Good morning. Politicians and labour groups are putting trucking regulators in the spotlight – more on the follow-up to a Globe investigation, along with creative seafood solutions and the end to a heist story. Let’s get to it.
A person walks in the truck lot at the ONroute in Cambridge, Ont., on May 19.Keito Newman/The Globe and Mail
TOP STORY
Experts call on governments to stamp out abuse in trucking
The latest: The trucking sector is under scrutiny on Parliament Hill because of increasing concerns about wage theft, safety lapses and employee misclassification – a practice in which companies wrongly classify drivers as self-employed, stripping them of basic labour protections, and allowing employers to evade proper pay.
Context: The Globe and Mail’s recent trucking industry investigation found that disjointed regulation in the trucking industry has allowed the misclassification practice to flourish. Custom census data show that the sector has seen a significant rise of the precarious form of work. A House of Commons transport committee is currently studying the same issue.
What’s next: In April, Ottawa launched consultations to ramp up penalties for labour violations, and federal and provincial labour ministers agreed to create a working group to develop a joint plan on addressing misclassification in the trucking industry.
Happening soon: Investigative reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh and data editor Mahima Singh will hold a Q&A about their investigation on Wednesday, June 3, at 12 p.m. ET. Send them your questions in advance.
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An Israeli flag flies over the medieval Beaufort Castle, known locally as Qalaat al-Shaqif or Shaqif Arnoun, as seen from the Marjayoun area of southern Lebanon on May 31.AFP STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
World
Israel captures Beaufort castle in Lebanon
The latest: The capture of a strategic mountain topped with a Crusader-built castle marked a major Israeli advance in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The conflict started in March when Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked its main backer, Iran. Since then, Israel launched a ground invasion that has so far captured dozens of Lebanese villages and towns close to the border.
What’s next: Talks between senior officials from Israel and Lebanon continue this week. The U.S. had brokered a ceasefire that began in April, but it has not stopped cross-border attacks. Many people now shelter in Beirut where hundreds have been killed. Here’s what you need to know as Israel’s offensive in Lebanon also complicates an Iran ceasefire.
Raviolli Scallop from Little Louis restaurant in Moncton.SYLVIE MAZEROLLE/The Globe and Mail
How We Live
East Coast chefs eye other fish in the sea
The latest: If you were a Maritimes tourist this summer, you’d probably be looking forward to a special local seafood experience. But this year, shortages of oysters, haddock and scallops have created major challenges for chefs across the region. To find a creative solution, menus are being rewritten across the coast as cooks experiment with types of seafood that had previously been given short shrift.
What’s next: For example, Moncton chef Pierre A. Richard would rather get inventive than dramatically alter prices for the increased cost of hard-to-source colossal scallops. For this summer, he developed a dish of broken scallop-filled ravioli in a smoked potato and leek velouté topped with maple-glazed pork belly and a handful of scallops that are smaller than the marshmallow-sized ones he’d typically use.
Energy
‘LNG is so hot right now’
The latest: At the Energy Roundtable conference in Calgary last week, industry CEOs spoke about how they are seeing promising leads for further growth. According to Scott Burrows, the head of Pembina Pipeline Corp., the current industry momentum means it’s time to dust off some of the old engineering studies for liquefied natural gas projects.
What’s next: Chief executive officer Mark Maki said that the Trans Mountain pipeline system will be running at capacity in June. The federal government’s goal is to eventually sell the pipeline, but that’s not in the cards any time soon.
Politics
Findlay wins BC Conservatives leadership race
The latest: A lawyer and former minister of national revenue under then-prime minister Stephen Harper, Kerry-Lynne Findlay will lead the B.C. Conservatives into the next provincial election. She is replacing John Rustad, who was forced out of his post. “Faith, family and freedom, that’s what it’s all about,” she said in her victory speech on Saturday night.
What’s next: While the next election is not scheduled until 2028, the NDP has a fragile majority and only narrowly passed a confidence vote in the legislature this week. But Findlay’s bigger challenge will be uniting a party and caucus that has struggled to determine what kind of political vehicle they are in.
Bookmarked
- Settle: Music industry funding body FACTOR settles with Scotiabank over who should be responsible for a $9.8-million heist of taxpayer money.
- Fight: Nova Scotia’s volunteer firefighters lack adequate funding on the front lines of the climate crisis.
- For your finances: The SpaceX IPO is the clearest sign yet of a bull market at its peak, writes Ian McGugan.
- For the fans: Blue Jays’ Jesús Sánchez has quickly become a favourite for the team’s followers.
- Conversation starter: How do we know when we are living through a catastrophe?
The Quote
The red nose is the smallest mask in the world. It does not obscure, it reveals – it reveals who you are.
— Catherine Cédilot, clown workshop leader
Clowning is everywhere in the culture right now, but it often misses the vulnerability and radical sincerity of the jester, who is supposed to make fun of the King. This Montreal workshop helped one reporter channel her inner clown.
The Shot
André Sills, right, rehearses a scene with Evan Buliung (who stars as Iago) of Othello in Stratford, Ont., on April 25.DUANE COLE/The Globe and Mail
This year André Sills takes on his biggest Stratford Festival season yet. He will be playing two meaty roles in completely different shows: Othello and Oberon.
Note: In the May 21 edition of Morning Update, we wrote that Uber drivers don’t receive pay stubs. While drivers aren’t issued traditional pay stubs, Uber does provide a weekly earnings statement and a monthly summary for tax purposes.