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Export Development Canada’s access to information office says it has now improved how it conducts internal searches for documents after a second Globe and Mail challenge led it to discover an additional 882 pages of files about a controversial loan.
The heavily redacted documents include notes about the first time EDC’s board of directors was briefed on a US$41-million loan to the Gupta brothers of South Africa to buy a Bombardier luxury jet – a transaction that became public through Globe reporting in 2017. At the time of the board meeting, the Guptas were at the centre of one of South Africa’s biggest corruption scandals.
Export Development Canada's head office in Ottawa is shown on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.Justin Tang/The Globe and Mail
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Canadian military plane detects noises underwater in search for missing submersible near Titanic
A Canadian military plane detected underwater “banging” sounds during the search for a submersible craft that was lost as it dived to the Titanic wreck, providing faint hope, with estimated oxygen supplies dwindling, that the five people on board may still be alive.
The U.S. Coast Guard said an Aurora aircraft picked up the noises on Tuesday and again Wednesday, but cautioned that the nature of the sounds was unclear. The 21-foot Titan was reported overdue 700 kilometres off the southeastern coast of Newfoundland on Sunday.
Despite the development, questions remain for how the vessel, which could be as deep as 3,800 metres, could be rescued as oxygen supplies are expected to run out sometime this morning.
Canada, others announce new aid for Ukraine at international conference
Delegates representing 61 countries are attending the second and final day of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London today. Despite pledges of financial support from several governments yesterday, including Canada, the challenge Ukraine faces in rebuilding itself was laid bare in the opening sessions.
The World Bank estimated in February that it will cost at least US$411-billion to rebuild all the houses, businesses and infrastructure that have been destroyed by Russian air strikes and artillery. That figure is certain to climb much higher. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the meeting it will cost US$14.1-billion alone this year to meet the most urgent needs for housing, energy and water supplies in war-affected regions.
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Also on our radar
Proposed legislation would grant Métis self-governing status: Bill C-53 would give three provincial Métis groups law-making authority and the power to negotiate with other governments. But some First Nations are protesting the bill, saying Canada failed to consult them in its development.
Manitoba bus crash deaths rise to 16: A woman injured in last week’s crash between a minibus and a transport truck in Manitoba has died in hospital yesterday. RCMP are expected to release the names of the 16 victims later today.
Grupo Bimbo’s Canada Bread to pay $50-million fine in price-fixing settlement: The parent company of Canada Bread, Mexico-based Grupo Bimbo, pleaded guilty to a criminal scheme to fix bread prices and will pay a $50-million fine, the largest price-fixing fine ever handed down by a Canadian court.
Climate fight enters kitchens: Some Canadian restaurants are pondering making the switch to energy-efficient induction cooktops as some climate activists look to persuade politicians to restrict or even ban the use of gas stoves.
Morning markets
World shares slid: Global shares eased on Thursday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated U.S. rates had further room to rise, while the U.S. dollar held steady against the pound ahead of the Bank of England’s decision on monetary policy. Just before 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.83 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 lost 0.66 per cent and 1.25 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei fell 0.92 per cent. Markets in Hong Kong were closed. New York futures were negative. The Canadian dollar was higher at 76.06 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Michael Byers: “It would be easy to take a cynical view of the effort put into rescuing wealthy people who deliberately placed themselves at risk. But Canada is doing the right thing. Countries around the world have long agreed to assist each other with maritime search and rescue.”
Konrad Yakabuski: “The departure of [Russell] Brown, who resigned this month to avoid a public hearing stemming from a complaint that he harassed two women on a trip to Arizona, leaves the country’s top court without its most strident conservative voice and defender of provincial rights. His replacement will almost certainly entrench the court’s liberal bias in cases involving minority rights and those touching on the division of powers between Ottawa and the provinces.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by Brian Gable published June 22, 2023. BY-ELECTIONS.Illustration by Brian Gable
Living better
Car wheels may fall off more now, but there is a solution
Passenger car wheel separations used to be rare. But with lighter materials being used to reduce weight and save fuel, they’re growing more common. Lou Trottier writes on the most common causes of wheel separations and what you can do to prevent them.
Moment in time: June 22, 1934
John Herbert Dillinger was the target of this circular broadside distributed by the Department of Justice.Bettmann/Getty Images
John Dillinger named America’s Public Enemy No. 1
John Dillinger, born in Indiana, was a scoundrel in his youth (his violent nature was likely exacerbated when his father beat him with a barrel stave) and imprisoned for a violent armed robbery when he was 21. Finally released from incarceration in May, 1933, he spent the next 13 months in the American Midwest on a crime spree, usually with others. He knocked off two dozen banks and four police stations (to steal weapons). However, the public loved him because he made authorities look foolish. He escaped imprisonment a couple of times, which added to his lore. But he killed a policeman during one robbery and went into hiding. Finally, J. Edgar Hoover, head of the Bureau of Investigations – the precursor to the FBI – had had enough. He declared Dillinger the first Public Enemy No. 1 in the United States on this day in 1934 – with a US$10,000 reward for his capture. It was Dillinger’s 31st birthday. A week later, Dillinger robbed another bank. Three weeks after that, the gangster was dead, shot by authorities as he left a Chicago movie theatre. The reward was never paid, and about US$200,000 of Dillinger’s loot was never recovered. Philip King
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