Evening Update: COP26 goes into overtime as countries struggle to reach a final deal to lower global emissions

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:

Delegates at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow have gone into extra innings in an attempt to reach an agreement to cut global carbon emissions.

The conference was supposed to end Friday with a deal that would cut carbon emissions enough to cap global warming at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. By early Friday afternoon, it was clear that delegates would not meet the deadline. It’s possible that talks will continue until Sunday.

As The Globe’s Paul Waldie writes, one of the biggest stumbling blocks has been how far developed nations should go in helping vulnerable countries recover from excess flooding, prolonged droughts, lost coastline and other impacts of climate change. This kind of reparation, known as “loss and damage”, has been a controversial topic for years at United Nations summits and it has never been included in a COP agreement.

Leaders from several developing countries have ratcheted up the pressure in Glasgow and they’ve been pushing for the creation of a reparation fund. The United States and other developed countries have resisted the idea of being on the hook for these costs which some studies have estimated could reach US$400-billion a year by 2030.

A draft agreement circulated to delegates on Friday didn’t mention a fund but it did include a lengthy section on loss and damage. The draft called on developed countries to scale up “action and support, including finance, technology transfer and capacity-building” to help address loss and damage.

Read more:

• Nearly two-thirds of Canadians support oil and gas emissions cap, even if it puts jobs at risk: poll
• Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon increases amid COP26 climate summit

This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.

Europe faces reckoning as continent again becomes epicentre of COVID-19 pandemic

As the holiday season approaches, Europe has again become the epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, with some governments considering the re-imposition of unpopular lockdowns.

Statistics show that Europe now accounts for more than half of the average seven-day infections globally and about half of latest deaths, the highest levels since April, 2020, when the virus peaked initially in Italy.

About 65 per cent of the population of the European Economic Area (EEA) have received two doses of a vaccine but the pace has slowed in recent months. Take-up in southern European countries is around 80 per cent, but hesitancy has hampered rollout in central and eastern Europe and Russia, leading to outbreaks that could overwhelm health care. Germany, France and the Netherlands are also experiencing a surge in infections, showing the challenge even for governments with high acceptance rates.

Also:

• Doctors concerned they can’t access COVID-19 treatments that can prevent hospitalizations
• Health Canada could authorize Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11 in ‘one to two weeks’
• Ontario COVID-19 modelling shows ICU numbers stable, but likely to rise

Newfoundland police officer sentenced to four years for sexually assaulting woman while on duty

A Newfoundland police officer who sexually assaulted a woman in her home while he was on duty in 2014 was sentenced Friday to four years in prison.

Constable Carl Douglas Snelgrove of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary looked down at his feet as Justice Vikas Khaladkar read the sentence in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court. He shook his head as Khaladkar said he must be registered as a sex offender for 20 years.

Friday’s sentencing brought the harrowing legal proceedings against Snelgrove one step closer to completion, after the case had been brought to trial three times. The first trial in 2017 was successfully appealed, and the second, in 2020, ended in a mistrial due to a judge’s error.

ICYMI:

• Newfoundland police face crisis after sex-assault conviction against on-duty officer

ALSO ON OUR RADAR

New Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly meets in D.C. with U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken: Joly says Canada won’t shy away from defending its national interests when North America’s three leaders sit down together next week, as she completed her first visit to Washington. Joly said that was part of the message she delivered earlier in the day when she sat down with her U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Attorneys for 200 victims of Astroworld Festival stampede bring 90 lawsuits: The filing of the latest 90 cases follows at least 50 other suits that have been brought against producer Live Nation Entertainment Inc. and rap star Travis Scott over the deaths and injuries related to the stampede of fans, which killed nine people between the ages of 14 and 27 and injured scores more.

