Morning Update: Canada’s population surges, largely driven by increase of temporary residents

Good morning,

The rapid growth of the Canadian population over the past year has largely been driven by temporary residents, according to figures from Statistics Canada published yesterday.

The population stood at roughly 40.1 million on July 1, an increase of nearly 1.2 million people from a year earlier. Not only is Canada growing much faster than its Group of Seven peers, but it was likely among the world’s 20 fastest-growing countries, the agency said in its report.

Over the previous year, the country welcomed around 469,000 permanent residents, part of Ottawa’s plan to increase immigration levels. But the overall population growth is raising fresh concerns over the country’s ability to absorb newcomers as it struggles with high living costs.

• John Ibbitson: As Canada’s fertility rate declines, the debate over how to respond will get ugly

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Trudeau apologizes on behalf of Parliament for lauding Ukrainian who fought with Nazi unit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized on behalf of Parliament yesterday for the “terrible mistake” of honouring a member of a Nazi unit in the Second World War during an official visit to the House of Commons from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The apology marked the first time Trudeau addressed the matter, which garnered international headlines, on the floor of the House since it happened Friday.

The Conservatives, NDP and Bloc Québécois had pushed for an apology for the incident, which led to Anthony Rota’s resignation as Speaker for having invited 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka to the Commons and urged those present to honour him.

Company tied to E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares faces municipal charges, police probe

Fueling Minds, the company at the centre of a number of E. coli cases at Calgary daycares, is the subject of an investigation to “determine if there is a criminal element” to the outbreak, police said yesterday. The company was also charged under municipal bylaws for operating without a business licence.

Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Mark Joffe, also revealed yesterday that meatloaf and its vegan counterpart, served on Aug. 29, are the suspected sources of the outbreak.

There are currently 351 confirmed cases of E. coli in the Calgary area, primarily among children, and 37 secondary cases. Four children remain in hospital with serious complications, Dr. Joffe said.

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Also on our radar

Rising emissions countering climate progress, estimate shows: Emissions from the oil and gas industry are weighing down progress being made by other sectors in meeting Canada’s climate goals, according to estimates by the Canadian Climate Institute. The total national emissions increased by 2.1 per cent in 2022 from the year before, the estimates show.

Supreme Court rules on deportation over violent acts: In an 8-0 ruling yesterday, the Supreme Court of Canada rejected the deportation of foreign nationals believed to have committed violent acts not linked to national security and for which they have not been convicted.

Hackers take down Canadian Forces website: Pro-India hackers took responsibility for temporarily disabling the website for the Canadian Forces yesterday. In social-media posts, the Indian Cyber Force shared screenshots of the Canadian military website being taken down. The hacker group has been roused this month by geopolitical tensions between India and Canada.

Republican debate did not showcase anyone capable of presidency: The second Republican presidential debate offered an audition for many things: public attention, meme-worthy moments, a favourable reception from donors, perhaps even the future direction of U.S. conservatism. What it did not offer was a chance to challenge Donald Trump, the man who appears to have the party’s nomination already in his grasp.

• David Shribman: Republican debate shows how far the party has moved away from Reagan’s brand of conservatism

Birmingham is running out of money: The city of Birmingham, England has filed for bankruptcy as it faces a £760-million bill to resolve a pay-equity dispute, a £100-million price tag to fix the IT system and years of budget shortfalls. The city now has to take a look at taking drastic measures, including a 10-per-cent hike in property taxes and possibly even selling Council House, the seat of the city government.

Flames assistant GM suffers catastrophic brain injury: Chris Snow, the assistant general manager and vice-president of data and analytics for the Calgary Flames, suffered a brain injury on Tuesday and is not expected to survive. His wife said in a social-media post that he became unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest. The 42-year-old has battled ALS for the past four years.

Morning markets

Global stocks under pressure: World stocks were on track for their longest losing streak in two years on Thursday as the sight of oil prices heading for US$100 a barrel compounded concerns about persistently high global interest rates. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 slid 0.89 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 lost 0.41 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed down 1.54 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 1.36 per cent. New York futures were negative. The Canadian dollar was firmer at 74.14 US cents.

What everyone’s talking about

David Parkinson: “It’s a legitimate question whether the Bank of Canada Act is long overdue for a rethink. Perhaps the loose framework has been useful to accommodate a flexible central bank that can evolve without the need to be revisited by legislation. Alternatively, perhaps the bank could benefit from renewed legislative scrutiny to enshrine its best practices and provide fresh guidance to help shape its future.”

Today’s editorial cartoon

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Living better

A guide to starting CPP and OAS benefits when you retire

Starting the Canada Pension Plan as early as 60 means you get less than you would at 65. Delaying from 65 to as late as 70 gives you an additional 8.4 per cent in benefits for each year you wait, to a ceiling of 42 per cent if you begin at 70. So there’s a huge financial incentive to delay as late as 70 for people who anticipate living into their later 80s and beyond and who value the higher inflation-protected income. But if you need retirement income or have health issues that might limit your life expectancy, starting at 65 or earlier makes sense.

Moment in time: Sept. 28, 1972

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Henderson scores for Canada to win Summit Series

There are seminal moments that many of a certain age remember: President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. The moon landing in 1969. The toppling of the Berlin Wall in 1989. And, of course, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. For Canadian sports fans – and many Canadians in general – there is one moment that stands above all others: the goal Paul Henderson scored on Sept. 28, 1972, to win hockey’s Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The eight-game series pitted the Soviet National Team, which dominated international competition, against an all-star squad comprising NHL players who were excluded from events like the Olympics and world championships. The first four contests were staged across Canada, and Team Canada had only one victory and a tie to show for it. The next four skirmishes were in Moscow, where the Soviets took a 3-1-1 series lead. Canada won the final three meetings between them, the last on a goal by Henderson, a Toronto Maple Leaf, with 34 seconds left in the third period. When the Canadians returned home, a crowd of 10,000 turned out to meet them at Montreal’s Dorval Airport, and later that day 80,000 saluted them in Toronto. Marty Klinkenberg

Editor’s note: The photo accompanying today's Moment in Time depicts Paul Henderson's winning goal from game seven of the Summit Series. In a previous version of this article, the caption incorrectly implied the photo depicted Henderson's series-winning goal in game eight, with with 34 seconds left in the third period.

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