People fly into the air as a vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017.Ryan M. Kelly
TOP STORIES
Eruption of anger, violence in Virginia divides the U.S.
For one deadly weekend, Charlottesville, Va., found itself in the maelstrom of the racial currents roiling the country: an increasingly openly violent white-supremacist movement, and a battle over the monuments to Confederate generals that stand in cities across the South. Hundreds of neo-Nazis, Klansmen and other extremists descended on the city for two days of protests that turned into riots and left three people dead. Now, both the city and the country must find a way forward – a task complicated by what some see as a vacuum of moral leadership at the top. Many in Charlottesville blame U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies and "America First" rhetoric for encouraging the white nationalism on display in their city.
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Pastor freed from North Korean prison cheered at Mississauga church service
Rev. Hyeon Soo Lim, 62, was handed a sentence of life in prison with hard labour in December, 2015, by North Korea's supreme court for what it called crimes against the state. On Wednesday, he was freed on "sick bail" after a Canadian delegation, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser Daniel Jean, visited the country to press for his release. Waves of sobs and tears moved through the packed crowd at the ultramodern evangelical church in Mississauga, Ont., where Mr. Lim spoke at a service on Sunday afternoon in his first public statements since his release.
Freeland to address MPs on Canada's approach in NAFTA talks
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to outline Canada's approach to renegotiating the North American free-trade agreement on Monday, ahead of this week's formal launch of talks with Mexico and the United States. The minister is expected to say that strengthening environmental and labour provisions in the deal will be a priority for Canada's negotiating team, according to a government official. Renegotiating NAFTA was a key political promise of U.S. President Donald Trump, but Ms. Freeland will outline why she believes it is also in Canada's economic interests to renew the deal. (for subscribers)
Blood agency seeking $855-million in funding to boost plasma supply, document reveals
Canadian Blood Services is seeking $855-million over seven years to significantly boost the amount of plasma it collects from unpaid donors to make medications, according to a confidential document that summarizes the full cost of the effort. The national blood authority sent the provincial, territorial and federal governments a business plan in January that advocated for the opening of 40 new plasma-collection centres so that Canada could become less reliant on paid American donors for its supply of immune globulin. But CBS, which oversees the blood supply in every province but Quebec, refused to make the business plan or its total price public.
Ontario eyes Quebec as source for clean power
Ontario's Liberal government is looking at imports from Quebec to provide additional sources of low-cost, clean electricity in order to meet ambitious plans to electrify transportation and space heating in buildings while reducing the grid's reliance on natural-gas generation. While each province currently has more generating capacity than is required, both forecast those surpluses will shrink. In Ontario's case, it will disappear entirely as older facilities come off line and demand increases. However, Quebec has plans to add additional capacity in the coming years and is aggressively looking for markets to sell its surplus energy, including Ontario. (for subscribers)
TransCanada's pipeline outages weigh on natural gas industry
Frustration and costs are mounting for natural gas producers over frequent outages on TransCanada Corp.'s Alberta pipeline network. TransCanada is conducting work on a northwestern portion of the vein-like system through which gas from the country's most prolific deposit – the Montney – flows, disrupting operations. Unrelated maintenance in Alberta's southeastern corner has also backed up volumes. The loudest complaints are coming from producers that purchased long-term "firm" transport contracts from TransCanada. Some are paying for more volume than they can deliver to ensure they have enough capacity on the province's main pipeline system. (for subscribers)
MORNING MARKETS
Global stocks rose on Monday, attempting to recover after fears of a U.S.-North Korea nuclear standoff drove them to the biggest weekly losses of 2017, while the U.S. dollar also rose off four-month lows it had hit against the yen. Tokyo's Nikkei sank 0.98 per cent but Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 1.36 per cent and the Shanghai composite was up 0.90 per cent at 5:30 a.m. ET. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was up 0.58 per cent, Germany's DAX by 1.10 per cent and the Paris CAC by 0.95 per cent. New York futures were up. Weak Chinese data hit oil prices, with Brent crude futures down 35 cents at $51.74 a barrel.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
The fascists are mobilizing in Donald Trump's name
"Almost lost in the tumult of the last few weeks ... was news that the U.S. Justice Department is going to start investigating universities for discriminating against white applicants, which is how this administration views affirmative-action programs. Further proof, if any were needed, that Donald Trump is fomenting race-based conflict. The struggle to contain this President is not the struggle between progressives and conservatives, between the left and the right. It has become a struggle between those who wish to preserve the republic as a constitutional democracy and those who want to Make America White Again." – John Ibbitson
Will Trump use the 'madman' strategy in NAFTA negotiations?