Number of U.S. workers quitting their jobs rose to record high in September: Job openings stayed stubbornly above prepandemic levels, a sign that businesses may have to continue to raise wages in order to attract workers. The U.S. Labour Department’s monthly survey reflects an uneven economy with strong demand grinding against labour and goods shortages, driving overall inflation to its biggest annual gain in 31 years.

Canadian employees and their workplaces set to face surge in payroll taxes in 2022: Both contribution rates and maximum contributions will rise sharply for the Canada Pension Plan in 2022, according to recently released information. For Employment Insurance, rates are frozen for the second year, but maximum contributions will jump. The dual increases mean that employers face accelerating growth in the combined EI and CPP maximum contributions, which will hit $4,833.64 – an increase of 18 per cent in just two years.

MARKET WATCH

Canada’s main stock index continued its record-setting ways, ending a volatile week higher on a broad-based rally led by cannabis stocks and a large gain by the country’s most valuable company, Shopify Inc.

The S&P/TSX composite index was up 186.55 points to 21,768.53. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 179.08 points at 36,100.31. The S&P 500 index was up 33.58 points at 4,682.85, while the Nasdaq composite was up 156.68 points at 15,860.96.

The Canadian dollar traded for 79.59 cents US compared with 79.46 cents US on Thursday.

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.

TALKING POINTS

I was scammed out of $15,000. Why didn’t I spot the red flags?

“It’s a new world war, fought over money not territory and mostly on North American soil. For camouflage, the invaders assume a mash-up of movie-star names: Tom Pitt, Josh Jackman. Steve Slater. The soldiers on both sides are young and geeky. They virtually slay each other with their virtual weapons. ‘Normal ladies’ like me are among the casualties.” – Barbara Gowdy

Don’t blame fat. Don’t blame carbs. Blame your brain

“When it comes to eating, the brain has a mind of its own. It is powerful, it is intelligent and, whether we like it or not, it is in control. And only by understanding that hidden aspect of ourselves can we hope to at last eat well and be well.” – Mark Schatzker

The Rogers family feud does not make dual-class shares a bad idea

“If dual-class shares were associated with messy family splits we should presumably have seen more of them. But in fact this sort of thing is extraordinarily rare. Most of the time dual-share companies tick along just fine – according to some studies, better than companies with more conventional share structures.” – Andrew Coyne

Unless we find a way to ban terrible dog owners, banning pit bulls is necessary risk mitigation

“Those who know dogs know that certain breeds come with strong traits. ... Responsible pet owners can control and tame undesirable instinctual traits, but there is no test for responsible pet ownership before an individual takes home a new dog. – Robyn Urback

LIVING BETTER

Stylish inspiration for your holiday gift giving

The November issue of Style Advisor is now available, and stocked with inspiration for holiday presents.

It includes a gift guide to sculptural perfume bottles, quirky bags, handmade ceramics and crafty ornaments, plus plenty of other stylish suggestions including, made-in-Canada and sustainable gifts.

Enjoy a vibrant take on dressing cozy with sweaters in bold prints and textures, plus meet the maker behind Macgee Cloth Company’s heirloom blankets

TODAY’S LONG READ

Indigenous tourism experiences help members of those communities reconnect to their cultures

Open this photo in gallery:

The growing demand for authentic Indigenous-owned and -operated cultural experiences has given communities across the country economically sustainable means to not only share their languages and cultures, but to learn and practice them – for some a first opportunity to do so.

Thirty years ago, tourists weren’t able to take a Haida-led tour through the mossy remains of an ancient island village or prepare bannock with a Mi’kmaq community on Prince Edward Island. Back then, an Indigenous tourism experience might have simply meant the appearance of for-hire drummers or dancers.

Emily Waugh talked with people at some of the Indigenous tourism destinations across the country, and she shares their stories as they work to keep their businesses alive during the pandemic, as well as their respective cultures.

Evening Update is presented by Rob Gilroy. If you’d like to receive this newsletter by e-mail every weekday evening, go here to sign up. If you have any feedback, send us a note.