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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin dies at 76
Aretha Franklin, the undisputed “Queen of Soul” who sang such classics as Think, Chain of Fools and her signature song Respect, has died at age 76 from pancreatic cancer. She had battled undisclosed health issues in recent years and had announced her retirement from touring last year.
“She will be remembered, of course, for her voice, a transcendent instrument under an expressive expert’s full control,” Brad Wheeler writes. “The phrasing, the colour, the communicative ability, the sheer power – it’s all there. Beyond that, we will remember Franklin’s piano-playing musicianship, her songwriting ... and her extraordinary command in a variety of different styles.”
Listen to 10 essential tracks, and see images from her incredible life here.
Newspaper editorials across U.S. rebuke Trump for attacks on media
Hundreds of U.S. newspapers today launched a co-ordinated defense of press freedom and a rebuke of President Donald Trump for denouncing some media organizations as enemies of the American people. The Boston Globe and The New York Times took part along with more than 350 other newspapers of all sizes, including some in states that Trump won during the 2016 presidential election.
Each paper ran an editorial, which is usually an unsigned article that reflects the opinion of an editorial board and is separate from the news and other sections in a paper. The Boston Globe, which says it co-ordinated publication among the newspapers, ran an editorial that accused Trump of carrying out a “sustained assault on the free press.”
Not surprisingly, Trump took to Twitter to lash out at the media.
Police arrest anti-pipeline protesters, begin dismantling encampment near Kinder Morgan facility in B.C.
RCMP officers have moved into a protest encampment outside Kinder Morgan’s facility near Vancouver, dismantling the site and arresting protesters who had defied a court order to leave, Wendy Stueck writes. Officers arrived at the protest site, known as Camp Cloud, on Burnaby Mountain early this morning and removed 11 people. Five of them were arrested, the RCMP said. Police were executing a court injunction issued last Friday that gave the protesters 48 hours to leave.
The camp has become a rallying point for demonstrators opposed to the pipeline, which will more than triple the amount of bitumen and other oil products moving from Edmonton to Burnaby before it is shipped overseas by tanker.
Rogers seeks buyer for magazine assets
Rogers Communications wants out of the magazine business, Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes. The company is soliciting bids for a package of assets that includes eight of its digital and print magazine titles − Maclean’s, Canadian Business, MoneySense, Today’s Parent, Hello! Canada, Flare and Chatelaine’s French and English editions − as well as its custom-content group, which creates marketing content for brands such as in-house magazines. The company is seeking to sell all of the publishing assets in one deal, rather than breaking them up to sell individually, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The magazine sale process comes after Rogers Media laid off 75 full-time employees in June, reducing the size of its digital content and publishing staff by a third. If a sale were to occur, Rogers would still be in the digital publishing business, largely with websites and apps related to its broadcast businesses, such as CityNews and Sportsnet. (for subscribers)
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MARKET WATCH
North American stocks and emerging market currencies rebounded today after China said it will hold trade talks with the United States later in August and Turkey’s lira continued its recovery. China said that a delegation would travel to the United States for talks on Aug. 21 and 22, raising hopes that Beijing and Washington may resolve the escalating tariff war.
In Toronto, the S&P/TSX Composite index was up 77.15 points at 16,225.65, on strength in the energy, financial and industrial sectors. In U.S. markets, the S&P 500 index rose 22.32 points to 2,840.69, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 396.32 points to close at 25,558.73, and he Nasdaq composite ended at 7,806.52, 32.10 points higher. Walmart jumped 9.3 per cent after reporting its strongest sales growth in a decade as well as a surge in online sales.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
The Second Cup says it is actively reviewing locations in Ontario for potential conversion to cannabis retail stores. The announcement comes after Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government said it would allow private retailers to sell recreational marijuana starting next April. Second Cup had announced a partnership with marijuana clinic operator National Access Cannabis in April to potentially convert coffee shops to retail stores. At the time, the companies said they were focused on Western Canada, as Ontario had planned to sell cannabis through provincial liquor commissions. Here’s a guide to what your province or territory is doing about cannabis legalization (for subscribers).
