governor-General Julie Payette created a toxic workplace environment by verbally harassing employees to the point where some have been reduced to tears or have left the office altogether.

In opinion:

• Gary Mason: “Where former astronaut Julie Payette once seemed an inspired and inspiring choice for the job, she now appears to have been an awful fit. While there have been other governor-generals with prickly personalities and out-of-touch egos who have held the position before, few, if any, have generated the kind of disturbing headlines that Ms. Payette has.”

This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Pennsylvania won’t allow Blue Jays to play at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park: Amid a coronavirus surge in Pennsylvania, the state decided it won’t allow the Toronto Blue Jays to play at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

After Canada denied the Blue Jays’ request to play in Toronto because of the frequent travel back and forth from the United States, the Blue Jays and Pirates had been waiting to see if they could get permission to have PNC Park fill in for the Rogers Centre.

More COVID coverage:

• Bars and gatherings: Canada is experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 in places that had suppressed the virus, including in the West and in Ottawa, where young partygoers are being blamed for a spike in infections.
• Back-to-school: Nova Scotia and Alberta are aiming for kids to return to school in the fall at 100 per cent capacity, joining Quebec, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
• Spike in Ontario cremations: Nearly 3,000 more bodies than usual were cremated in Ontario during the height of the first wave of COVID-19, according to coroner’s office data. These numbers provide the first glimpse into how the pandemic has affected overall mortality in Canada’s most populous province.

Open this photo in gallery:

Ottawa abandons case after court finds no evidence that woman spied for Russia: The Canada Border Services Agency has dropped its bid to bar a Russian-born woman from joining her husband in Canada, following court findings that there is no ground to believe she was once a spy.

The CBSA alleged that Elena Crenna spied on a Canadian-sponsored housing project in Russia during the 1990s. However, the Federal Court ruled in April that Ms. Crenna didn’t engage in anything secret or covert.

Federal Court declares Canada-U.S. refugee pact unconstitutional: Canada’s Federal Court said a pact that compels asylum seekers crossing the border into Canada to first apply for sanctuary in the United States was invalid because it violates their human rights.

Under the so-called Safe Third Country Agreement, Canada and the U.S. recognize each other as safe places to seek protection and had agreed that asylum seekers should apply for protection in the country they arrived in first.

But, Canadian refugee advocates have vigorously argued that the U.S. is not always a safe country for people fleeing persecution.

Calgary man facing terrorism charges for allegedly training with Islamic State in Syria: The RCMP announced terrorism charges against a Calgary man who is alleged to have spent a year in Syria training with the Islamic State group.

MARKET WATCH

Canadian and U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday after a see-saw session as investors digested mixed quarterly results and contentious stimulus negotiations in Washington.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 8.10 points, or 0.05 per cent, at 16,171.06. Energy stocks were a drag, falling 1.31 per cent, and the financials sector lost 0.32 per cent. The materials sector, made up of many precious metals stocks, rose 0.78 per cent as spot gold hit its highest since September 2011 at $1,870.01, nearing its all-time peak hit the same month. U.S. gold futures closed 1.2 per cent higher at $1,865.1 per ounce.

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.

TALKING POINTS

2020 vs. 2012 vs. 1984: Young adults have it harder than ever today

Rob Carrick: “Soaring postsecondary tuitions, stunningly weak income growth and unaffordable housing have combined to rob those in their 20s and 30s of something we take for granted – rising prosperity. The pandemic only makes it worse.”

Fox is in the gutter. Again.

John Doyle: “Obsessed with each other, engaged in rancorous partisanship, and fuelled by a conflict-only dynamic, the all-news channels are a poor excuse for journalism in an extraordinary, volatile environment. Fox News is the worst of them.”

You call this an economic recovery?

Konrad Yakabuski: “Ottawa’s fiscal snapshot, which forecast an unprecedented $343-billion deficit for the 2020-21 fiscal year, paid only lip service to the disruption in global trade that has left much of Canada’s industrial sector fearing for its future.”

Ontario Place should be turned into a park, while still maintaining its architectural legacy

Alex Bozikovic: “Ontario Place has been an important file for the Doug Ford government, because Mr. Ford has taken a personal interest in it. Unfortunately, his government has brought its usual approach to public assets, asking: How can this thing generate cash?”

LIVING BETTER

Lucy Waverman: What easy appetizers can I serve for a socially distanced cocktail party?

As we slowly open our country to more social activities, we need to consider what is safe for home entertaining. The cheese tray, for example, has to be reconfigured.

For my parties, I like to use individual containers for service. Flavoured popcorn in paper cups is always a winner. Vary the flavours – chili flakes and lime zest is tangy; rosemary, Parmesan, black pepper, and butter is a family favourite; or try a popcorn trail mix with almonds, raisins, cranberries, and seeds of your choice.

I find cold soups served in shooter glasses are a sure-fire hit. Cold soups made from vegetables already in the fridge are easy. Cover with chicken or vegetable stock and simmer until tender, then blitz in a blender with some fresh herbs or spices. Sometimes I use leftover vegetables and lettuce for an easy, no-cook soup. Not creamy enough? Stir in some yogurt or whipping cream.

TODAY’S LONG READ

How a 1952 Toronto house renovation started with an intimate conversation about furniture

Open this photo in gallery:

Cindy Rendely and Harold Manker knew each other as teenagers. Many decades later, Ms. Rendely, a goldsmith and jeweller, became an architect. Mr. Manker, a condo builder, followed her new career with interest; he’d say to his wife, Leah Life, that should they ever decide to renovate, there could be only one choice.

In 2013, the condo-builder invited the architect over to catch up and have a look at the place. And, though they only spoke for a few hours, Ms. Life and Ms. Rendely hit it off.

Strangely, the pair began with an “intimate conversation” about furniture. Ms. Life described a childhood memory of visiting a home in the 1970s and the very stylish Roche Bobois Mah Jong sofa that dominated the living room; accustomed to hand-me-downs, it was quite the sight and she swore she’d own one someday.

Read the story here.

Evening Update is written by Hannah Alberga. 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.