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These are the top stories:
B.C. declares state of emergency as province battles hundreds of wildfires
British Columbia was placed under a state of emergency Wednesday as more than 500 wildfires overwhelmed the province’s firefighting capacity and officials conceded the only thing that will help is rain.
More than 3,000 people are on the ground fighting the fires, which have prompted evacuation orders and alerts in almost every region of the province and have blanketed an even larger area with a choking layer of smoke and haze. On Wednesday the federal government was in the process of deploying as many as 200 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to relieve fire crews and help with evacuations.
This is the second straight year that B.C. has declared a wildfire emergency, but the problem now is the sheer number of fires, with 566 recorded as of Wednesday, compared with 150 at the same time last year.
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Constellation Brands pumps $5-billion more into Canopy to fuel global growth
Fortune 500 company Constellation Brands Inc., the global alcohol company that makes Corona beer and Robert Mondavi wine, is taking aim at the booming cannabis market with a $5-billion bet on Canopy Growth Corp. − hedging against potential declines in beer and liquor sales as consumer tastes change.
The investment in the Canadian marijuana grower, announced on Tuesday, is by far the largest deal to date in the cannabis industry. It cements the link between the alcohol-beverage giant, with all its marketing and deal-making expertise, and the emerging sector, where recreational use is winning legitimacy in Canada and elsewhere.
Galleries fear donor chill after ruling on art exports limits tax credits
Cash-strapped galleries across the country are facing new limits on their best tool for encouraging wealthy philanthropists to give them art: the tax receipt. A recent court ruling has had a sudden and unexpected impact on the way the tax credits are given out. The details of the situation are complex and bureaucratic, but many in the art world say it boils down to this: There will be fewer paintings donated to Canadian museums and galleries.
Rogers Media seeks buyer for magazine assets
The Toronto-based telecommunications and media company is soliciting bids for a package of assets that includes eight of its digital and print magazine titles − Maclean’s, Canadian Business, MoneySense, Today’s Parent, Hello! Canada, Flare and Chatelaine’s French and English editions − as well as its custom-content group.
The process comes after Rogers Media laid off 75 full-time employees in June, reducing the size of its digital content and publishing staff by a third. Rogers said at the time that the cost-cutting was designed to keep its publishing business “sustainable.” If a sale were to occur, Rogers would still be in the digital publishing business, largely with websites and apps related to its broadcast businesses such as CityNews and Sportsnet.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Trump revokes security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan
U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly revoked the security clearance of former CIA director John Brennan on Wednesday, an unprecedented act of retribution against a former top U.S. official who has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration. Mr. Trump also threatened to yank the clearances of a handful of individuals, including former top intelligence and law enforcement officials, as well as a current member of the Justice Department. All are critics of the President or people he appears to believe are against him.
MORNING MARKETS
World shares, emerging market currencies steady
Bruised world shares and emerging market currencies fought to regain their footing on Thursday, after China said it will hold trade talks with the United States later this month and Turkey’s lira continued its recovery run. Asian equities had hit one-year lows overnight as they tracked Wednesday’s global falls and Tencent results disappointed, but a fresh recent high for the FTSE and modest gains elsewhere pulled Europe up early on. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.56 per cent. Germany’s DAX gained 0.24 per cent and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.40 per cent. Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate prices were higher. The Canadian dollar was trading up at 76.17 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Why Ford is wrong about supervised drug-use sites
“The worry seems to be that supervised sites facilitate, condone or even encourage drug use. That is not what they are about at all. Those who run them are not saying: ‘Go ahead, use all you want, we approve wholeheartedly.’ They are saying: ‘If you must use, use safely. We will provide a clean, secure place. We will give you clean needles so you won’t get a disease from injecting. We will have naloxone on hand to reverse your overdose and prevent your sudden death if you take bad drugs. We may even give you a drug-testing kit so you can avoid taking bad drugs in the first place.’” -Marcus Gee (for subscribers)
Prayers aren’t enough to end child sex abuse in the Catholic Church
“Abuse exists everywhere there is a power imbalance, and the church is not unique. But unless we admit that child sexual abuse within Roman Catholicism is due to systemic problems rather than human failing, the obscenity will not stop. Prayers simply aren’t enough.” -Michael Coren
Is a statutory holiday really an appropriate way to mark the legacy of residential schools?
“Realistically, Canadians do not always treat “stats” as occasions for sombre historical reflection. Do we really want to mark the tragedy of residential schools by sending people scrambling to cottages for a long weekend? (Similar concerns cause the Royal Canadian Legion to oppose giving people a paid day off for Remembrance Day.)” -Globe editorial
LIVING BETTER
The best backpacks, for back to school and beyond
Regardless of your age, the freedom that comes with a fuss-free carryall is truly potent. Perhaps that’s why you’ve been seeing them crop up on runways – such as in Loewe’s fall collection, which featured outsized backpacks in sumptuous leather – so frequently of late. Take your cues from these elevated examples and steer clear of the more nineties-revival options. Instead, direct your attention to styles that allow for storage in swish fabrications and come with chic and convenient details.
MOMENT IN TIME
The Ambassador Bridge, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ont., is a conduit for about a quarter of all U.S.-Canadian merchandise trade. Construction started on this day in 1927 and was led by Detroit financier Joseph Bower, who chose the name to “symbolize the visible expression of friendship of two peoples.” In fact, the span has been a financial and diplomatic lightning rod ever since. The bridge defaulted on its bonds during the Great Depression. Toll revenue soared after the Second World War and, in the 1970s, the Canadian government tried to claim half-ownership. Mr. Bower’s family sold its controlling stake to tenacious Detroit trucking magnate Manuel “Matty” Moroun, who fought off Ottawa in court. But in 2006, the federal government began a project to build a rival bridge, named after Detroit Red Wings great Gordie Howe. Mr. Moroun countered with a plan to build a new Ambassador Bridge next to the old one and has lobbied relentlessly on both sides of the border to defend his monopoly. Today, the busy Ambassador Bridge is showing its age – gaps in the curb, rusted railings and occasional falling concrete. Yet, at 91, Mr. Moroun battles on. -John Daly
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