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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Cannabis becomes legal at midnight - here’s the latest
Supply likely won’t meet demand when recreational cannabis becomes legal at midnight – a situation that won’t help combat the illegal market. Here’s a look at the numbers and why it’s so difficult to grow cannabis for an entire nation. (For subscribers)
So what does a legal pot dispensary look like? Authorities offered a sneak peek of one of the three Montreal outlets that will open to the public tomorrow, Ingrid Peritz writes, revealing a shop that looks like a cross between a pharmacy and a health-food store and will sell products starting at $5.25 a gram. (For subscribers)
Meanwhile, Ottawa is looking to expedite pardons for people with minor cannabis convictions. People convicted of pot possession could soon be asked to fill out a simple form to speed up the process of obtaining a criminal pardon, officials say. The government has already instituted a similar system for people convicted of consensual sexual activity with same-sex partners over the decades.
For what you need to know - from where to buy it, to how to invest in it and how to get a healthy high - check out our cannabis guide.
More stories like this are available by subscribing to Cannabis Professional, a new e-mail news service from The Globe and Mail written specifically for cannabis industry professionals.
Turkish investigators find evidence that Saudi journalist Khashoggi killed in consulate: official
Police who searched the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul found evidence that Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed there, a high-level Turkish official said today without elaborating, as authorities prepared to search the consul’s residence nearby after the diplomat left the country.
Saudi officials have called Turkish allegations that Saudi agents killed Mr. Khashoggi “baseless,” but reports in U.S. media suggested the Saudis may acknowledge the writer was killed at the consulate, perhaps as part of a botched interrogation.
Amid widespread concern about Mr. Khashoggi’s fate, the CEOs of three major banks have pulled out of a high-profile conference in Saudi Arabia next week, the latest business leaders to abandon the event. (For subscribers)
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland telephoned her counterpart in Saudi Arabia yesterday to voice Canada’s concerns, but says Ottawa has no plans to suspend a multibillion-dollar arms sale to the Mideast kingdom, Steven Chase and Barrie McKenna report.
Opinion: “The Turks, the Americans and the Saudis themselves all needed a way out of this impasse. With too much to lose, the truth behind who ordered the death of Mr. Khashoggi will be sacrificed.” - Bessma Momani, professor at the University of Waterloo
Federal government to eliminate disciplinary segregation in prisons
The federal government tabled legislation today to transform the way it separates inmates in correctional institutions from the general prison population. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the bill is the result of recent court decisions as well as recommendations from a coroner’s inquest into the 2007 death of teenager Ashley Smith, who died by self-strangulation after spending more than 1,000 days in segregation.
Administrative and disciplinary segregation — which involve separating an inmate from others for safety or security reasons — will be eliminated. New “structured intervention units” will be created to allow offenders who pose security or other risks to be removed from the general population while still having access to rehabilitative programming, interventions and mental-health care.
The Correctional Service of Canada also will be obliged to ensure that considerations unique to Indigenous offenders are factored into all correctional decision making.
Paul Bernardo to have parole hearing after 25 years in prison
Notorious schoolgirl killer and serial rapist Paul Bernardo is expected to plead for release tomorrow by arguing he has done what he could to improve himself during his 25 years in prison, mostly in solitary confinement. Designated a dangerous offender, he became eligible for parole in February.
Mr. Bernardo’s parole hearing at the Bath Institution comes almost two weeks after the prosecution withdrew a weapon-possession charge against him related to the discovery of a screw attached to a ballpoint pen handle in his cell.
At the aborted weapon trial, defence lawyer Fergus (Chip) O’Connor outlined the pitch Mr. Bernardo was expected to make to the National Parole Board panel. “He’s as horrified as you and I are at what he did,” Mr. O’Connor said. “I expect that he will take full responsibility, express remorse, and he appears to be sincere in that.”
Scrapping cap-and-trade will cost Ontario $3-billion in lost revenue: financial watchdog
A new report says the Ontario Progressive Conservative government’s decision to cancel the cap-and-trade system will lead to a loss of $3-billion in revenue over the next four years, Laura Stone and Shawn McCarthy write. Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman said in the report released today that the deficit is a result of a loss of cap-and-trade revenues that will exceed savings from cancelling related spending programs, as well as wind-down costs.
