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Evening Update: Hurricane Ian makes landfall in Florida as massive Category 4 storm
Prajakta Dhopade

This article was published more than 3 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

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

Hurricane Ian made landfall in southwest Florida near Cayo Costa on Wednesday as a massive Category 4 storm.

About 2.5 million people had been ordered to evacuate southwest Florida before the storm hit the coast with maximum sustained winds of 241 kilometres an hour. The storm was heading inland, where it was expected to weaken, but residents in central Florida could still experience hurricane-force winds.

The centre of the massive Category 4 storm lingered offshore for hours, which was likely to mean more rain and damage from a hurricane that was trudging on a track that would have it making landfall north of the heavily populated Fort Myers area. Catastrophic storm surges could push 3.6 metres to 5.5 metres of water across more than 400 kilometres of coastline, from Bonita Beach to Englewood, forecasters warned.

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Bank of Canada to publish summaries of meetings in bid to increase transparency following IMF report

The Bank of Canada said it will start publishing a summary of its monetary policy deliberations next year in an effort to improve public understanding of how the governing council makes decisions.

The announcement follows a review of the central bank’s transparency practices by the International Monetary Fund. These summaries will be published roughly two weeks after each policy decision, starting in January.

This moves the Bank of Canada closer to the U.S. Federal Reserve, which publishes detailed minutes of Federal Open Market Committee meetings. However, it will stop short of providing the Fed’s level of detail.

Read more on the economy:

EU vows retaliation for Baltic Sea pipeline explosions Russia claims were not its doing

European Union leaders said the apparent attack on two key pipelines in the Baltic Sea shows the energy conflict between Russia and Europe has entered a potentially dangerous phase and vowed retaliation if evidence emerges the Kremlin was behind what they believe was an unprecedented act of sabotage.

The warning came as natural gas prices, which had been in decline from very high levels in the past month, jumped for the second day in a row, rising about 15 per cent.

The increases were driven by fears that other pieces of European energy infrastructure could come under attack and a warning from Kremlin-controlled Gazprom, the world’s largest gas exporter, that gas flows through Ukraine are at risk over a legal dispute with Ukraine’s national gas company. The Kremlin on Wednesday denied it was behind the twin explosions that crippled the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 subsea pipelines that travel from Russia’s far west to northern Germany.

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Opinion: On World News Day, let’s remember that access to information is a human right

“Making a positive difference to someone’s life is the greatest gift a journalist can give,” writes editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, David Walmsley. “Perhaps an individual is heard for the first time, or an injustice is settled.”

“Those moments when a news editor picks up a phone to hear a scared voice say, ‘You are all I have left, I have nowhere else to turn.’ The last stand between hope and defeat.”

“It is a sacred contract, as old as journalism itself, yet the tenor of our times would try to divide the people from the newsrooms. If those who attempt to turn journalists into the enemy are successful, the people’s right to independent access to information will be lost. And as we all know, a world where people are blinded from facts is a dangerous one.” Read his full column.

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ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Surgery wait times putting children at risk: Half of the children in Canada who need surgery are facing waiting times that far exceed clinical recommendations for treatment, a situation experts say could have serious, lifelong consequences for young patients’ development.

Canadian employers are increasing salaries: Employers across the country are increasing wages and projecting future salary bumps into their budgets amid inflationary pressure and a continuing talent shortage that shows little sign of easing in the near future.

Three legal woes that may take Donald Trump down: Trying to overturn the 2020 election. Taking classified documents on nuclear weapons out of the White House. Business fraud. These are the three major accusations Donald Trump faces. Adrian Morrow explains what’s been happening with each legal issue.

Study of experimental Alzheimer’s drug yields positive results: An experimental Alzheimer’s drug made by Eisai Co Ltd. and Biogen Inc. slowed cognitive and functional decline in a large trial of patients in the early stages of the disease, they said on Tuesday, potentially a rare win in a field littered with failed drugs.

