Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Canada to receive no Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines next week due to supply issues
Canada will not receive any vaccine doses from Pfizer-BioNTech next week, and the federal government says it still can’t tell provinces exactly how many doses to expect over the next month.
The U.S. drug maker is cutting back production at its facility in Belgium to upgrade capacity and increase the total doses produced there. But the pause means Canada’s expected deliveries are going to be smaller for the next four weeks, including none at all the week of Jan. 25.
Provincial premiers, already frustrated that vaccine supplies are coming in more slowly than they’d like, are being forced to cancel vaccine appointments, delay making new ones, or hold off giving second doses longer than hoped.
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Trudeau pledges to keep up fight for Keystone XL pipeline
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he intends to call Joe Biden shortly after his inauguration to mount another defence of the Keystone XL pipeline in an effort to convince the incoming U.S. president not to fulfill a campaign promise to kill the project.
Transition documents for the Biden administration indicate that he plans to make rescinding the permit for TC Energy’s Keystone project one of his first measures after being sworn in as president tomorrow.
Last March, cash-strapped Alberta agreed to take a US$1.1-billion ownership stake in Keystone XL that it planned to sell back to TC Energy after commercial operations began. Cancellation of the project would leave the province on the hook for about $1-billion.
Opinion:
- The scrapping of Keystone XL is devastating for Alberta – and Jason Kenney - Gary Mason
- How Canada should respond to Joe Biden’s Keystone XL decision - Adam Radwanski
- Why Trudeau won’t push Biden on Keystone - John Ibbitson
A Biden presidency opens the door to greater co-operation despite many bilateral challenges
Tomorrow is U.S. president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration day. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his top advisers are optimistic that under new administration, they will be able to collaborate on matters such as fighting climate change, building a new green economy and pushing for a North America First policy. But no one is under the illusion that Canada will be spared from trouble when it comes to energy pipelines, trade disputes or protectionist policies.
Read more: Here’s what we know so far about plans for inauguration day security, public events and more
In other transition developments, Keystone XL isn’t the only legacy of the Trump administration in Biden’s sights. He plans to sign dozens of executive orders and send sweeping bills to Congress in his first days in office - here is a list of what to expect.
Today, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell explicitly placed blame on President Donald Trump for the deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, saying the mob was “fed lies” and that the President and others “provoked” those intent on overturning the election results.
Developing story: President Donald Trump is expected to spend his last full day in office issuing a flurry of pardons, which may grant clemency to up to 100 people.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Subway’s lawsuit against CBC can proceed: A $210-million defamation lawsuit by Subway, the world’s largest fast-food operator, against Canada’s public broadcaster over a report on the chain’s chicken sandwiches can proceed, Ontario’s top court has ruled.
Nygard seeks bail: A two-day bail hearing has begun in Winnipeg for fashion mogul Peter Nygard, who was arrested in December under the Extradition Act and faces nine counts in the southern District of New York, including sex trafficking and racketeering.
Amazon expanding in Quebec: Amazon.com says it will open five more facilities in Quebec that will create more than 1,000 jobs and speed up customer deliveries.
Corruption charges laid against OPP officers: Three veteran Ontario Provincial Police officers are facing charges for giving preferential treatment to certain tow truck operators, in the latest corruption probe to target an industry long plagued with violence.
GM, Microsoft team up on self-driving cars: General Motors is partnering with Microsoft to accelerate its rollout of electric, self-driving cars, using Microsoft’s Azure cloud and edge computing platform.
Mets GM Jared Porter fired: New York Mets general manager Jared Porter has been fired for sending sexually explicit, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter in 2016 when he was working for the Chicago Cubs in their front office.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street’s main indexes rose today as U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen advocated for a hefty fiscal relief package before lawmakers to help the world’s largest economy ride out a pandemic-driven slump. The Toronto market also climbed, but not at the same pace.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 116.26 points or 0.38 per cent to end at 30,930.52, the S&P 500 gained 30.66 points or 0.81 per cent to 3,798.91 and the Nasdaq Composite rose 198.68 points or 1.53 per cent to 13,1297.18.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed higher by 12.49 points or 0.07 per cent at 17,957.37, buoyed by a rise in energy stocks.
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TALKING POINT
Erin O’Toole moves to boot an MP nobody wants, shrugging at his hypocrisy in pursuit of power
“There’s no need to feel sympathy for [Derek] Sloan, who has said and done enough that he should be cast out of any party. But let’s not pretend that [Erin] O’Toole has suddenly discovered damning evidence that Sloan has just now gone too far.” - Campbell Clark
Related: Erin O’Toole moves to oust Derek Sloan from caucus over white supremacist donation
LIVING BETTER
Beat the winter blahs and gain a hobby or two at the same time with the new Globe Craft Club. The event series and membership group features writer Jana G. Pruden and special guests teaching you new craft skills live on Facebook. First up is a class on homemade cheese – plus crackers – with Edmonton chef Cindy Lazarenko tonight at 7 p.m. ET.
TODAY’S LONG READ
14-year-old’s slaying shocks Metro Vancouver amid spike in gang warfare
Evangeline Downey holds a photo of her late 14-year-old nephew Tequel Willis in Burnaby, B.C., on Jan. 8, 2021.DARRYL DYCK/The Globe and Mail
Tequel Willis told his family the evening errand wouldn’t take long. He just had to take a cab from their townhome in Burnaby, B.C., and return some keys to a friend in neighbouring Surrey.
As he got out of the taxi on a residential street two weeks ago, eight bullets hit him – a deadly ambush from someone in a sedan who then drove the vehicle to a quiet road and set it aflame to destroy evidence.
Tequel Willis was 14 years old. Police have described his killing as targeted and have said he was known to police.
He is one of the youngest victims linked to Metro Vancouver’s long-running gang wars, a labyrinth of internecine conflicts that hit a lull during the first months of the pandemic before a spate of fatal shootings in recent weeks. The pandemic is partly to blame for the spike in killings because global drug supply chains have been disrupted, police and drug experts say. Read Ian Bailey and Mike Hager’s full story here.
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