Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
The latest COVID-19 developments: Trudeau alerted weeks ago of misconduct allegation against Fortin and more
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today his office was alerted weeks ago about the misconduct allegation against Major-General Dany Fortin, the former head of Canada’s vaccine rollout, but said he was not aware of details. Authorities and military leadership are reviewing the allegation and it would be inappropriate to comment on that investigation, he added.
Trudeau also said the investigation needs to be complete, rigorous and fair and he wants to reassure Canadians that the vaccination rollout continues. Ottawa has named Brigadier-General Krista Brodie as head of Canada’s vaccination campaign, effective immediately.
Separately, Trudeau is suggesting that three-quarters of Canadians will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the Canada-U.S. border can be reopened. He acknowledges that discussions about the border are continuing, but he’s tamping down any expectations that travel restrictions could be lifted soon.
And Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam says she expects Canadians who got the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the first round will be able to choose which vaccine they get for their second dose.
Meanwhile, Canada’s official COVID-19 death toll has reached 25,000.
Read more:
- Snowbirds continue to evade COVID-19 hotel quarantine by returning to Canada via taxis with workarounds by travellers, critics say
- Canadian COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in clinical trials
- Globe editorial: Thanks to the good sense of Canadians, we’re about to out-vaccinate the Americans
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Violence in Gaza shows no sign of abating as fresh casualties reported
A strike launched from Gaza killed two Thai workers in southern Israel today, police said, hours after Israeli air strikes toppled a six-storey building in the Palestinian territory that housed bookstores and educational centres. With the war showing no sign of abating, Palestinians across the region went on a general strike in a rare collective action against Israel’s policies.
Violence erupted at protests in the occupied West Bank, including at one in the city of Ramallah. Hundreds of Palestinians burned tires and hurled stones toward an Israeli military checkpoint. Troops fired tear-gas canisters at the crowd and protesters picked up some of them and threw them back.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas militants Tuesday to end the bloodshed that has killed innocent civilians.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
CN shareholder calls for end of pursuit of KCS: TCI Fund Management, a major Canadian National Railway shareholder, has urged the Montreal-based company to halt its takeover of Kansas City Southern, calling the US$29.9-billion deal too risky and overpriced.
Planet’s pathway to net-zero means no new oil and gas spending, IEA says: Investment in any new oil and gas developments must stop immediately, electricity should be 90-per-cent renewable by 2050 and governments must “close the gap between rhetoric and action” if the world is to meet its goal of net-zero emissions and limit the worst impacts of climate change, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency.
Prince Albert wildfire grows: Dry conditions and strong winds caused a large wildfire to grow near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan’s third-largest city, even as firefighters fought the flames.
RIP Charles Grodin: The droll, offbeat actor and writer who scored as a caddish newlywed in The Heartbreak Kid and later had roles ranging from Robert De Niro’s counterpart in the comic thriller Midnight Run to the bedevilled father in the Beethoven comedies, has died at 86 from bone cancer.
Do we want to work from home forever? In today’s The Decibel, host Tamara Khandaker speaks to Zabeen Hirji, an executive adviser on the future of work for Deloitte, about what corporate Canada thinks about a shift to remote work and flexible hours and what workers might be missing out on if they keep the home office.
MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks ended lower today as a sharp decline in telecom stocks and weak housing starts data overshadowed better-than-expected earnings from Walmart and Home Depot. Canada’s main stock index closed at its second record high of the week - but this time, gains were powered by advances in sectors beyond materials and energy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 267.13 points or 0.78 per cent to 34,060.66, the S&P 500 lost 35.46 points or 0.85 per cent to 4,127.83 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 75.41 points or 0.56 per cent to 13,303.64.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index rose 32.40 points or 0.17 per cent to 19,507.05.
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TALKING POINT
Will the U.S.’s new mask policy prove to be a matter of foresight or folly?
“Once people realize they can go maskless with no questions asked – well, then, it’s over. And as many have flagged in recent days, case numbers could begin to spike again as people take advantage of public health guidance that is based on the honour system.” - Gary Mason
LIVING BETTER
Who isn’t craving comfort these days? Join Raufikat Oyawoye-Salami, winner of Season 4 of The Great Canadian Baking Show, for our latest Globe Craft Club class, live-streamed next Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT. An engineer in her day job, she’ll be teaching us how to make lemon zest, dried cranberry and white chocolate scones. Watch the class at tgam.ca/craftclub or on Facebook, and for the latest updates join our Facebook group.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Toronto e-commerce company Knix Wear raises $53-million after CEO nixes involvement of any investor who questioned her pregnancy
Knix CEO and founder Joanna GriffitthHandout
After a year of explosive sales growth at e-commerce company Knix Wear, founder and chief executive officer Joanna Griffiths decided last fall that it was time to raise money to fund the next phase of expansion.
The Toronto-based company was riding a pandemic-fuelled surge in online shopping, and she expected demand from investors would be strong. But she set an immovable ground rule: Griffiths was visibly pregnant with twins, and any investor who raised that as a concern would be immediately disqualified from bidding. “I don’t care if they gave us the highest valuation, it didn’t matter,” she said.
Griffiths knew that female entrepreneurs still grapple with systemic bias from venture capitalists, including questions about their dedication to the business if they choose to have children. So as Knix’s investment bank, Robert Baird & Co., started the process, she drew a line in the sand. A “small number” of prospective investors were ruled out, she said. Read the full story here.
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.