Finance Minister Bill Morneau holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
TOP STORIES
Small-business groups unite to fight Ottawa's proposed tax changes
A new coalition of doctors, farmers, retailers, lawyers, home builders and others says proposed federal tax changes would unfairly increase the burden on small-business owners. "Our members, including many professionals, feel unfairly targeted, intentionally or not, by the changes and painted as 'tax cheats' by the federal government simply for accessing tax planning tools that they have been encouraged to use for decades," says the public letter to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, which will be released on Thursday.
Labour laggard
New Brunswick is the only province in Canada where fewer people are employed today than in July, 2007. For workers between the ages of 25 and 54, employment has fallen 9.3 per cent. "The largest challenge faced by New Brunswick is an aging population," says Premier Brian Gallant. (for subscribers)
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B.C. judge questions government's depiction of solitary confinement system
The judge in a case challenging Canada's solitary-confinement system has questioned whether the way it is supposed to run matches reality. Justice Peter Leask challenged the government on its view that any prisoners who want a lawyer at their segregation hearing can have one, saying that did not reflect the situation on the ground. "These are muddy waters, counsel," said Justice Leask. "I know you're being sincere in your submissions but I'm not so sure you're describing the reality of the conditions very well."
Half of Grade 6 students fail to meet Ontario math standards
Half of Ontario's Grade 6 students aren't meeting provincial standards, according to Education Quality and Accountability Office results. Students in Grade 3 also failed to meet math standards. Education Minister Mitzie Hunter said "there's still more work to do, especially when it comes to math overall."
MORNING MARKETS
Investors rediscovered a taste for the U.S. dollar and commodities on Thursday as upbeat Chinese and U.S. economic news whetted appetites for riskier assets globally, even as tensions over North Korea simmered in the background. Tokyo's Nikkei gained 0.7 per cent, though Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 0.4 per cent, and the Shanghai composite fell 0.1 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100, Germany's DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were up 0.6 per cent by about 5:35 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up, and the Canadian dollar traded as low as 78.97 cents (U.S.) and as high as 79.24 cents. With so much U.S. refinery capacity shut in the wake of Tropical Storm Harvey, oil prices were hit by demand concerns.
WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT
In the battle of old versus new ways of teaching math, our kids are suffering
"Another school year approaches, the EQAO mathematics results are released, and we teachers have to ask ourselves: Where is the system going wrong? The same gruesome number again: 50 per cent of Ontario's Grade 6 students are failing to meet the provincial standard, and every parent and teacher across the province is trying to figure out why." – Matthew Oldridge
Why the feds should open the airline industry to competition
"Prime Minister Justin Trudeau positions himself as a big supporter of globalization, but if he's really interested in creating more competition, shouldn't he be doing more to dismantle the protectionist walls around our airlines?" – Rita Trichur
Scheer's snub of Leitch speaks volumes about Conservative strategy
"It's an important decision for Mr. Scheer. It might seem obvious to many, because Ms. Leitch became politically radioactive to a wide swath of Canadian voters. But she had garnered a support base inside the party, and not because of charisma. Mr. Scheer might have shrugged, reasoned that she was a former cabinet minister and leadership rival, and stowed her in a portfolio such as health, where Ms. Leitch, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, had bona fides. But he ditched her." – Campbell Clark
HEALTH PRIMER
Research finds nighttime breathing problems tied to cognitive decline
According to a research review in JAMA Neurology, individuals with sleep-disordered breathing at night may have a higher chance of developing cognitive impairment than individuals without any nighttime breathing difficulties. "Identification of this sleep disorder in elderly persons might help predict future risk of cognitive impairment and thus is important for the early detection of dementia," said lead study author Dr. Yue Leng.
MOMENT IN TIME
MuchMusic makes an entrance
August 31, 1984: MuchMusic launched the only way it could – with a party, setting the tone for the coming years of marginally controlled cacophony. As ZZ Top's Legs hummed, video jockeys Christopher Ward and J.D. Roberts burst through a sheet of chroma-key paper to introduce the music-video channel. They threw to a 1920s clip of Eubie Blake before turning to a Cancon world premiere for their first proper video: Rush's The Enemy Within. Cameras let the audience into the party as Canada's snappier answer to MTV ran through its first night. Kim Mitchell was there and so was Mark Holmes of Platinum Blonde. Fellow VJ Jeanne Beker cornered Eugene Levy for an interview. "The Pope is coming to Canada," she said. "Do you think he's going to be able to outdo this party?" The comedian responded: "He's very excited about MuchMusic. I know that for a fact." – Josh O'Kane
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