"Decades ago, Richard Nixon employed what he called the 'madman theory' of negotiations. He let adversaries think he was unpredictable, and maybe a little unstable. He told his chief of staff he wanted the North Vietnamese to think he'd do anything to end the war. That idea is being raised again now as North Korea talks about attacking Guam – not because of its dictator, Kim Jong-un, who may be an actual madman, but because U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening Pyongyang with 'fire and fury.' Is Mr. Trump using Nixon's tactic? Closer to home, there's another area where Canadians might wonder if Mr. Trump will use madman strategy: in negotiations over the North American free-trade agreement." – Campbell Clark (for subscribers)
Fewer immigrants isn't the answer to Trump's stagnant wage problem
"Donald Trump is convinced that slamming the door on the world's tired, poor and huddled masses will mean higher wages and greater prosperity for Americans. No matter that a more welcoming immigration model has served the United States pretty well for more than two centuries. Not for the first time, the U.S. President is embracing a major policy shift rooted in wonky economics. The United States, like most aging developed nations, needs more workers, not fewer. So does Canada, for that matter. Unless the United States can fill the gap with new immigrants, it will face a shrinking labour force, and ultimately weaker economic growth." – Barrie McKenna (for subscribers)
There aren't 'many sides.' There is only one right side, and Trump is not on it
"On Saturday, after one person was killed and many were injured after a white supremacist drove into a crowd of Americans protesting a neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, President Trump said this: 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides,' he said, then added: 'On many sides.' But there are not many sides to Charlottesville. … There is one right side, and the President is not on it." – Sarah Kendzior
The West's abandonment of Syria is a crime
"Taken together, the U.S. decision to end all support for the Syrian rebels and the resignation of Carla del Ponte from the United Nations Commission investigating war crimes in Syria painfully underscore the West's abdication in the face of the worst humanitarian crisis the world now faces. Now into its seventh year, Syria's civil war has left more than 400,000 dead and displaced half of the country's population." – Konrad Yakabuski
How Canada can save the whales
"If we truly want to restore ocean quality and achieve long-term sustainability for vulnerable marine species such as right whales, then Canada must start implementing space-based ocean protection to pro-actively address modern threats. Marine protected areas are geographically identified ocean regions that are managed through legally enforceable measures and, when used appropriately, help ensure that species have access to the type and quality of habitat necessary for survival." – Cameron Jefferies
Why is Ontario's debt burden shrinking so slowly?
"Cutting Ontario's debt burden down to size is certainly a worthwhile objective. After all, an elevated debt burden means more taxpayer dollars go to interest payments and are therefore unavailable for other important priorities. Unfortunately, to date, the Wynne government has made little progress toward this objective. After a period of rapid increase, the ratio peaked at 39.1 per cent in 2014-15. Since then it has inched down – but very slowly. … So the government has set an important goal, but is making almost no progress. Why? The answer, quite simply, is that Ontario's government won't stop adding new debt." – Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam
HEALTH PRIMER
Lack of cosmetics industry oversight sometimes means buyer beware
When you wash your hair, clean or moisturize your skin, paint your nails or put on makeup, deodorant or sunscreen, do you ever think about whether the product you're using may do more harm than good? Maybe you should. Thanks to a lack of federal regulations, the watchword for consumers of cosmetics and personal care products should be caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware.
MOMENT IN TIME
Lacrosse exhibition game draws crowds
August 14, 1867: In 1867, lacrosse was taking off as an organized sport in Canada, grabbing the attention of players and spectators. The game had been part of the culture and spiritual life of Indigenous nations in North America for centuries, and it was adopted by colonial settlers. In the mid-1860s, a Montreal dentist, William George Beers, gave the sport a boost by setting out standardized rules for the modern game, including dimensions for the field and the construction of the stick and ball. The Globe reported on an Aug. 14 exhibition game at Queen's Park in Toronto, saying that "seldom has there been a larger or more enthusiastic assemblage of citizens to witness any outdoor sport." The recently formed Toronto Lacrosse Club was about to face competition from another new club, the paper noted, reflecting "the growing interest and popularity which this 'king of field games' is obtaining." – Richard Blackwell
Morning Update is written by Steven Proceviat.
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