Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
Federal leaders debate in French tonight, English tomorrow
With less than two weeks to go before election day, five federal leaders will face off in the first of two official election debates tonight in what may well be their best chance to sway voters.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Fran？ois Blanchet and Green Party Leader Annamie Paul will participate in televised debates in French at 8 p.m. EDT and in English at 9 p.m. EDT tomorrow.
People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier did not meet the criteria established by the independent leaders’ debate commission for participation.
Later today but ahead of the debate, the Conservatives will share how much their platform, which was released near the start of the election campaign, is expected to cost.
Opinion:
Why Maxime Bernier and his noxious views should be at the leaders’ debates - Andrew Coyne If the campaign becomes a culture war, it’s advantage Liberals - Lawrence Martin Justin Trudeau is still the Liberal campaign’s biggest asset, and now its greatest liability - Campbell Clark Read more: Liberal campaign promise for new bank tax tempers investor expectations
This is the daily Evening Update newsletter. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was sent to you as a forward, you can sign up for Evening Update and more than 20 more Globe newsletters here. If you like what you see, please share it with your friends.
COVID-19 developments: Legal questions regarding vaccine passports, plus more
Several provinces are entering uncharted waters around the legality of vaccine passports that require patrons of a variety of establishments to be fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot, justice writer Sean Fine reports.
Governments are permitted under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to limit basic freedoms if they can show why such a limit is reasonable. But there is scant Canadian case law on what is reasonable in a health emergency.
According to David Fraser, a privacy and employment lawyer in Halifax, to be compliant with the charter and human-rights codes, any such laws should accommodate “anyone who cannot be vaccinated on the basis of health condition or a bona fide religious belief – which doesn’t include [that] you’re just upset about something you read on Facebook.”
The testing dilemma: A reader asks: I’ve been reading in the news about all the different tests for COVID-19. ... Which one is best?
The response: Unfortunately, when it comes to COVID-19, the perfect test does not exist. So we must rely on a combination of approaches to detect the illness and help control its spread. The two main assessment tools are the PCR test and the rapid antigen test. While you gain speed with one you also lose some degree of accuracy.
Bottom line: If you have COVID-19 symptoms, or you have been exposed to an infected person, you really need a reliable PCR test to confirm a diagnosis.
Read more: COVID-19 restrictions forced many to embrace slower, less scheduled lives. But will it last?
Opening arguments in the fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is not a villain but rather a hard-working, young and naive businesswoman whose company simply failed, her lawyer told jurors today at the former Silicon Valley star’s trial on federal fraud charges involving the now-defunct blood-testing startup once valued at US$9-billion.
In its opening statement, the prosecution said Holmes had engaged in a scheme of “lying and cheating” to attain wealth and fame at the expense of investors and patients.
She is accused of making false claims about Theranos, including that its devices – designed to draw a drop of blood from a finger prick – could run a range of tests more quickly and accurately than conventional laboratory means.
Read more: Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes’s fraud trial to test the limits of entrepreneurship
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
BoC holds steady: The Bank of Canada kept its key rate at 0.25 per cent and left monetary policy unchanged today in a rate announcement that acknowledged recent weak growth numbers and highlighted continuing disruption to Canadian and global supply chains
2015 Paris attack trial begins: The main suspect in a rampage that killed 130 people across Paris described himself today as “an Islamic State soldier” at the start of the long-awaited trial into the attacks. Twenty men are accused of involvement in the gun-and-bomb assault on six restaurants and bars, the Bataclan concert hall and a sports stadium on Nov. 13, 2015.
Canadians at the U.S. Open: Felix Auger-Aliassime is joining fellow Quebecker Leylah Fernandez in the U.S. Open semi-finals after Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz retired due to injury last night’s match. He next plays Daniil Medvedev of Russia on Friday, while Fernandez meets Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus tomorrow. “I never thought a day like this would come,” Auger-Aliassiime said. “Both a little girl and a little boy from Montreal, both at the same time in the semi-finals of the US Open. It’s special.”
Today’s episode of The Decibel podcast: As businesses bring people back into offices, many are offering hybrid work models that allow employees to work from home some days. But this could be a double-edged sword for many women, columnist Rita Trichur explains. While it may contribute to better work-life balance, it also may hinder their career advancement.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street ended lower today, spooked by worries that the Delta coronavirus variant could blunt the economy’s recovery and on uncertainty about when the Federal Reserve may pull back its accommodative policies. The Canadian market followed suit, with mixed performance in commodities.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 68.93 points or 0.2 per cent to 35,031.07 points, the S&P 500 lost 5.96 points or 0.13 per cent to end at 4,514.07 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 87.69 points or 0.57 per cent to 15,286.64.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index slid 64.84 points or 0.31 per cent to 20.741.79.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop.
TALKING POINT
Anti-vaccine protest is fine. Abuse is not. Shut it down
“There is a reasonable case to be made against vaccine mandates, and it is to the misfortune of sensible people who hold that view sincerely that their spokespeople have opted for violence and intimidation to make their voices heard.” - Robyn Urback
LIVING BETTER
The Toronto International Film Festival returns to an in-person/hybrid format this week but will it have the same impact? Ahead of tomorrow’s opening, here are the films we’re most looking forward to and check out all our reviews updated throughout the festival.
TODAY’S LONG READ
British naturalists see a new harbinger of climate change in the dragonflies sweeping across the U.K. and Ireland
Open this photo in gallery
ARMEND NIMANI/AFP/Getty Images
Scientists often measure the impact of climate change by monitoring glaciers, tracking temperature changes and recording extreme weather conditions. But a group of naturalists in Britain has found a new yardstick: watching dragonflies.
A report based on 50 years of studying dragonflies and their close relative, damselflies, has found that warming temperatures has allowed the flying insects to spread across the U.K. and Ireland at a remarkable rate, and some species are now regularly spotted as far north as Scotland.
Released this week, the report is derived from the work of 17,000 dragonfly enthusiasts who have dutifully recorded the movements of the insects since 1970. An analysis of the records found that 19 of Britain’s 46 dragonfly and damselfly species have significantly increased their range, and eight new species have arrived in the U.K. from other parts of Europe. Read Paul Waldie’s full story here.
Evening Update is presented 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.