An artistic rendering of Pacific NorthWest LNG proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal on Lelu Island, near Prince Rupert, B.C.
A major blow to LNG in Canada
Malaysia's Petronas has scrapped its planned $11.4-billion liquefied natural gas terminal on the coast of British Columbia. The move is a blow to many who were counting on Canada becoming a major LNG player (for subscribers). Former B.C. premier Christy Clark pegged LNG as a key economic driver in the 2013 provincial election. But LNG prices have been in decline as other countries have entered the market and demand has decreased. Despite the withdrawal, B.C.'s NDP government is reasserting its support for the industry and is reaching out to the First Nations communities affected by Petronas' decision.
Elsewhere on the natural resources front, B.C. Premier John Horgan is remaining mum about whether his NDP government will issue permits that would allow Kinder Morgan to start its Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (for subscribers). Horgan has vowed to use "every tool available" to block the project, which has been approved by the federal government. The Premier's Attorney General, David Eby, said the province can't artificially delay permits, but can make sure the conditions on them ensure the environment is protected.
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An Ontario guard is facing discipline for his tweets about solitary
In May, Ontario correctional officer Chris Jackel sent out a series of tweets about an inmate in solitary confinement, including one recounting a conversation between a guard and a manager: "What are we gonna do with this [segregated inmate] who has been covered in feces for 8 days, and has been seen eating it?" the officer said, according to the tweet. "He's been placed on a transfer list," the segregation manager replied. Jackel ended the tweet with a sarcastic "Nice."
Now Jackel is facing possible disciplinary action for allegedly violating three employee policies: a code of conduct, social media guidelines and ethical principles for correctional workers. But he stands by his decision to tweet: "[The inmate] was having a struggle. To witness this and feel so powerless is really frustrating, especially when you're asking for intervention or authority to intervene and receive no direction."
One 'America-firster' supplants another on NAFTA file
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was supposed to be Trump's point man on the North American free-trade agreement. But as renegotiation talks near, it appears a different cabinet secretary has usurped control: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (for subscribers). Despite the internal power battle, the switch might not be a bad thing for Canada: "They're both pretty much America-firsters, but I think at the end of the day, Lighthizer will be more pragmatic," said Ottawa-based trade consultant Peter Clark.
Ross is still an important figure on other files, notably softwood lumber, which will play a background role in NAFTA talks: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it's "absolutely essential" a dispute-resolution mechanism stays in place. The Trump administration wants to scrap the dispute panels, saying they have been biased in Canada's favour on disagreements like softwood.
HEALTH PRIMER
A landmark study found brain damage in many former footballers
Here's another reason to think twice before signing your child up to play football: A landmark study of 202 former football players found nearly 90 per cent of them suffered from a degenerative brain disease. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is linked to repeated hits to the head. While the majority of those studied played in the NFL (110 of 111 had CTE) or college (48 of 53), three of the 14 high school players had the disease. Eight CFL athletes were also examined, seven of whom were found to have CTE. It's important to note that many of those studied suffered repeated concussions or other symptoms before death.
André Picard's take: "[What] this research should push us to do, more than anything else, is protect children and youth by minimizing their exposure to brain-jarring hits. That doesn't mean wrapping them in a protective bubble, but it should lead us to question whether participation in violent sports, such as tackle football, is necessary or desirable, especially below the college level."
Oil's rise bolsters markets
Oil's rise back above $50 a barrel helped prod stock markets higher on Wednesday and company results and economic data continued to soothe worries that the world economy may be ripe for another slowdown. In Europe, markets were higher. Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.68 per cent just before 6 a.m. (ET). German's DAX advanced 0.62 per cent and France's CAC 40 rose 0.89 per cent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei finished up 94.96 points at 20,050.16 as investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates. The Shanghai composite index rose 0.12 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.33 per cent. The Canadian dollar was trading at 79.96 cents (U.S.). U.S. stock futures were positive.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
Don't mess with Boy Scouts
"When George W. Bush addressed the Boy Scout jamboree in 2005, he gave the Scouts two pieces of advice: Listen to your mother, and remember to be true to your beliefs. Fifty-five years earlier, another president, Dwight Eisenhower, used the jamboree to talk about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship: "True patriotism places the public good above individual advantage. It is not tainted by false pride in might, in size, in overwhelming power." Donald Trump chose to stand in front of thousands of Scouts and talk about "the hottest people" at a New York party, the fake-news media, the size of his electoral college win and how he might fire the secretary of health and human services, Tom Price, who just happened to be on stage with him." – Elizabeth Renzetti
The unspoken problem in Pikangikum
"Pikangikum, a remote Ojibwa community of about 2,800 in northwestern Ontario, has been in a state of crisis for decades. In 2000, a British sociologist calculated that it had the world's highest suicide rate, at 213 suicides per 100,000 people. … So what can be done? You can send every mental-health expert in Canada to Pikangikum, and you can build a new school, as was done last year, but that can only do so much. The question that needs asking is, how do you reconcile the right of Indigenous people to live on their ancestral lands with the undeniable fact that, in some remote, fly-in communities, there is no viable economy to support them?" – Globe editorial
MOMENT IN TIME
Louisbourg falls to the British
July 26, 1758: The bruising British siege of the French fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton had been under way for almost seven weeks when the British took advantage of a thick fog to capture one of the last remaining French ships in the harbour and set fire to the other. With much of the mighty fortress already damaged by heavy shelling, and naval support eliminated, the French governor had little choice but to surrender. It was a pivotal moment in the Seven Years' War – with Louisbourg gone, sea approaches to the St. Lawrence were now undefended, leaving the heartland of New France at the mercy of the Royal Navy. Within 14 months, the British would be victorious at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, resulting in the end of French rule in North America with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1763. – Christopher Harris
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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