TALKING POINTS
Omarosa’s White House reality tour is a must-watch
“Our first reflex is to turn away from this tawdry spectacle, lest it trigger uncontrollable retching. But this is the White House, after all, the most important centre of decision-making on the planet. As hard as it is to stomach the parade of grifters floating in and out of the narcissist-in-chief’s orbit, the stakes are just too high to pretend it doesn’t matter.” - Konrad Yakabuski (for subscribers)
Latest data show Canada doesn’t have a border crisis, but there is a chronic problem
“The fact is, Canada has joined the rest of the world in no longer having secure borders. For years, we depended on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the stability of the United States, to ensure that people mostly entered only when we wanted them to enter. But then someone figured out the loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States. Somalis seeking to escape the miseries of Somalia; Haitians the miseries of Haiti; Nigerians, Nigeria and Latinos from assorted countries. They were all told that it was possible to seek asylum in Canada by not using a regular border crossing, but instead entering illegally and then making a refugee claim.” - John Ibbitson
Sympathy for Tahlequah is not enough to save the orcas
“We must not let the sympathy – and empathy – that we felt for Tahlequah drift away without meaningful action. As a totem of ocean conservation, the orca has been anthropomorphized and made to feel familiar. To be truly successful, our urgent and necessary conservation efforts must embody the realization that we must resist those aspects of the human condition that strive to develop, to expand, and to consume in an unsustainable manner. We must push for the words of the Species at Risk Act to be enforced. Specifically, because this species faces imminent threats to their recovery and survival, the federal government should respond with an Emergency Protection Order to afford them the space, resources and ecological conditions that will allow for our shared existence in the oceans.” - Cameron Jefferies, assistant professor of law at the University of Alberta and Nicolas Rehberg-Besler, articling student at Snyder & Associates LLP in Edmonton
LIVING BETTER
Robo-adviser Wealthsimple is launching a new trading platform that will allow investors to buy, sell and track stocks and exchange-traded funds with zero trading commissions - a first in Canada, Clare O’Hara writes. The Wealthsimple Trade mobile app will provide users access to unlimited zero-commission trades of more than 8,000 publicly traded stocks and ETFs listed on major Canadian and U.S exchanges. The platform is currently in a beta version and will be rolled out to users by invitation this month, followed by a wider, public launch later this year. The platform is available on iOS and Android systems, and there is no minimum account size.
LONG READS FOR A LONG COMMUTE
In languid August, a Toronto real estate buyer can find treasure
After perking up a bit in July, the Toronto-area real estate market seems to be sleepy again in August, Carolyn Ireland writes. Nicole Harrington, a real estate agent with Realosophy Realty Inc. in Toronto, says some buyers are taking a time-out to enjoy the summer weather rather than looking at houses.
But the house hunters who remain committed to the search often snag deals in August, she adds. The homeowners who have their property listed in the most somnolent of months are often motivated sellers, according to Ms. Harrington. They know their property will be compared against the shiny new listings that appear after Labour Day. Buyers, meanwhile, have fewer rivals because of all the people who have put their search on pause. (for subscribers)
Galleries fear donor chill after ruling limits tax credits to art of ‘national importance’
Cash-strapped galleries across Canada are facing new limits on their best tool for encouraging wealthy philanthropists to give them art: the tax receipt, Chris Hannay writes. Public art-collecting institutions typically have small or non-existent budgets to buy new work, and often rely on generous donors to add to their collections. In exchange, the museums and galleries can apply to a federal government board to give the donors a tax credit for the full value of the art – which, in some cases, can be worth millions of dollars.
But a recent Federal Court ruling about a different part of the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board’s work has had a sudden and unexpected impact on the way the tax credits are given out. The details are complex and bureaucratic, but those in the art world say it boils down to this: There will be fewer paintings donated to Canadian museums and galleries. (for subscribers)
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.