Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Encana is moving headquarters to the U.S. and changing its name to Ovintiv
Canadian oil and gas company Encana is moving its head office from Calgary to the United States and rebranding to Ovintiv, but says there will be no local jobs lost as a result.
The reason CEO Doug Suttles gave for the move was to gain access pools of U.S. capital.
Rivals Royal Dutch Shell, ConocoPhillips and Suncor Energy have either been selling their Canadian assets or have scaled back investments as pipeline space crunch affects prices, while Encana has been adding U.S. assets.
The company says its plan, which requires shareholder, stock exchange and court approval, is expected to take effect early next year.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney laid blame for the move squarely on the federal Liberals under Justin Trudeau and what he calls their destructive energy policy.
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters on our newsletter signup page. If you like what you see, please forward the Evening Update newsletter to your friends.
U.S. House approves an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump
The U.S. House of Representatives has formally approved an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, making him the fourth president in American history to face a process that could see him thrown out of office.
The motion kicks off a more public phase of the investigation into Trump’s attempts to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election. In a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, Trump pushed for investigations into Joe Biden, one of his top political challengers.
The motion sets out the inquiry’s procedures. It also allows the Republicans to call witnesses and provides for Trump’s lawyers to take part in the proceedings, though Democratic committee chairs will have the right to veto both these powers.
Waterfront Toronto is moving forward on Sidewalk Labs’ smart city, but with limits on scale and data collection
After months of negotiations, Waterfront Toronto’s board of directors voted to proceed with a proposal for Sidewalk Labs to build a high-tech community on Toronto’s waterfront at a smaller scale than the Google sister company asked for in June.
Sidewalk Labs had initially been contracted in 2017 to develop the site. But in June it sought the right to help plan and implement technologies across 190 acres of the city’s eastern waterfront, and contained provisions about innovation profits and privacy that drew concerns.
The negotiated proposal includes better provisions for Canadian entities to profit from those innovations, as well as stronger provisions for public data-collection and privacy.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
MacKay critical of Scheer: Former cabinet minister Peter MacKay says Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer had a “breakaway on an open net” in last week’s federal election but blew it because he failed to deal with questions about his socially conservative views. He made the comments at a panel discussion in Washington yesterday, where he also denied he was involved in efforts to replace Scheer as leader.
Supreme Court to review decision on Shermans’ files: The Supreme Court of Canada will review an appeal court’s decision to unseal files related to the estates of wealthy Toronto couple Barry and Honey Sherman, who were found murdered two years ago.
Trial under way for former SNC-Lavalin executive: The fraud and corruption trial of Sami Bebawi, a former executive with engineering giant SNC-Lavalin, began hearing from its first witness today at the Montreal courthouse.
Bombardier selling aerostructures business: Bombardier announced the sale of its aerostructure business to Spirit AeroSystems Holdings for US$500-million, a move that shores up the company’s balance sheet as it focuses on its more profitable trains and business jets.
Islamic State names new leader: The Islamic State has identified its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, after it confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi days earlier in a U.S raid in Syria.
Shapovalov advances in Paris: Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is moving on to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, in an upset victory over No. 6 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.
MARKET WATCH
Canada’s main stock index was dragged down today along with U.S. markets by Chinese doubts about whether a long-term trade deal can be reached with the United States. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 18.27 points at 16,483.16.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 140.46 points to 27,046.23, the S&P 500 index fell 9.21 points to 3,037.56, and the Nasdaq composite was down 11.62 points at 8,292.36.
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
It was impossible not to fall in love with the unlikely World Series champion Nationals
“This was the team the Expos never managed to be – not always fun to watch, but one that finds a way. But like the Expos, the Nationals were impossible not to fall in love with. For all those who did so, that new love paid off like a slot machine on Wednesday night.” - Cathal Kelly
A monster French-Italian-American car deal that might only slow inevitable decline
“The proposed merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s PSA Group is an admission that the future of car manufacturing is going to be highly expensive, arduous and possibly nothing more than a fight against long-term decline. Bulking up will buy time, not guarantee a prosperous future.” - Eric Reguly
LIVING BETTER
If your little ghouls and goblins are bringing home candy by the bagfuls tonight, here are some tips on how to handle their Halloween haul. They include:
- Manage expectations: Decide in advance how much candy your kids can eat on Halloween night as well as during the week or two afterward and let them know.
- Have a leftovers strategy: Ask your kids to sort their goodies into three piles – their favourite treats, ones that are just okay and their least favourites. Pitch the unpopular ones or consider donating them.
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
England and South Africa set for monumental clash in Rugby World Cup final
At a time of seemingly endless struggles on the political and economic battlefields at home, the people of England and South Africa are looking to a rugby match this weekend in faraway Japan as a desperately needed source of hope and relief.
Saturday’s final at the Rugby World Cup is being eagerly anticipated as a distraction from domestic crises and a beacon of unifying pride for both England and South Africa. And the teams of both sides have inspired broad support by becoming more racially diverse.
After eight years of dominance by New Zealand, the World Cup will have a new champion for the first time since 2007. It features a battle of the hemispheres, with England representing the north and South Africa representing the south. England, undefeated at this World Cup, is the favourite to win, but the Springboks of South Africa have won two World Cups in the past and cannot be counted out.
As rugby fever intensifies on both sides, politicians are jumping on the sports bandwagon, fans are scrambling for last-minute flights to Japan, and the social implications are being analyzed. Read Paul Waldie and Geoffrey York’s full story here.
Editor’s note: If you’re watching the match, you may hear Springboks fans singing Impi, a song written by the late Johnny Clegg that recounts the British army’s defeat by the Zulus in 1879′s Battle of Isandlwana. It’s often chanted at international sports events involving South Africa.
Evening Update is presented by S.R. Slobodian. 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.