TOP STORIES
Canada lags on biodiversity pledges
Canada is behind other economic leaders when it comes to protecting its lands and waters and is well off the pace to meet the international commitment it made seven years ago to nearly double the size of its protected regions by 2020, according to a new national study by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. Canada has 20 per cent of the Earth's forests and 24 per cent of its wetlands, but has done far less than many other countries when it comes to putting areas beyond the reach of development, according to the study to be released Monday.
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Ontario boosts resources to remote First Nation facing suicide crisis
Ontario will dispatch up to 20 additional mental-health workers to a remote First Nations community where at least four young people took their own lives this month. Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins announced $1.6-million in funding to send more counsellors to Pikangikum, a remote community near the Manitoba border desperate for help coping with a suicide crisis whose victims include two 12-year-olds who killed themselves on the Canada Day long weekend. "There's no doubt in my mind," Dr. Hoskins said, "that it's a community in crisis."
Unity test begins in Alberta after big win for conservative merger
Alberta's Wildrose and Progressive Conservative members voted strongly in favour of unification last weekend. Concern about vote-splitting on the political right won out over past grudges between the two parties. The decisive unity win alters Alberta's political landscape, with many conservatives clearly making the defeat of Rachel Notley's New Democratic government in the 2019 election their main goal. But before the United Conservative Party can challenge the NDP, it must get its own house in order. And that means writing policies, choosing an interim leader and not letting the divisions show too much in what is expected to be a fierce leadership contest, culminating in an Oct. 28 vote.
In bid for growth, Toronto-area gambling sites set to go private
Ontario is preparing to hand over control of its gambling operations in the GTA to a private operator. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. will soon select a business to run its casino and slot machines in the GTA for the next two decades. At least three companies are vying to take over the gambling at Toronto's Woodbine racetrack, Ajax Downs and the Great Blue Heron Casino in Port Perry, The Globe and Mail has learned. According to sources, the companies include Canada's Brookfield Asset Management, American-based Caesars Entertainment and Malaysian conglomerate Genting Group.
For Trump, new risks just ahead
The probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin is entering a new and perilous stage as investigators interview key witnesses and expand their scrutiny of U.S. President Donald Trump and his aides. Mr. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is scheduled to testify before Congress this week, marking the first time that Mr. Kushner gives sworn testimony to lawmakers. Meanwhile, legislators are planning to vote this week on a bill with bipartisan support that would enact strict limits on Mr. Trump's ability to ease sanctions on Russia, a rebuke to the President's stated goal of improving relations with Moscow.
THE LOOKAHEAD
Can big corporate earnings jolt the lagging Canadian market?
Canada's second-quarter reporting season kicks into high gear this week, giving investors a clear look at whether the country's underperforming benchmark index has what it takes to make up some lost ground. The S&P/TSX composite index is virtually unchanged in 2017, and down about 4 per cent from its highs in February. The index lags gains of more than 10 per cent for the S&P 500, 6 per cent for European stocks and more than 5 per cent for Japan's Nikkei 225 – a remarkable divergence that raises questions about the performance of Canadian companies. Will their second-quarter profits provide the answers? (for subscribers)
Surging euro pushes European shares lower
The euro hit a 23-month high on Monday against an ailing U.S. dollar, weighing on shares of European exporters before weaker-than-expected German business activity took the shine off the single currency. The euro touched $1.1684 (U.S.) in Asian trade before pulling back to trade at $1.1648, down 0.2 per cent on the day. It hit a low for the day of $1.1638 after preliminary data showing German private sector growth slowed more than expected in July. In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 fell 68.74 points to 7,384.17 just after 5 a.m. (ET). Germany's DAX was down 0.50 per cent and France's CAC 40 was off 0.38 per cent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei fell 124.08 points to 19,975.67. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.53 per cent and the Shanghai composite index rose 0.39 per cent. Oil was trading modestly higher. The Canadian dollar was at 79.81 cents (U.S.).
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
To understand U.S. health care, think like an American
"Don't try making sense of the U.S. health-care debate, because there is no sense to it. Canadians often make the mistake of viewing U.S. health care through the prism of our own (semi-) universal system, where everyone gets treated more or less in the same fashion. The concept of one-size-fits-all health care is antithetical to the ethos of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Americans see health care as a status symbol, like big houses and expensive cars." – Konrad Yakabuski
Sears shows us the wisdom of defined-contribution pensions
"The Sears uncertainty is a reminder of why defined-benefit plans are not as guaranteed as assumed, especially in the private sector. Defined benefit plans, for those not in one, are near to what the words imply: A specific monthly benefit to be delivered to an employee upon retirement from the workforce. Problematically, to promise a certain pension amount decades out assumes the actuarial wisdom of a deity." – Mark Milke
Is litigation the answer to the opioid crisis?
"Last Wednesday, an Ontario court approved a $20-million settlement to around 2,000 Canadians who had brought a class-action suit against Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, a powerful opioid drug. Not only does the settlement provide compensation to the Canadian victims of opioid addiction, but it may become a precursor to lawsuits by provincial and local governments. … This is not necessarily good news. While governmental entities and individuals who have suffered harm deserve compensation, lawsuits that snowball out of control threaten the continued availability not only of painkillers, but of other beneficial drugs as well." – Richard Ausness
The Jays need to put their finger on the Sanchez problem
"[Aaron] Sanchez's micro-problem has been the Jays' macro-issue all season long – a whole lot of panicked rushing toward … well, they don't seem to have any idea where exactly. They're just moving forward. That heedless momentum allows them to put off thinking too hard about their problems. Meanwhile, those problems are going from a slight tug on the steering wheel to a speed wobble. Over all, the Jays are the 27th-ranked offensive team in baseball (they were No. 1 in 2015 and No. 9 in 2016). This month, they're second to last in team ERA. … We're nearly 100 games in. It's time to admit that the newly bad Toronto Blue Jays are also the newly real Toronto Blue Jays." – Cathal Kelly
HEALTH PRIMER
Mind over matter
Meditative techniques for regulating body temperature are part of ancient spiritual practices. Yoga practitioners refer to sitali and the similar sitkara, breathing exercises that lower one's body temperature. Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns are known to practice tummo meditation, allowing them to withstand frigid temperatures. Such phenomena have prompted researchers to investigate the physiological effects of meditation on body temperature. Can people actually think their way to becoming hotter or cooler?
MOMENT IN TIME
Toronto swelters in a heat wave
July 24, 1867: Just like today, 150 years ago a summer heat wave was newspaper fodder on a slow news day. On July 24, 1867, Toronto baked in the sun, and The Globe noted the next day that at 3:30 p.m. the thermometer had hit 95 degrees (35 C) in the shade. "It needs no extraordinary amount of proof to say that the heat was excessive, and citizens obliged to face the glare of old Sol's rays during the particularly heated portion of the day had an uneasy time," the report declared. "The city seemed, in fact, a huge Turkish bath, in which unwilling citizens sweltered and groaned from morning till night." In a comment that would be totally unacceptable today, the story said overweight residents were particularly hard hit, with "not one person over a moderate size having been seen during the day." – Richard Blackwell
Morning Update is written by Steven Proceviat.
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