Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories:
At least 72 dead in Kabul airport attack, including 12 U.S. service members, as Canada ends evacuation flights in Afghanistan
Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport Thursday. At least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops were killed, Afghan and U.S. officials said. U.S. officials said 11 Marines and one Navy medic were among those who died. They said another 12 service members were wounded and warned the toll could grow. More than 140 Afghans were wounded, an Afghan official said.
A U.S. official said the complex attack was believed to have been carried out by the Islamic State group. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is far more radical than the Taliban, which condemned the attack.
This comes as Canada ended all evacuation flights from Kabul airport, abandoning thousands of Canadian nationals and Afghan refugees who now must escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan on their own.
Acting Chief of the Defence Staff Wayne Eyre said Canada’s air operations ceased because the U.S. needed the runway to withdraw 5,800 U.S. troops before its August 31 deadline. He also cited the increasing danger of attacks from Islamic State militants and sworn enemies of the Taliban and the United States.
- Editorial: Ottawa bungled the Afghan rescue operation, and Afghans relying on Canada will die because of it
- Analysis: The average American’s lack of care for Afghanistan illuminates an inherently dangerous view
- Explainer: Afghanistan is under Taliban control. How did we get here?
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Ryerson University decides to change name amid reckoning on Indigenous residential schools
Ryerson University will change its name following a recommendation from a special task force that examined the legacy of its namesake, Egerton Ryerson.
The Standing Strong Task Force (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) delivered its report Thursday to the university’s board of governors. It made 22 recommendations, most notably that the university should be renamed to better reflect the values and diversity of the institution.
The decision comes amid a wave of reckoning with colonization and the commemoration of historical figures across the country that has seen some universities rename buildings. Ryerson will be the first major university in Canada to change its name as a result of these debates.
Over the last year, students, faculty and staff have grown more vocal about their desire to see the university renamed. Many began referring to the school as “X University.” Then in June, a statue of the school’s namesake at the centre of campus was pulled down following a gathering to honour the children who died at residential schools.
- Tanya Talaga: Why aren’t we talking about Indigenous children during this election campaign?
- First person: As an Indigenous professor, Egerton Ryerson’s name haunts me
- Opinion: Indigenous leaders have shown remarkable grace in the wake of horrifying discoveries
- Read more: Catholic Church charity set up to pay residential-school survivors spent $6.46-million on expenses
Day 12 of the federal election campaign
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was in Quebec City today as the Liberals proposed a permanent annual increase to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) for seniors by $500 a person and $750 for couples, as part of a slew of promises targeted towards older Canadians. The party says the move would benefit 2.2 million seniors 65 and over.
Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole announced a plan to protect gig-economy employees by ensuring access to employment insurance (EI). He said a Conservative government would require gig-economy companies to make contributions equivalent to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and EI premiums into a new employee savings account every time they pay their workers.
In Winnipeg, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke about affordable housing. He was also asked about Elections Canada’s decision to cancel on-campus voting this election and said it was something he’s concerned about, adding that he’s encouraging Elections Canada to reconsider the decision.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul says she has been receiving threats online from people saying they will show up to disrupt her campaign events. She says social media has made it easier to provoke people and there is a need for accountability and education strategies to address the issue.
- Read more: Don’t campaign for Erin O’Toole, Doug Ford’s office tells ministers
- Today’s Decibel podcast: What is this campaign about?
- John Ibbitson: Catastrophe unfolding in Afghanistan poses electoral risk for Liberals
- Lawrence Martin: Erin O’Toole’s sunny ways have caught Justin Trudeau off guard
- Poll tracker: Follow the latest Nanos-Globe-CTV numbers
- Explainer: Latest updates and essential reading ahead of Sept. 20 vote
ALSO ON OUR RADAR
Canadian travellers to U.K. not required to quarantine starting Monday: Canadian travelling to the United Kingdom will not be required to quarantine upon arrival as of Monday regardless of whether they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The British Department for Transport said Canada and other countries are moving to its “green” list for travel as visitors who pose a low risk to public health in the United Kingdom.
Chinese ambassador to Canada denounces Wanzhou’s ‘arbitrary detention’: China’s ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, spoke with Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on Wednesday as she neared 1,000 days in her fight to avoid extradition to the United States. Peiwu “expressed deep sympathy” to Ms. Meng for her “arbitrary detention,” adding that China “strongly condemns the wrong actions” of Canada in her case.
