Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Suspect in Toronto van attack found guilty on all counts
A man who killed 10 people and injured 16 others by deliberately driving a van down a bustling Toronto sidewalk was found guilty today, with a judge saying he carried out the attack to achieve notoriety.
The 28-year-old from Richmond Hill, Ont., had admitted to planning and carrying out the attack on April 23, 2018, but had argued he should be found not criminally responsible for his actions because he is on the autism spectrum.
Justice Anne Molloy, who refused to name him in her decision and referred to him only as John Doe, found him guilty on of 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.
The case is set to return to court on March 18 to discuss next steps for sentencing.
Opinion: Toronto’s van attacker: He who should not be named - Elizabeth Renzetti
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The latest COVID-19 developments: Trudeau says vaccination could be accelerated, subsidies extended at current levels and more
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed optimism today that his government’s September deadline for vaccinating Canadians against COVID-19 could be moved up as more shots are approved and guidelines for administering them evolve.
Ottawa is extending subsidies for wages and rent at current levels until June 5, a move Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said will cost about $16-billion. The 12-week extension had previously been announced but it was unclear at the time whether the amount would be the same.
Meanwhile, the first 500,000 doses of the recently approved Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine arrived today, though confusion persists over who should get them. Health Canada last week authorized its use for all adult Canadians, but the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommended Tuesday that it not be administered to people 65 years of age or older. Today, the Ontario government said it will give the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot to residents aged 60 to 64.
Internationally: The British government has announced the country’s biggest corporate tax hike in almost 50 years in a bid to slowly fill the fiscal hole left by the pandemic. The corporate tax rate will rise to 25 per cent from 19 per cent in April, 2023, the first time the rate has been increased since 1974. The government also plans to freeze several personal tax allowances for four years starting in 2022.
Read more:
- Second dose of COVID-19 vaccine can be four months after the first, expert panel says
- Globe editorial: Canada’s pandemic response has been consistently mediocre. The airports mess is just the latest chapter
- The EU’s faltering COVID-19 vaccine rollout triggers rebellious go-it-alone strategies across Europe
Former military ombudsman testifies that he told Sajjan about allegations against Vance
Former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne says he specifically told Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about allegations of misconduct against General Jonathan Vance during a “hostile” closed-door meeting three years ago.
Walbourne testified to a parliamentary committee this afternoon, nearly two weeks after Sajjan told the same committee that he was as surprised as anyone when Global News first reported Vance’s alleged misconduct in early February.
He says he asked Sajjan to get back to him with advice on how to handle the allegations, but was instead cut off from any further contact with the minister and that his financial and staffing authorities were frozen.
Trudeau warns China of ‘possible consequences’ over treatment of Uyghurs
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is warning Beijing of “possible consequences” from the international community after its envoy to Canada dismissed reports of genocide, forced labour and relocations of Uyghur Muslims as the “lie of the century.”
Ambassador Cong Peiwu held a virtual news conference today with Canadians news outlets including The Globe and Mail during which he faced questions about Parliament’s recent vote that declared a genocide was taking place against Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.
He also brushed aside an internal Chinese report obtained by The Globe and Mail and BBC that said Beijing is relocating large numbers of Uyghurs to other parts of the country to assimilate them and thin their population in Xinjiang, where they have lived for centuries.
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Cuomo addresses harassment claims: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said today he intends to remain in office in the face of sexual harassment allegations that have weakened his support and led to calls for his resignation, even from some fellow Democrats. He also apologized and said he will “fully co-operate” with an investigation.
Trump’s comments take spotlight in Meng hearing: A lawyer for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou is accusing former U.S. president Donald Trump of co-opting her extradition proceedings in an effort to use her as leverage in trade negotiations with China.
GM’s production cuts extended: The global semiconductor chip shortage has prompted General Motors to extend production cuts at three North American plants, including its Ingersoll, Ont., facility, until at least mid-April and add a fourth to the list of factories hit.
Parler sues Amazon again: Parler, a social media app popular among right-wing groups, has filed a new lawsuit accusing Amazon Inc of trying to destroy its business following the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump.
MARKET WATCH
The Nasdaq ended sharply lower on today after investors sold high-flying technology shares and pivoted to sectors viewed as more likely to benefit from an economic recovery on the back of fiscal stimulus and vaccination programs. Canada’s benchmark stock index also closed lower, led by weakness in the technology sector, even as energy stocks and oil prices rallied on a surprise jump in fuel inventories.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 121.43 points or 0.39 per cent to 31,270.09, the S&P 500 fell 50.57 points or 1.31 per cent to 3,819.72 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 361.04 points or 2.7 per cent to 12,997.75.
The S&P/TSX Composite lost 100.93 points or 0.55 per cent to end at 18,320.67.
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TALKING POINTS
House prices are going bonkers again. Where is the outrage?
“There now seems little doubt that the Bank of Canada’s decision to keep interest rates low to help a pandemic-battered economy stay alive may have had unintended consequences.” - Gary Mason
Despite soaring housing market, Evan Siddall’s caution deserves praise
“Easy credit and dysfunctional housing policies that stoke demand have left us with a market that is dangerously out of whack with reality. Shouldn’t at least someone in a position of power speak up before it’s too late?” - Konrad Yakabuski
Read more: Toronto, Vancouver home sales soar as condo market rebounds, low rates drive up prices
TODAY’S LONG READ
After cooking fatigue set in, inspiration is found in the pages of a children’s picture book
Our Little Kitchen, written and illustrated by Jillian TamakiGroundwood Books
Like so many others, I turned to the kitchen at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown last March to pass the time and give some structure to our new home life. As spring turned to summer, food continued to be a source of diversion.
But then summer gave way to fall, and winter lurked. Planning and preparing meals and snacks to sustain a family of four for months and months was taking its toll. Any delight I’d been able to find in a new recipe or a delicious meal built out of random pantry items had evaporated.
But recently I rediscovered an honest joy in the kitchen unexpectedly – through a picture book. My eldest son, aged seven, snuck down from bedtime one night and asked, in the same tone he usually reserves for requests to eat candy for breakfast, whether we could make “vegetable, you-know” for dinner the next night.
“Vegetable, you-know,” turned out to be vegetable soup, just as the characters in Jillian Tamaki’s Our Little Kitchen make together. Read Cassandra Drudi’s full story here.
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