Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he has spoken to Governor-General Mary Simon about his intention to form a government. While answering reporters’ questions for the first time since last week’s federal election, the Prime Minister said that he will name his cabinet next month and the House of Commons will be reconvened by the end of the fall.
Chrystia Freeland, he said, will continue to serve as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister.
Trudeau took a political gamble by triggering a snap election in August during the fourth wave of the pandemic in pursuit of a new majority mandate. Instead, he ended up winning another minority mandate.
Trudeau said the government’s immediate priorities include a national child care program, housing affordability and travelling to Glasgow in November for COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
The Prime Minister also noted the return of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who returned to Canada on Saturday after more than 1,000 days in Chinese prison. Trudeau said that their cases galvanized public opinion in Canada and around the world, and that his government will continue to advocate for people who are wrongly imprisoned around the globe.
Also:
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Canada’s housing market overheated, overvalued and at risk of a downturn, CMHC warns
In its latest housing market assessment released Tuesday, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. identified excessive home price acceleration in most of Ontario, Montreal and Atlantic Canada as a problem and issued its highest risk rating for the country.
For the second time since the 2016-17 price frenzy in Vancouver and Toronto, CMHC has issued the warning for the entire country. CMHC says the current real-estate boom has spread into smaller cities and suburbs, with buyers taking advantage of low mortgage rates to purchase bigger properties.
Now, six of the 15 census metropolitan areas assessed by CMHC are in the high-risk zone. That is up from five in the agency’s previous report issued in March. Montreal is the latest addition to the highly vulnerable list that includes Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and Moncton.
WHO employees perpetrated sexual crimes in Democratic Republic of the Congo, report alleges
An official report released Tuesday alleges that at least 21 employees of the World Health Organization were perpetrators of rape, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during an Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020.
The employees, including many who promised jobs to vulnerable women and girls in exchange for sex, ranged from security guards and drivers to senior doctors, consultants and epidemiologists, both Congolese and foreign, according to the final report of a year-long independent review established by the WHO.
In total, 84 incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation in the Ebola zone were reported, with victims as young as 13. Nine rape allegations were among the recorded incidents.
“This is a dark day for WHO,” said the agency’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We want the perpetrators to know there will be severe consequences for their actions.”
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
35 trapped miners safe after rescue, four more on long trek out of mine near Sudbury: The United Steelworkers, which represents workers trapped at Totten Mine near Sudbury, said it was pleased with the progress of the operation, which has required miners to scale a series of ladders to climb out. Mine owner Vale said it expects everyone to emerge Tuesday. A mechanical accident blocked the mine’s main shaft on Sunday.
Russia opens new criminal case against Navalny, threatens more jail time: Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s fiercest domestic critic, could spend another decade in jail. Navalny, who is currently serving a two-and-a-half year sentence for parole violations, is facing a fresh case that could see him accused of founding and leading an extremist group.
Agnico Eagle to buy Kirkland Lake Gold in $13-billion all-stock deal: The deal will see two of the industry’s most highly valued companies combine, with mines located in some of the safest jurisdictions, including Canada and Australia. Agnico’s long-serving chief executive Sean Boyd will move to executive chair, with Kirkland’s top executive Tony Makuch becoming the CEO of the merged company.
James Bond suit, Star Wars miniatures up for sale in mega film prop auction: A huge selection of movie memorabilia will be auctioned in London in November. More than 1,000 lots are expected to fetch more than £5.5-million ($9.44-million) at the auction. They include a light-up ILM X-wing filming miniature from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, a full-size T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and Sean Connery’s James Bond suit from You Only Live Twice.
Ford, SK Innovation to invest $11.4-billion to build an electric F-150 plant and three battery factories: Ford and its Korean battery partner intend to create nearly 11,000 jobs by opening assembly and battery plants in Stanton, Tenn., and two additional battery factories in Glendale, Ky. Ford said on Monday it now expects to have 40 per cent to 50 per cent of its global vehicle volume to be all-electric by 2030, up from its previous forecast of 40 per cent. Monday’s announcement is the single largest manufacturing investment in Ford’s 118-year history.
MARKET WATCH
Higher bond yields hurt the technology sector and sparked a broad-based decline in North American stock markets.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 289.28 points to 20,174.14. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 569.38 points at 34,299.99. The S&P 500 index was down 90.48 points at 4,352.63, while the Nasdaq composite was down 423.29 points or 2.8 per cent at 14,546.68.
The Canadian dollar traded for 78.86 cents US compared with 79.13 cents US on Monday.
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TALKING POINTS
Why parents should embrace COVID-19 vaccination for their kids
“Everyone wants the best for their children. With a lot of false information and scaremongering floating about, especially on social media, the trepidation of parents is understandable. Even the most ardent supporters of vaccination will admit there are a lot of unknowns. But unknown is not a synonym for unsafe.” - André Picard
China’s use of force and coercion to drive up its COVID-19 vaccination rate is not the answer
“If Beijing really wants to drive up the vaccination rate, it should start by releasing detained activists who have advocated for vaccine safety, and instituting transparency measures around vaccine development, safety and regulation. Forcibly restraining people to jab them is not the answer.” -Yaqiu Wang
LIVING BETTER
Should all Canadian cities be 15-minute cities?
While this is good for us, it also strengthens the talent base of our tech community, bringing in needed skills and experience. Toronto, Waterloo, Ont., Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver are increasingly being recognized for their tech excellence through the almost weekly announcements of another tech juggernaut opening an office here . FILE PHOTO: The Montreal city skyline is seen from Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang/File PhotoHyungwon Kang/Reuters
The 15-minute city is an urban idea that envisions neighbourhoods designed in such a way that most day-to-day services are always just a walk or short bike ride from home.
Popular in many parts of the world, particularly in Europe, the idea is just starting to gain traction in Canada.
In a Globe and Mail City Space podcast, Alain Miguelez, Ottawa’s manager of policy planning, thinks the capital city is ripe for the 15-minute treatment. Also, listen to urban planner Jay Pitter explain why she believes there is a crucial – but so far, absent – step necessary for the 15-minute city to actually work in North America.
TODAY’S LONG READ
Want to avoid living in a seniors’ home? Start planning now to age in place
More Canadians are making the decision to grow old in their own homes, a trend that might not be surprising after the negative impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on seniors in long-term care residences. A survey from the National Institute of Ageing and Telus Health released last fall found that 91 per cent of Canadians of all ages plan to live independently in their own home as long as possible.
More recently, a March of Dimes study on aging in place shows 35 per cent of working adults and 40 per cent of retirees plan to modify their homes for care-related reasons
Contractor Ryan Johnson, a partner with Alair Homes in Barrie, Ont., has seen a jump in retired Canadians turning cottages into permanent homes, and says a big trend is building master bedrooms on the main floor, which is more accessible, while the adult children and grandkids’ rooms are on the second floor.
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Rob Gilroy