Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
COVID-19 modelling shows fourth wave could be on the wane as vaccines, restrictions working
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer said Friday that measures introduced to stem the worst of the spread in Saskatchewan and Alberta appear to be working.
Dr. Theresa Tam said that she’s encouraged by how more people there are choosing to get vaccinated. But her message to provinces was clear: “You still cannot rely on the vaccinations alone at this point.”
Dr. Tam made the comments while the Public Health Agency of Canada released new modelling showing an average of more than 3,700 new daily cases being reported across Canada this week. This is a far better situation compared to the more than 8,500 daily cases the country was initially projected to hit by mid-September.
The more transmissible Delta variant, which has caused more people to fall ill, sending them into hospital and intensive care units, has been the country’s latest enemy in its 19-month battle against the pandemic.
Also, Canada’s labour market got a massive boost last month, with employment back to levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic upended the economy.
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Minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent gets approval from more than 130 countries
Many of the world’s countries agreed to a new cross-border corporate tax regime Friday that would set a near-global minimum rate of 15 per cent while forcing large multinationals to pay taxes where they conduct business, setting in motion a historic opportunity for governments to collect a greater share of the wealth generated by the world’s richest companies.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development announced the details Friday just hours after three skeptics of the deal – Ireland, Estonia and Hungary – finally agreed to its terms. Ireland in particular has long been seen as a tax haven due to its 12.5-per-cent tax rate for large multinationals. Big Tech companies such as Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. have set up key offices there, routinely facing accusations of tax avoidance.
The OECD said 136 countries representing more than 90 per cent of global GDP agreed to the new tax system, including all G20 and European Union states, and expected it to be implemented in 2023.
Inside Taliban-held Afghanistan: ‘There is no food, no help, nothing here’
The crowd outside the New Kabul Bank was a snapshot of Afghanistan seven weeks after the Islamist extremists shocked the world by retaking power here – 20 years after they had been driven from it by U.S. military might. On the sidewalk outside the bank, there was no money, but plenty of guns. And people were growing hungrier, and angrier, by the hour. One man, a soldier in the former Afghan army that was routed by the Taliban in August, grumbled to The Globe’s Mark MacKinnon that he had been sleeping in the bank lineup for five days. In the country’s capital, women who were once teachers and nurses now live in refugee camps while Islamist extremists tighten their grip on a fearful nation.
Also today, an Islamic State suicide bomber struck at a mosque packed with Shiite Muslim worshippers in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 46 people and wounding dozens in the latest security challenge to the Taliban as they transition from insurgency to governance.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Fuel prices surge across Canada, triggered by global pressures
A combination of things has led to soaring gasoline and natural gas prices in Canada. But instead of domestic factors alone, as was the case in past rallies, the global energy crunch is playing a significant role this time.
RCMP union will support Mounties who shun COVID-19 vaccination despite federal order
The union representing RCMP officers said Friday it will support decisions by members “to be vaccinated or not” against COVID-19 following a federal order that Mounties be immunized. This week, the Liberal government announced that core public servants, including members and reservists of the RCMP, must be vaccinated or face suspension without pay as early as Nov. 15. Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, said the union expected a more “meaningful and authentic” dialogue with the government on the policy.
Elections Canada confirms Bloc Québécois win in Trois-Rivières
The Bloc Québécois is the winner of the Quebec riding of Trois-Rivieres after a judicial recount. Elections Canada said the party beat the Conservatives by 83 votes, after votes were counted again. The Tories went to court to request a recount to check the original result, which had the Bloc winning the seat by 92 votes.
On today’s episode of The Decibel podcast: A deadline to get the COVID-19 jab – or lose their job – is quickly approaching for unvaccinated health care workers in Quebec. Health columnist André Picard explores the reasons why thousands of health care workers in Canada remain unvaccinated.
MARKET WATCH
It was a tale of two labour markets Friday: the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dipped slightly on underwhelming U.S. employment numbers, while stronger-than-expected September job gains in Canada helped keep Bay Street essentially level.The S&P 500 lost 0.19% to end at 4,391.35 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.51%, to 14,579.54. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.03%, to 34,746.25.The S&P/TSX composite index fell near the end of trading to gain just one-tenth of a point on the day to 20,416.31.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.03% to end at 34,746.25 points, while the S&P 500 lost 0.19% to 4,391.35.
The S&P/TSX Composite index fell near the end of trading to gain just one-tenth of a point on the day to 20,416.31. The energy sector rose 1.78%.
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TALKING POINTS
Why did the election not go the Conservatives’ way? That’s the wrong question
“If they aspire to be something more, they need first to consider why they are something other: why they are not Liberals, assuming this is explained by fundamental differences over policy and not the other way around.” -Andrew Coyne
Power has gone to François Legault’s head
“September was a bad month for François Legault.” -Konrad Yakabuski
I was Brian Sinclair’s doctor. I understand how our health care system failed him
“The work of dismantling systemic racism in health care does not end with the emotional labour of bearing witness and creating safety – in fact, that is precisely where it begins. A call to action asks us to sit with this question – what will we do?” - Jillian Horton
LIVING BETTER
Even during the most tumultuous year and a half the hospitality industry has ever experienced, chefs across the country continue to do what they do best: feed people. In our annual Canada’s Kitchen compilation, we present 13 Canadian chefs who support local growers and producers while helping keep regional culinary traditions alive. Each of them shares a dish reflective of where they live and where they’ve been, from Alberta chef Scott Iserhoff’s recipe for Takwakin Three Sisters Salad to Newfoundland chef Amy Anthony’s recipe for Cod Tacos (aka “Codcos”).
TODAY’S LONG READ
Leigh Ann Chu of Toronto, Laurel Schafer of Swift Current, Sask., and Valerie Murray of Mirabel, Que., have been living with chronic health problems months after they came down with COVID-19.Fred Lum, Chelsey Krause and Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
‘Long COVID’ is painful, expensive – and so far, impossible to cure
COVID-19 vaccinations greatly reduce the risk of lasting respiratory and mental-health problems, but for many patients who got sick early in the pandemic, it’s too late. A difficult journey lies ahead for them.
As Erin Anderssen reports, at least 10 per cent of Canadian adults infected by COVID-19 will have long-term, potentially debilitating symptoms, such as fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, trouble breathing and depression. That’s 165,000 Canadians, and rising, with the Delta variant spiking cases in provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick.
As of now, there is no cure for what scientists are calling Post COVID-19 Condition, or Long COVID – only symptom management based on evolving science.
There is, however, a widely available prevention: getting vaccinated. A recent study out of Israel suggests that being vaccinated significantly reduces the risk of getting long-term symptoms, both by preventing infection in the first place and by improving outcomes for breakthrough cases.
Evening Update is written today by Kristy Kirkup. 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.
Kristy Kirkup