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At least 96 people died in Maui’s wildfires last week, and officials warned over the weekend that efforts to find and identify the dead were still in the early stages. The blaze that torched the town of Lahaina is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
The death toll surpasses that of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise. The wildfires are Hawaii’s deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed more than 150, prompted development of a territory-wide emergency alert system with sirens that are tested monthly.
Early reports say officials failed to sound the warning sirens before fire hit Lahaina last week. Officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations, but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.
Hawaii officials have urged tourists to avoid travelling to Maui as many hotels prepared to house evacuees and first responders. About 46,000 residents and visitors have already flown out of Kahului Airport in West Maui since the devastation in Lahaina became clear Wednesday.
A Mercy Worldwide volunteer makes damage assessment of charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 12, 2023.YUKI IWAMURA/AFP/Getty Images
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Ontario coroner calls inquest into officer cadet death at Kingston’s Royal Military College
The Ontario coroner’s office will hold an inquest into the death of a 21-year-old officer cadet at Kingston’s Royal Military College, giving public scrutiny to a case that would typically be investigated by the military behind closed doors.
Absar Chaudhry was found dead in his Kingston dorm room on Nov. 30. His parents told The Globe and Mail in May their son had no history of mental-health challenges and said they felt stymied by the military in their efforts to get answers about what happened to their son and whether conditions at RMC were a factor in his suicide.
Lawyers for Chaudhry’s parents requested the discretionary inquest in March, arguing the military’s own probes lacked the “independence, impartiality and transparency required” and to ensure an “open and full hearing of the toxic culture at RMC.”
King Henry VIII’s long-lost doodles, discovered by Ottawa professor, hints at monarch’s inner turmoil
King Henry VIII was arguably England’s most notorious monarch, and it often seems every aspect of his reign – from his life with his six wives to the beheadings he ordered – has been covered.
But Carleton University professor Micheline White has discovered fresh evidence for the inner life of England’s most famous king in the doodles he made in the margins of a prayer book produced by his sixth wife, Catherine Parr.
King Henry used drawings of pointing fingers, known as manicules, to “highlight” various passages in the prayer book. These passages include “Turn away thine anger from me, that I may know that thou art more merciful unto me than my sins deserve” and “O Lord God forsake me not, although I have done no good in thy sight,” pointing to personal spiritual turmoil in the king’s later life.
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Also on our radar
Opposition faces a surge of violence in Zimbabwe: Members of Zimbabwe’s main opposition party have suffered a barrage of violence and harassment in the campaign for the coming election. Many of its candidates have been attacked or arrested, including one supporter who was stoned to death by assailants from the ruling party. A new law known as the “Patriotic Bill” will soon allow critics of the government to be prosecuted criminally for undermining the country.
Investment Canada Act amendment could complicate Glencore pursuit of Teck: A proposed amendment to the act would mandate acquirers of Canadian companies that have been convicted of bribery or corruption be subject to a heightened security review by the federal government. This would pose an additional challenge for Glencore, which has a significant track record of both offences internationally.
Métis senator aims to make coerced sterilization Criminal Code offence: Under Yvonne Boyer’s bill, a person guilty of coercing someone into sterilization would be liable to imprisonment. Prior to becoming senator, Boyer co-authored a 2017 report detailing how Indigenous women in Saskatoon were coerced into sterilization after giving birth in hospital. Boyer told The Globe and Mail it is likely every Indigenous person knows someone who has been sterilized.
Métro Média closing leaves gap in French-language coverage: Métro Média, which had about 20 publications in Montreal and Quebec City, announced Friday it will be shutting down its operations. The company’s president and CEO blamed Montreal’s decision to end the distribution of its free newspapers and merchant flyers to residents’ doors as well as the lack of financial support for their digital transition.
Human-made noise threatening ocean wildlife: Researchers worry that blasting, shipping and sonar are damaging the soundscapes marine life use to navigate and communicate in the ocean. Unless we quiet down, a coming surge in sea traffic could make things worse.
Morning markets
Asia suffers China hangover: Asian shares slid on Monday as China’s property woes amplified the case for serious stimulus even as Beijing seems deaf to the calls, while rising Treasury yields lifted the dollar to a 2023 peak on the embattled yen. Geopolitics was an added worry after a Russian warship on Sunday fired warning shots at a cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea, heralding a new stage of the war that could impact on oil and food prices.EUROSTOXX 50 futures slipped 0.4% and FTSE futures 0.2%. The sour mood saw S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures shed early gains to each ease 0.2%.The Canadian dollar traded at 74.38 per cent.
What everyone’s talking about
There’s been a ‘slobification’ of dress codes since the pandemic, and it needs to stop
“People need to have some self-awareness about what looks decent and remember the rationale against business casual in the nineties in financial services: the belief that even smart casual clothing reflected casual thinking – not an ideal professional posture when managing people’s money.” – Gus Carlson
Too many marijuana shops, too much pot production: the industry’s perennial problem
“A major problem underlying the cannabis industry’s continuing financial struggles has been overcapacity. In provinces that allow private retailers, there are too many shops competing for too few customers to cover costs. And nationwide, producers have been making more cannabis than the retailers need.” – Michael J. Armstrong
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by David Parkins published Aug. 13, 2023.David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Renting your property as a new homeowner can jeopardize thousands of dollars in tax benefits
The federal First-Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit is a $10,000 credit deducted off your income when you file for taxes, which can represent up to $1,500 in actual savings on your tax return. To qualify, you have to occupy the home one year after purchase. Provinces also have their own tax benefits for first-time buyers, often with stricter qualification rules.
Read about which benefits apply to you and how to get the most of out of them.
Moment in time
Canada's First National Women's Team poses in July 1986Canada Soccer/Canada Soccer
Canada’s first national women’s soccer team scores
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re looking at women’s soccer.
In the summer of 1986, the Canadian women’s soccer team came close to never playing another game. On July 7, the fledgling team lost 2-0 to the United States in its first international match, in Blaine, Minn. Afterward, the coach warned the team (which had only been formed a few weeks earlier): Score a goal or the women’s program (budget, $12,000, compared with $1.7-million for the men) might be scrapped. And two days later, Geri Donnelly (above, middle row, third from left), with a superb pass from Charmaine Hooper (above, back row, fourth from right), scored the first goal in the team’s international history. She scored again, as Canada beat the U.S. 2-1. Ms. Hooper would assist the women’s team for another 20 years as she became one of the best players in Canadian history, participated in three Women’s World Cups and made 129 appearances for her country. She is a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Philip King
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