To fulfill a campaign promise, Ontario Premier Doug Ford introduced a bill in July to end the cap-and-trade program and has also vowed to challenge the imposition of a federal carbon tax in court. Barring a successful legal challenge of the federal tax, the Ford government and other non-compliant provinces will be subject to a federal pricing backstop beginning next year.
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MARKET WATCH
U.S. stocks surged more than 2 per cent today after upbeat earnings reports from major companies, including UnitedHealth and Goldman Sachs, and solid economic data, as equities rebounded from a recent sharp selloff. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 547.87 points to 25,798.42, the S&P 500 gained 59.13 points to 2,809.92 and the Nasdaq Composite added 214.75 points to 7,645.49.
Canada’s main stock index posted its best day in six months despite a pullback of cannabis stocks on the last trading session before tomorrow’s legalization. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 170.27 points to 15,579.74, with financial stocks leading the way.
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WHAT’S TRENDING ON SOCIAL
Toronto’s Pride Parade has lifted a ban on uniformed police officers participating in the annual event, saying the force was welcome to apply to be a part of next summer’s festivities. The relationship between Pride Toronto and city police has been tense for the past two years — uniformed officers were banned from the parade in 2017 over concerns of racial profiling, and again this year over criticism the force had not taken the disappearances of several men missing from the city’s gay village seriously. Pride Toronto said today the two sides have made progress on conversations related to “policing and institutional power.”
TALKING POINTS
Boomers, remember the real – and perceived – harms of cannabis use
“As cannabis becomes used more openly, and perhaps a bit more frequently, it’s worth going over a few basics. While a lot of effort has been put into educating/warning youth, not enough has been done to bring older Canadians – who will be the primary customers of cannabis stores – up to speed. As boomers discover – or more likely rediscover – cannabis, a common admonition is worth repeating: This is not your Woodstock-era pot.” - André Picard
The China clause in USMCA is American posturing. But it’s no veto
“The clause is more about the U.S. signaling and attempting to marshal support in the context of the current administration’s broader efforts to contain China. The real danger lies in the possibility that Canada is siphoned into a higher-level sharp conflict against China. We ought to be more sophisticated than that.” - Pascale Massot, assistant professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa
LIVING BETTER
Flying these days can be a miserable experience, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how you can make any flight more comfortable. Start by doing your research: Before selecting your seat, punch your flight info into seatguru.com. For no fee, you’ll find out which seats have the most leg room and recline, and which ones are closest to the washrooms. Stick to the aisle seat to easily get up whenever you want to take a walk, stretch or wander to the galley to ask for something extra. And know the equipment: On some planes there is a lever at the back of the aisle armrest that lets you raise it for some extra wiggle room. (Just mind your elbows during the food and beverage service.)
LONG READ FOR A LONG COMMUTE
Raptors broadcaster Jack Armstrong, father to three adopted sons, calls parenting ‘an amazing gift’
Kevin Armstrong likes to tell people he’s already won the lottery twice in his life. The first was being adopted. The second was being raised by Jack and Dena Armstrong. “Definitely the coolest parents,” Kevin said from his San Diego home. “It was a great situation to grow up in, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. They’re amazing.”
Jack Armstrong has been the voice of the Toronto Raptors for two decades. To fans, he’s a lovable everyman, recognizable by his gravelly Brooklyn twang and his signature calls. Away from the mic, the 55-year-old and his wife Dena are parents of three adopted sons. Kevin is 22, Brian, 21, and Tim, 20.
After failed pregnancy attempts, and a round of fertility tests that took a physical toll – Dena became violently ill after one – they decided to explore adoption. A former colleague of Jack’s suggested it, and jotted down the Texas agency he and his wife had used to adopt their two children. “When the agency asked us ‘What kind of children would you like?’ we were like ‘What do you mean? We’ll take what you got,'“ Jack said.
“Love is love,” is how Armstrong sees it. “I couldn’t love a biological son or daughter any more than I love my kids. And that’s love. I love my kids, they’re my kids. There are the highs and there are the lows, and everything in between, and every parent can relate to that, every parent goes through it. But it’s an amazing gift to have, and it’s an amazing gift to give.”
Toronto Raptors broadcaster Jack Armstrong, centre, and his wife Dena photographed with their sons Tim, Brian and Kevin.The Canadian Press
Evening Update is written by S.R. Slobodian. 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.