Theatres receive ‘transformative’ donation: Amid a perilous recovery period for the performing arts, the Slaight Family Foundation announced on Wednesday a donation of $15-million to 22 Canadian theatre companies that’s being called “transformative” and an “answered prayer” by artistic leaders.

MARKET WATCH

U.S. and Canadian stocks ended sharply higher on Wednesday following their recent sell-off, helped by the biggest pullback in Treasury yields that’s been seen in years.

The strong gains came after the S&P 500 on Tuesday closed at its lowest since late 2020, dragging U.S. stocks further into bear market territory.

The S&P/TSX composite index, led by gains in the energy sector, closed up 341.01 points, or 1.86 per cent, to 18,648.92.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average closed up 548.75 points, or 1.88 per cent, at 29,683.74. The S&P 500 index ended up 71.75 points, or almost two per cent, at 3,719.04, while the Nasdaq composite was up 222.13 points, or 2.05 per cent, at 11,051.64.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.21 cents US compared with 72.85 cents US on Tuesday.

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TALKING POINTS

Should Poilievre be the one taking on the media, or Trudeau?

“The liberal lean of the Fourth Estate is an article of faith among conservatives. They’ve felt this way for eons. And indeed, there was a time, in the Pierre Trudeau era and before, that it was very much the case.” – Lawrence Martin

Without a healthy public debate, Canada’s strength will wane

“Canada – like other countries targeted by Russian disinformation – is an open, democratic society. This openness has been key to Canada’s success. It has forced governments to justify their mandates to voters and has allowed loyal opposition parties and the public to hold those in power accountable. But the openness of a system like Canada’s is also a staggering vulnerability.” – Adrian Monck

The constitutional confusions of a sovereignty act

“In an angry era of politics, there is a risk that proposals to break the Constitution and its fundamental principles move from the margins to mainstream. It’s a dangerous game and one we allow to grab hold of Canadian politics at our peril.” – Eric M. Adams

LIVING BETTER

How to start running - and not stop

Rick Rayman, 75, ran when he had COVID-19 and he ran when there was 55 centimetres of snow on the ground. At five-foot-four and 110 pounds, Rayman, a Toronto dentist, has run every day since Dec. 10, 1978, making his streak of running 15,995 days in a row (as of Sept. 23), the 21st-longest active run streak in the world.

Rayman is an extreme example of character traits we can all exemplify in the pursuit of any of our difficult goals. Pursuing a dream is an act of faith, and Rayman credits his success to five major, replicable actions: sharing his journey; practising gratitude; enjoying the process; prioritizing, but not obsessing over, his endeavour; and recruiting support from his community. Read more tips on how to become a daily runner.

TODAY’S LONG READ

Open this photo in gallery:

Illustration by Ashley Floréal

‘I’ve achieved everything I possibly could’: Elton John reflects on his career, new Toronto home and living in happiness

“I don’t know if there’s going to be another Elton John record,” Elton John told Johanna Schneller on Sept. 8. “I’ve made too many Elton John records, probably. The world doesn’t need one. It will have to be a different kind of concept.”

Sir Elton, who is 75, his Canadian-born husband David Furnish, 59, and Schneller were seated around a dining table in their sprawling suite at the Shangri-la Hotel. Male assistants bustled about with luggage and laundry. It was the day of John’s final Toronto concert, ever, and the day Queen Elizabeth died. John knew her, of course, but wasn’t ready to talk about her. All he said was, “I lost a friend today.”

Though he won’t play another Toronto concert, John will be spending a lot more time in the city: He, Furnish and their two sons – Zachary, 11, and Elijah, 9 – just bought a penthouse in King Toronto, the splashy complex from renowned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels that looks like stacked boxes of light. In an interview with Schneller, John reflects on his farewell tour, his new Toronto home and his career so far.

Evening Update is written by Prajakta Dhopade. 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.

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