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Months before notorious killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo was transferred to a medium-security prison, the Prime Minister’s Office was alerted that the move could happen, a spokesperson for Justin Trudeau said yesterday.
The news significantly widens the net of people in government who were aware the change was being considered. Mr. Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino have expressed shock and dismay since Mr. Bernardo’s May transfer was made public.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Wednesday, June 14, 2023.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
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Ottawa halts participation in China-led development bank
The federal government is halting Canada’s activity with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and reviewing membership in the entity after its Canadian communications chief announced his resignation yesterday, accusing the bank of being an “instrument” of Beijing.
Bob Pickard said Ottawa should leave the bank, founded in 2016 with the stated goal of supporting development across Asia, as it was “dominated” by members of the Chinese Communist Party. The AIIB described the allegations as “baseless and disappointing.”
Ontario doctor’s fight for his employment records reveals flaws in Canada’s FOI system
Brooks Fallis was abruptly terminated from his position as the interim medical director of critical care at a Greater Toronto Area hospital network in January, 2021. Dr. Fallis says he was told the reason was not his medical performance, but rather his public criticism of the Ontario government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which executives believed was putting the hospital’s funding at risk.
Dr. Fallis had questions about the lead-up to his termination, and about what pressure, if any, had been placed on the hospital to silence him. Frustrated with the answers he was receiving from his employer, he began filing requests under freedom of information (FOI) legislation, which requires public institutions, including hospitals, to release records to people who ask for them.
From overused redactions, to lengthy delays, to record searches that came back incomplete, Dr. Fallis’s case showcases systemic flaws that The Globe and Mail uncovered as part of Secret Canada, its investigation into Canada’s broken access regime.
- Ottawa rejected watchdog request for more access to information funding
- Kelly Cryderman: Alberta denying information requests is worrying
- Marsha Lederman: An art gallery paints a picture of Canada’s serious transparency problem
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Also on our radar
Justice Brown’s departure leaves conservative vacuum on Supreme Court: Russell Brown was the most powerful conservative voice on the Supreme Court. Justice writer Sean Fine writes about the change that Brown’s departure brings, and a history of his career.
Wildfires easing in parts of Canada: There are 458 active fires across Canada, about half of which are burning out of control. While rain and cooler weather are expected to help firefighters in the coming days, it hasn’t been enough in B.C., where an out-of-control blaze is threatening to close a key highway.
Bell to eliminate 1,300 positions: Bell is set to drop the positions and will also close six AM radio stations and sell three others. The organization said the cuts come as a result of declining legacy phone revenues as well as losses in its news and radio operations.
Stampede sexual-assault allegations: The Calgary Stampede did not adequately respond to reports that an adult working for the organization had inappropriate relationships with underage boys in the festival’s marquee song and dance troupe, a failure that allegedly allowed a sexual predator to abuse youth for decades, according to court documents filed as part of a class-action lawsuit.
Morning markets
Global stocks slip ahead of ECB rate decision: World stocks slipped from 18-month peaks and the dollar pushed higher on Thursday as traders readied for what is expected to be the eighth straight rate hike from the European Central Bank later. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.4 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC went down 0.37 per cent and 0.64 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei dipped 0.05 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 2.17 per cent. New York futures were negative. The Canadian dollar was lower at 75.02 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Beth Lyons: “Many participants in this backlash against LGBTQ people claim they are opposing a radical plan to indoctrinate children and groom them for sexual abuse. In reality, children’s safety and well-being are being used as a cover to advance an agenda of hatred – which is now seeping into Canada’s political system.”
Tom Rachman: “The difficulty when writing about Berlusconi was the same as the simplicity of reporting on him: his controversies were so numerous, so astonishing, so shaming (to any other leader). You struggled to explain how he survived.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon by Brian Gable.Illustration by Brian Gable
Living better
Moving season can lead to confusion around moving expense deductions
Moving costs can be a tricky thing because it’s not always clear when they’re deductible. Given that we’re now in peak moving season, here’s a look at the rules around moving expenses.
Moment in time: June 15, 1846
Men of the British North American Boundary Commission survey the boundary line between Canada and the United States, along the right bank of the Moyie River, circa 1860.US Library of Congress,
Treaty of Oregon extended 49th parallel border
The name Treaty of Oregon understates the significance of an agreement which established Washington, Oregon and Idaho as American, and Vancouver Island as Canadian. In 1819, the United States and Britain agreed to 10 years of joint occupancy in the Pacific Northwest. Over time, it became clear the territory was occupied by a U.S. majority, and a declining tolerance for the joint-control model among American citizens prompted the beginning of border discussions. With the U.S. preparing for a border war against Mexico, the country preferred to compromise with Britain. After much discussion, both parties agreed to extend the already established 49th parallel border, which ran west from Manitoba, all the way to the Pacific. However, Britain rejected the U.S. proposal for a border cutting straight through Vancouver Island that would allow each country a piece of the land. In the end, the British won the extra real estate, as the border would curve south around Vancouver Island. The treaty was officially signed on June 15, 1846, and ratified four days later. Reanna Julien
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