Morning Update: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau test positive for coronavirus, more closures announced amid outbreak

Good morning,

These are the top stories:

The latest on the new coronavirus in Canada

• Politics: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife, has tested positive for the virus and the couple will be in self-isolation for a planned two-week period.
• Doctors: Some front-line physicians say they’re having trouble getting patients tested, and a key problem is lack of consistent communication about who qualifies for testing. The concern is that without a proper testing criteria, the system is creating potentially dangerous gaps that could leave Canada vulnerable to outbreaks.
• Closures: Ontario closed its schools and suspended jury trials, B.C. advised against foreign travel, several provinces banned large gatherings and most of North America’s professional sports leagues shut down in a wave of restrictive measures.
• Economy: Canadian stocks plunged Thursday, with the benchmark index suffering its biggest loss since May of 1940, the month when Germany invaded France during World War 2. The S&P/TSX Composite plummeted 1,761.64 points, or 12.34 per cent, to 12,508.45 with every sector in the red.
• Watch our video on how to help slow the spread of the new coronavirus

Have you had to self-quarantine because of the coronavirus? We want to hear your story. Email: tips@globeandmail.com

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Read more:

• Opinion (Kevin Patterson): Front-line health-care workers are heroes. We should celebrate them as such
• Opinion (Adrian Lee): Forget toilet-paper hoarding. In the time of coronavirus, let’s seize the bidet
• Opinion (Carl Gershman): The coronavirus exposes the lie at the heart of Communist China

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Transport Canada test pilots had questions about Boeing’s 737 Max as far back as 2016

The revelations were contained in documents made public Thursday at federal hearings probing Canada’s endorsement of the deadly plane.

When Transport Canada test pilots flew the 737 Max in 2016, they found the plane’s automated anti-stall system unusual and raised questions about how it operated, the documents show.

However, when Transport Canada began asking for clarifications on how the new system worked, and why the 737 Max didn’t require a new operating certificate because it flew differently than previous models, Boeing sidestepped the issue.

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Vancouver construction costs skyrocket: Construction costs rose more in Vancouver than in any other city in Canada during the past two years and were predicted to go up about 4 per cent this year, says a national tracking study.

Former N.L. premier Danny Williams criticizes Muskrat Falls inquiry report that faulted his government: A final report from the inquiry into the $12.7-billion hydro dam released this week faulted Williams’s government for deciding the project would proceed no matter what, and for failing to adequately oversee the Crown corporation running the project.

Ontario pledges action to fight ‘renovictions’: It would also require landlords evicting tenants from a unit they intend to use themselves to report to the Landlord and Tenant Board if they have done that previously within the past two years.

U.S. officials say three soldiers killed, around 12 injured in attack on Iraq base: Another U.S. official said that as many as 30 rockets were fired from the truck launcher, but 18 hit the base.

MORNING MARKETS

World stocks set for worst week since 2008 financial crisis: World stocks were set on Friday for their worst week since the 2008 financial crisis, with coronavirus panic-selling hitting nearly every asset class and investors fretting that central bank action may not be enough to soothe the pain. European stock markets were higher on Friday on hopes governments will step up spending, but only after several sessions of sustained, heavy losses. Just before 6:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 4.3 per cent. Germany’s DAX gained 3.39 per cent. France’s CAC 40 rose 3.91 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei lost 6.08 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng finished down 1.14 per cent. New York futures were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading at 72.47 US cents.

WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

Donald Trump has seen his future, and he’s running scared

Konrad Yakabuski: “Any presidential candidate who lives by the stock market deserves to die by it. And no U.S. president has taken as much personal credit for the rise in the Dow Jones Industrial Average during his tenure as Mr. Trump.”

For the sake of our air safety, we must care about the MH17 murder trial

Michael Bociurkiw: “With the possibility of Russia bankrolling the defence teams of other MH17 defendants and introducing more counterarguments and evidence – no matter how flimsy – the criminal trial may last years and interest in the outcome could wane.” Bociurkiw is a former spokesperson for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and was a member of the first team of international observers to reach the MH17 crash site.

TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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LIVING BETTER

How can I help my young daughter with her anxiety at bedtime?

It could be that your daughter wants to be sure that she is still connected to you. It is hard for our children to separate from us. The other possibility is that your daughter is experiencing physiological anxiety: Her amygdala, the fight-flight-freeze part of her brain that is responsible for keeping her safe, could be activated. Whether it is anxiety, looking for more connection, or both, here are some strategies that can be used together to help her fall asleep more easily.

MOMENT IN TIME

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Chris Hadfield commands the ISS

Astronaut Chris Hadfield wasn’t the first Canadian in space (that was Marc Garneau), but in 2001 he was the first Canadian to walk in space, and at 5:10 p.m. (ET) on this day in 2013, he became the first Canadian to command the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Kevin Ford officially relinquished control of the orbiting outpost’s 34th expedition crew, and Hadfield took charge of the 35th and its six-astronaut crew from around the world. Hadfield, who had been on the ISS since Dec. 12, 2012, thanked Ford for giving him “the keys to the family car." The Canadian prime minister and the Queen both sent regards. Hadfield, 53 at the time, was an engineer, a former RCAF fighter pilot and retired Canadian Forces colonel, who had already flown on two Space Shuttle missions. He was also a social-media sensation, keeping his half-million Earth-bound followers informed with frequent tweets, music and photos from his $100-billion eye in the sky. Hadfield was busy on the ISS, operating Canadarm2 and overseeing experiments, and popular back home, where his mission generated interest in the ISS and space-based science. He returned to Earth two months later. — Philip King

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