Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that he will be invoking the Federal Emergencies Act for the first time as antigovernment blockades continue. Sources say that Ottawa has no plans to call in the Canadian military, but is prepared to use its authority under the Act to target certain types of activities, such as banning protests at border bridges, trade routes and downtown city cores.
The measures will also give expanded powers to Canada’s banks and the federal financial intelligence agency to monitor and stem the flow of funds to protesters blockading key corridors across Canada.
“The scope of these measures will be time limited, geographically targeted, as well as reasonable and proportionate to the threats they are meant to address,” he said.
Trudeau consulted premiers earlier today about triggering the never-before-used act but faced pushback from some First Ministers who were concerned about invoking sweeping powers. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney strongly objected as did Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and Quebec Premier François Legault, according to two provincial sources.
GiveSendGo funding allegedly suffered a hack, and a leak site says it has been given reams of data about the donors to the Canadian anti-vaccine-mandate truckers. The fundraising platform popular with supporters of the movement also appeared to be offline.
In Alberta, the RCMP say they have arrested 11 people tied to the blockade of the Canada-U.S. border crossing at Coutts, Alta., after seizing a cache of guns. Investigators believe the seizure is tied to a group willing to use force to prevent police from dismantling the blockade.
Ontario plans to scrap its vaccine-certificate system on March 1, Premier Doug Ford announced today, while allowing the removal of current capacity limits for restaurants, bars and gyms this Thursday.
Quebec Premier François Legault said he will meet with public-health officials later tonight to discuss whether the province’s vaccine passport system should remain in use.
Other International protests continue elsewhere, such as in Israel and France from over the weekend.
Opinion:
- Are pandemic restrictions done for good? If not, what will trigger action again?
- Let us praise vaccine mandates before we bury them
- The border closings have done enormous damage to Canada’s reputation at the worst possible time
Ukrainians feeling abandoned by the West
Senior international correspondent Mark MacKinnon is in Kyiv as embassies are relocating and airlines are moving planes out of the country, he writes about the escalating consequences of Russia’s military pressure even without shots being fired.
On the ground, there was a spreading feeling that the West – which many Ukrainians hoped their country might one day fully join – was deserting Ukraine to its fate as warnings about an imminent Russian invasion multiplied. Flags were down at the Canadian Embassy in Kyiv today.
There were hints from Moscow today of a possible de-escalation in the months-long crisis. However, an estimated 130,000 Russian troops remain massed on three sides of Ukraine, and videos posted to social media suggested that tanks and other equipment were being moved closer to the border.
- Also today: Canada to send lethal weapons, $500-million loan to Ukraine as it girds for possible war
- Read our explainer here
Members of the Ukrainian Border Guard patrol along the Ukrainian border fence at the Three Sisters border crossing between, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus on February 14, 2022 in Senkivka, Ukraine.Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Today’s Olympic update
Canada’s Christine de Bruin won bronze in the inaugural Olympic monobob race at the Beijing Games late Sunday night and Canada and the USA are headed to another gold medal game in women’s hockey. In women’s hockey, Canada thrashed the Swiss 10-3 and the U.S. beat Finland 4-1 to set up the Olympic final.
Meanwhile, sport’s highest court ruled that Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva can compete in the remainder of the Beijing Winter Olympics despite failing a doping test in December. The decision, writes Cathal Kelley, is yet another doping joke in a long-running farce.
There’s a busy night ahead: With Canadian men’s curling team taking on China in round robin play, and medals up for grabs in Women’s Big Air snowboard with two Canadians in the field, Jasmine Baird and Laurie Blouin, and the Women’s Downhill, with Canadians Marie-Michèle Gagnon and Roni Remme. Follow along tonight with our daily guide.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Remembering Ivan Reitman: The director, who died in his sleep over the weekend at the age of 75, will forever be known to most as the man behind Ghostbusters, an ‘80s slobs vs. snobs lark that spawned one of the longest-running entertainment franchises in history, not to mention a property responsible for sparking at least one major cultural war.
Three months after the floods, B.C. still waiting for funding: Municipalities are still trying to house hundreds of displaced people in temporary homes that would allow them to stay in their communities from both flooding and fires in 2021. No money has been released yet after a historic fires obliterated the town of Lytton and forced the evacuation of thousands across the province last summer. Nearly five months later, the devastating floods hit Canada’s West Coast.
Muskrat Falls financing terms are signed, Innu Nation cries foul: Ottawa and the Newfoundland and Labrador government have signed terms for two key pieces of a $5.2-billion financing agreement aimed at staving off a spike in provincewide electricity rates due to the beleaguered Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project.
MARKET WATCH
The S&P 500 index closed modestly lower on Monday, largely recovering from a sharp sell-off, as U.S. plans to close its Kyiv embassy in Ukraine sent simmering geopolitical tensions to a boil. Canada’s main stock index also fell, as investors worried that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could worsen the inflation outlook.
The Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index ended down 196.33 points at 21,352.51. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 171.89 points to 34,566.17; the S&P 500 lost 16.97 points at 4,401.67; and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.24 points to 13,790.92.
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TALKING POINTS
The legal defence of extreme intoxication is not inherently anti-feminist
“Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, I fear we have not learned from our mistakes, and survivors will once again suffer the most harm.” - Vanshika Dhawan
How do you beat the winter blahs? Listen to sad music, neuroscientists say
“There is science to the musical commiseration. Comforting music, it is believed, can trigger the brain to release prolactin, the hormone produced when mothers nurse their infants.” - Brad Wheeler
LIVING BETTER
Maintaining an environmentally sustainable diet is a worthwhile goal
Looking to make more sustainable choices at home? Start at the dinner table. Food production is a leading source of greenhouse gases, so choosing more environmentally sustainable foods is one way for individuals to help combat climate change.
And, in many cases, dietary choices that are likely to improve your health, such as eating more plant-based meals and reducing your intake of processed foods, will improve the health of the planet, as well. Reducing the carbon footprint of your diet doesn’t have to involve drastic changes – consistently eating more eco-friendly meals can be done in just four easy steps.
TODAY’S LONG READ
The Globe and Mail
An elegy for the office romance
Before COVID-19 and Tinder there was the workplace. People fell in love in bush camps and operating rooms, while cleaning dishes in the office kitchen and spreading Cheez-Whiz on toast at the craft services table of a comedy show. Journalism is one of those professions that seems to draw colleagues together. Teaching, in law, and medicine, too. But that was back in the day – fewer of us are finding our soulmates in the office.
For Valentine’s Day, Elizabeth Renzetti shares the stories of people who fell in love at work, including her own. She also asks: What do we lose when we lose the office romance? “I certainly hope the office relationship isn’t dead, because it gave me the life I have now,” she said.
Also read: Getting roses for Valentine’s Day? Thank these Colombians, and their massive annual flower airlift
Evening Update is written by Sierra Bein. 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.