B.C. universities, colleges mull next steps as province fails to institute vaccine mandate for students: British Columbia has not followed other provinces in allowing post-secondary schools to mandate that their students either be vaccinated or take a rapid COVID-19 test to return to class on campus next month. Instead, the province has said all students must be masked while indoors and noted that they will already be forced to prove they are vaccinated if they want to live on campus.
Japan suspends use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine after contamination reports: Japan suspended the use of 1.63 million doses of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, more than a week after the domestic distributor received reports of contaminants in some vials. Both Japan and Moderna said no safety or efficacy issues had been identified and the suspension was just a precaution.
Canada’s Stephanie Labbé expected to sign two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain: Goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé, whose penalty shootout heroics helped Canada win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, is expected to undergo a medical Thursday and sign a two-year contract with French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain.
MARKET WATCH
Wall Street lost ground on Thursday, ending a streak of all-time closing highs on concerns over developments in Afghanistan, while fears of a potential shift in U.S. Federal Reserve policy prompted a broad but shallow sell-off the day before the Jackson Hole Symposium. Canada’s TSX followed along, closing lower one day after reaching an all-time peak, with financials weighing on the index the most.
The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed down 83.17 points, or 0.40 per cent, at 20,504.15, with financials dropping 0.92 per cent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 192.38 points, or 0.54 per cent, to 35,213.12, the S&P 500 lost 26.27 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 4,469.92 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 96.05 points, or 0.64 per cent, to 14,945.81.
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TALKING POINTS
An angry public is forcing timid governments to get tough with vaccine resisters
“Think about it: the government is requiring people provide proof of vaccination to enter a restaurant, bar or gym, but not a classroom. That’s ridiculous. The government has instituted a vaccine mandate for long-term care and assisted living workers, but not hospitals generally. This also makes no sense.
We know the stick works. Since the B.C. government announced the vaccine passport system, registrations for inoculations have shot up. The same thing has happened in other jurisdictions where mandates or passports have been introduced.” -Gary Mason
I’m one of the service workers who left the restaurant industry during the pandemic. Serve yourself
“What has been said about us – that CERB has kept us from re-entering the work force, that we are lazy and unambitious, that we simply don’t want to work – is ridiculous.
It’s also indicative of the way much of society thinks about working-class bodies: as expendable, interchangeable, replaceable parts of a capitalist machine over which it has ownership. Some people not only feel entitled to our labour, but to pay as little for it as possible.
Let’s be clear, then. It’s not that we don’t want to work – it’s just that we don’t want to work a physically demanding job in substandard conditions without benefits for minimum wage.” -Lori Fox
LIVING BETTER
At 70, I found my boudoir photoshoot incredibly empowering
“Two of my close female relatives told me about their boudoir photography sessions. They raved about how it made them feel good about their bodies and how it was a positive experience. The photographer helped them feel empowered and beautiful, and told them how you should love yourself and your body, and feel good about it. The photographer used a self-love mantra to encourage them to love their body and all it does,” writes Mary G.
TODAY’S LONG READ
As climate disasters come to museums’ doorsteps, curators decide what to save or leave
Supplied
It was a chaotic Monday on the job for Jeremiah Ryder and his team of two. As ash fell onto the Westbank Museum in West Kelowna, B.C., and water bombers swooped down into Okanagan Lake, the small group inside the building had to take stock: reviewing which artifacts they would rescue first, in the event that a nearby wildfire overtook their area.
“The fire … is only a couple of kilometres from the museum right now,” said Mr. Ryder, the executive director, late that afternoon.
Previously planned fire-protective landscaping was under way outside – they’re replacing non-native species with drought-resistant plants. Inside, the phone was ringing all day, as tourists – the museum also functions as West Kelowna’s Visitor Centre – asked questions such as how to get around with highways closed owing to wildfires. And in between calls, there were serious discussions: what to save, what to leave.
One of the top items on the list of artifacts to rescue: a bible, several hundred years old. Regrettably not on the list: what Mr. Ryder described as one of the three smallest operating sawmills on the planet. “I can’t take that out of the museum because it’s 16 feet long,” he said. “There’s not enough manpower, there’s not enough help. There’s not enough places to put all the stuff.” Read Marsha Lederman’s full story here.
Evening Update is written by Ibnul Chowdhury. 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.