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Ottawa’s Montfort Hospital was among the hospitals across Canada forced to close their emergency departments over the weekend, suggesting that the most acute effects of the country’s shortage of nurses are starting to spread beyond smaller communities and into large urban centres. The closing was a result of what Montfort called “an unprecedented shortage of nurses” caused by work absences related to COVID-19 infections, fatigue and vacations.
Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital, located just outside the city, also closed its emergency department for 24 hours over the weekend because of staffing issues, exacerbating the service disruption in the area.
Read more:
- Hospital staffing strain ‘unprecedented,’ could peak soon: Ontario Health exec
- Hospital in Fort Saskatchewan closes obstetrics unit to deal with staffing shortages
- Opinion: Emergency departments are in crisis. Supporting nurses must be our immediate priority
Ambulances parked outside the Emergency Department at the Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus in Ottawa on May 16, 2022.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
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Hockey Canada sexual-assault scandal casts a pall over upcoming world junior tournament
The annual world junior hockey championship will start Tuesday in Edmonton, with the Hockey Canada scandal over its handling of sexual-assault allegations casting a pall over what would ordinarily be viewed as a flagship event in the global hockey community.
Teams from 10 countries will participate, but there’s a relative indifference surrounding this year’s tourney and mostly it is because of the anger and frustration that surrounds Hockey Canada. Even Edmonton, through its municipal tourism organization, is among a growing list that has withdrawn support for the tournament.
Read more:
- The Editorial Board: Hockey Canada is ragging the puck while losing the game
- Hockey Canada needs more leadership changes, says federal Sport Minister after board chair resigns
- Majority of Canadians angry over Hockey Canada’s use of registration fees to settle sexual-assault lawsuits, poll finds
- Former Supreme Court judge Thomas Cromwell heads Hockey Canada review
Opposition leader Raila Odinga maintains narrow lead on eve of Kenyan election
After a four-decade political saga that included eight years of imprisonment and four failed attempts at the presidency, 77-year-old Raila Odinga seems finally poised to capture the goal of his lifetime: Kenya’s highest elected office.
Odinga is heading into Tuesday’s election as the favourite to win the Kenyan presidency, maintaining a narrow but clear edge in the latest polls. His main opponent, Deputy President William Ruto, remains within striking range and could still force an unprecedented runoff.
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Also on our radar
Ontario legislature session begins as Ford government pushes ahead with new mandate: Opposition parties and critics are calling on the Ontario government to provide more relief to tackle rising inflation while also expediting solutions for hospital staffing woes when the legislature returns and the provincial 2022-23 budget is again tabled this week.
Unifor’s election a defining moment for Canada’s largest private-sector union after ethics controversy: Voting will take place during the week of Aug. 8 to pick Jerry Dias’s successor as president, the secretary-treasurer and regional directors.
- Business Digest: Air Canada losses, pension boosts and real estate trends: The business and investing stories you need to know about this week
Parliamentary committee to begin study of RCMP’s use of cellphone spyware: The House of Commons ethics and privacy committee called for a summer study after the RCMP revealed its use of tools that covertly obtain data from devices like phones and computers.
Ceasefire between Palestinians, Israel takes effect: Israel reopened border crossings into Gaza on Monday following an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with the militant Islamic Jihad group that ended the most serious outbreak of fighting around the volatile Palestinian enclave in more than a year.
UN chief demands international access to Ukraine nuclear plant after new attack: In another attack that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called “nuclear terror,” renewed Russian shelling damaged three radiation sensors and hurt a worker at the Zaporizhzhia power plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
- Four more cargo ships carrying food exports sail from Ukraine
- Ukrainian risks her life to rescue wild animals from war
Chinese and Taiwanese warships eye each other as drills due to end: The warships played high seas “cat and mouse” ahead of the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in reaction to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
- China defends ditching U.S. military talks, says Washington must bear ‘serious consequences’
- Explainer: What’s happening in the Taiwan Strait? China’s military drills and Nancy Pelosi’s visit explained
Man accused in Amanda Todd harassment case found guilty on all charges: The jury handed down its unanimous verdict for Aydin Coban one day after deliberations began.
Morning markets
World shares bounce: Global shares gained ground on Monday, recovering their footing after a strong U.S. jobs report last week bolstered the case for more super-sized interest rate hikes, while the U.S. dollar weakened and government bond yields fell. Just before 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.39 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.34 per cent and 0.49 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.26 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 0.77 per cent. New York futures were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 77.44 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
New Zealand shows how a housing crisis can become a catastrophe
“The Pacific country now serves as a warning for Canada, with homes increasingly out of reach for formerly comfortable middle-class families. Canada needs to avoid a dive deeper into the well of unaffordable housing and the resulting social problems. A slowing housing market won’t magically solve the problem in either country.” - Justin Giovannetti
Now that farmers have greater clarity on fertilizer emissions, it’s time to refocus on food security
“Canada should be a global leader in using agriculture and food to meet critical environmental, food-security and economic-development goals. But we can only do so if we agree to all work together.” - Tyler McCann
Today’s editorial cartoon
David ParkinsDavid Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
How to find a good wine for less than $15
Anyone with a passing interest in wine is always in search of bottles that offer value for money. Good, cheap wines are in perpetual demand, but winemakers around the world are dealing with increasing production costs, including fuel, electricity, glass bottles, labels, cardboard, shipping containers and freight rates.
Christopher Waters walks us through how to find good wine that won’t place a painful dent in your wallet.
Moment in time: Aug. 8, 1910
Vancouver’s first outdoor lifeguard
Vancouver Public Library
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 going swimming.
The Vancouver Historical Society dubbed him Vancouver Citizen of the Century. In 1885, Joe Fortes arrived in British Columbia on a ship that got damaged near San Juan Island, forcing the sailor to disembark in what was then called Granville. He took up odd jobs, but he loved swimming in English Bay. In the U.K., he had been known for his aquatic feats; in Canada, his prowess, combined with his care for the beach and its visitors, got him a job with the city. As seen in this 1910 photo, he taught countless kids how to swim. He was a beach patrol constable and, as a lifeguard, was responsible for saving at least 29 lives. “Joe was a powerful figure, and his self-adopted authority was seldom questioned,” noted Lisa Anne Smith, author of a biography, Our Friend Joe. In 1922, his funeral procession drew a record-breaking number of Vancouverites into the streets to say goodbye. Lisan Jutras
Subscribers and registered users of globeandmail.com can dig deeper into our News Photo Archive at tgam.ca/newsphotoarchive.
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