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At one of Canada’s largest business law practices, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, women who are equity partners earned nearly 25 per cent less than their male colleagues on average, a confidential document reviewed by The Globe and Mail shows. Translated into dollar figures, this means each man made an average of about $200,000 more a year.
The internal compensation documents from Cassels are the first public glimpse into a major Canadian law firm’s pay structure. They are part of a two and a half year investigation by The Globe that has shown women continue to be outnumbered, outranked and out-earned in the modern work force. The most recent Power Gap story detailed the persistent pay equity problem in the legal profession.
Scotia Plaza (brown building with V shaped window area near the roof) at the north east corner of King St. West and Bay St. in TorontoÕs Financial District, is photographed on Feb 8 2021.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
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Transferred Mount Cashel teacher abused boys in B.C., lawsuit alleges
A former student of a private Vancouver Catholic school alleges that a teacher who sexually abused him in the 1980s was shuffled to the West Coast by the church after confessing he preyed on boys at an infamous Newfoundland orphanage.
In a proposed class action filed on Monday in B.C. Supreme Court, Darren Liptrot also alleges that his abuser was joined by five other known abusers, who were transferred across the country from the Mount Cashel facility in Newfoundland and Labrador to his high school, Vancouver College, and St. Thomas More Collegiate between 1976 and 1983.
If certified, the suit will test whether the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corp. of St. John’s and the former head of a defunct Canadian order of religious devotees known as the Christian Brothers can be held liable for claims of sexual abuse that happened on the other side of Canada.
Alberta reinstates 1976 coal policy in wake of public backlash and legal challenge
After facing widespread public backlash and a legal challenge, Alberta has brought back a 45-year-old coal mining policy that it had removed last year without any consultation.
The province faced intense public pressure after killing Alberta’s 1976 Coal Policy, which provided extra protections for sensitive lands and crucial headwaters on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
However, coal exploration that has already been granted regulatory approval will be allowed to continue.
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ALSO ON OUR RADAR
U.S. Senate pushes on with second Trump trial: About a dozen votes short of the 67 required to convict Donald Trump of the “high crimes and misdemeanors” set out in the American Constitution – the Senate nonetheless presses forward today with its trial of the 45th president.
Also: John Doyle: It’s back: Impeachment TV returns with more American delirium
Bitcoin’s value gets a charge from Tesla’s $1.5-billion investment: Bitcoin took another large stride toward mainstream acceptance yesterday after billionaire Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla Inc. revealed it had purchased $1.5 billion of the cryptocurrency and would soon accept it as a form of payment for cars – sending the cryptocurrency shooting higher.
Also: Ian McGugan: Tesla buying bitcoin is markets’ latest sign of froth
Canada urged to sever Chinese police ties to Beijing visa processing: The Canadian government is facing calls to cancel an arrangement in Beijing where Chinese police own a company that collects details of people applying for visas to Canada.
B.C. court rules class-action lawsuit can proceed against RBC over mutual fund fees: A British Columbia judge has given the green light for a class-action lawsuit against Canada’s largest bank alleging that investors were overcharged for actively managed mutual funds that did little more than mimic benchmark indexes.
MORNING MARKETS
Global stocks inch higher: Global stocks rose for the seventh straight day to reach a record high on Tuesday, while bitcoin also reached a peak after an endorsement from Tesla Inc. in the prior session. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 110 was down 0.03 per cent. France’s CAC 40 was flat. Germany’s DAX fell 0.52 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.40 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng advanced 0.53 per cent. New York futures were little changed. The Canadian dollar was trading at 78.59 US cents.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Editorial Board: “In the race between vaccines and the variants, the former are in short supply, even as the latter are showing up in ever more people and places. The miracle weapon for stopping the pandemic is behind schedule, even as the virus mutates in ways that accelerate its spread. That means any news of victory over COVID-19 is premature. Yet on Monday, three big provinces started scaling back restrictions, and opening back up. The timing feels badly off.”
TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON
Brian GableBrian Gable/The Globe and Mail
LIVING BETTER
In an effort to boost your immune system, are you getting too much zinc?
While there’s no conclusive evidence that the mineral can help with COVID-19, consuming enough zinc is essential for the proper development and function of immune cells. If you’re zinc deficient, your body will be less effective at fighting off disease-causing microbes. When it comes to zinc, however, more is not better (as is the case for most nutrients). Taking too much zinc can weaken your immune system rather than strengthening it. Here’s what to know about zinc and zinc supplements.
MOMENT IN TIME: FEB. 8, 1971
All In The Family (TV Series) Episode: 'Judging Books by Covers', featuring (from left) Carroll O'Connor as Archie Bunker arm wrestling Philip Carey as Steve, an ex-professional football player friend of Archie's.CBS via Getty Images
U.S. sitcom All in the Family introduces a gay character
“He’s right, Arch.” The line, uttered by actor Philip Carey, was one of the first admissions of homosexuality in a TV sitcom. Carey played Steve, one of main character Archie Bunker’s old friends: a tall, muscular former football player. Many people remember All in the Family for Bunker’s bigoted views around race, but it also explored homophobia. Bunker suspects that his son-in-law’s friend is gay because of his clothes and disinterest in sports. Ironically, the episode, titled “Judging Books by Covers,” doesn’t use the word “gay” once. The writers toy with audience expectations: Never confirming the sexual orientation of the young fuchsia-shirted friend, but later revealing that the tanned, beer-drinking linebacker is gay. The twist showed viewers there were many different kinds of people in the queer community. The show aired when the gay-rights movement was in its infancy and it’s hard to unearth how the public reacted. But, thanks to the Nixon tapes, we know the then U.S. president was not a fan – he was caught on tape complaining about the episode: “... the point that I make is that, goddamn it, I do not think that you glorify on public television homosexuality.” – Madeleine White
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