Busy day? Here are five stories popular with Globe readers to help you catch up.
Stars align for a spectacular Perseid meteor shower
The annual Perseid meteor shower will shine especially bright on Wednesday night, thanks to an absence of moonlight and favourable weather across Canada.
Here are Ivan Semiuk’s four tips for grabbing the best spot:
- Find a dark, open area away from city lights, preferably well outside of the city.
- Bring warm clothes and drinks—it’s a lot cooler at night than you think.
- Bring something comfortable to sit on, such as a deck chair that lets you lean back and take in the whole sky.
- Be patient. During a good shower, a meteor will show up about every minute or so.
At Duffy trial, Wright recounts how Senate scandal engulfed Harper’s office
The most eagerly-awaited witness in the Mike Duffy trial took the stand Wednesday, with former Harper chief of staff Nigel Wright recounting how he was drawn into the Senate scandal over expense claims, Steven Chase reports.
Mr. Wright explained for an Ottawa court how the Prime Minister’s Office effectively performed damage control, and that the Conservatives were especially sensitive to spending controversies such as expense claims.
Mr. Wright’s emails, which reveal how the PMO handled the scandal as it was unfolding, have been released in court. The Globe and Mail has uploaded them here.
The scandal engulfed the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr. Wright said, when Mr. Duffy initially appeared prepared to repay his own expenses but then grew increasingly reluctant to do so.
Mr. Wright quit the Prime Minister’s Office in May 2013 after it was revealed that he secretly paid Mr. Duffy $90,000 so the Senator could reimburse taxpayers for questionable expense claims.
Canadians piling up ‘good debt,’ report says
Canadians are borrowing more, but much of what they owe is “good debt,” suggests a new report by the Bank of Montreal.
As Kiran Rana examines, Canadians’ average debt reportedly rose to $93,000 in June from $76,140 a year earlier. Credit card debt and mortgage debt were the most prevalent types.
Of the Canadians surveyed, 80 per cent said they are in debt. While the percentage stayed the same as last year, so-called “smart purchases,” such as home purchases, home repairs/renovations and education expenses topped the list of debt sources for Canadians.
Chinese buyers making mark on Vancouver’s luxury housing
Buyers from China “dominate” the luxury segment of Vancouver’s red-hot housing market, according to new data from prominent B.C. real estate company Macdonald Realty Ltd., which says mainland Chinese buyers in 2014 accounted for 70 per cent of the firm’s transactions of high-end Vancouver homes over $3-million.
Macdonald’s data also show the influence of wealthy mainland Chinese buyers declines with the price of the property, Iain Marlow reports.
The average cost of a detached house in Vancouver has soared to $2.23-million, leading to fears of a housing affordability crisis. But Dan Scarrow, a Macdonald vice-president who runs the firm’s Shanghai office, says buyers from China are only having a clear impact in the luxury market.
“The unaffordability issue at the entry level – it’s a function almost entirely of a lack of supply and low interest rates,” Mr. Scarrow said.
National three-way tie hides worry for NDP in Ontario, poll suggests
It’s a tight three-way race across the country, but the surging NDP is still struggling where it counts most—in Ontario.
As Campbell Clark reports, a new Nanos Research poll suggests Thomas Mulcair’s party is running behind in Canada’s most populous province.
That’s dangerous for the New Democrats, who since have been proven popular in national polls since spring.
The Conservatives hold a substantial lead in Ontario with 37 per cent support so far, according to the Nanos poll. The Liberals have 29 per cent and the NDP 26 per cent.