23 or 26? Either one of these predicted temperatures — the first from Environment Canada, the second from the Weather Network — sounds pretty good as we head into the last few days of official summer. Both weather services agree that it will be mostly cloudy this morning with sunny breaks, followed by a mix of sun and clouds this afternoon. The humidex will be 28.
Tonight’s overnight low will be 16 or 17, with the possibility of fog patches.
As of 6 a.m., the Canadian dollar is trading at US$0.76.
Coming up today:
Summer is officially over for MPs as the House of Commons in Ottawa returns from its recess. But MPs were busy this summer, handing out cheques for almost $8 billion. By comparison, the Harper Conservatives, during the summer after their 2011 majority win, distributed cheques worth a combined $3.8 billion. “These numbers come from an exclusive database maintained by the National Post of every single spending announcement made by the federal government since the 2008 general election,” Postmedia News reports. Tap here to read the full story. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will miss today’s session in Ottawa as he attends the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
A common loon spreads its wings. The Royal Canadian Geographic Society can expect to ruffle some feathers by choosing a national bird for Canada in time for the country’s 150th birthday in 2017.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna will provide the opening remarks at a panel debate on which of the country’s top five bird species should be chosen as the national bird: loon, snowy owl, gray jay, Canada goose or the black-capped chickadee. It starts at 7 p.m. at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. The five panelists are Steven Price, president of Bird Studies Canada; David Bird, professor emeritus of Wildlife Biology, McGill University; Shirley Ida Williams, professor emeritus of Indigenous Studies, Trent University; George Elliott Clarke, Parliamentary Poet Laureate; and Alex MacDonald, senior conservation manager, Nature Canada. The debate will be moderated by adventurer and television presenter George Kourounis.
Montrealer Mitch Garber, the CEO of Caesars Acquisition Company, will be speaking to the Canadian Club of Montreal about the importance of Entrepreneurship, Mergers & Acquisitions and growth in Quebec, at noon at the Hyatt Regency. According to Wikipedia, “Garber is rumored to be part of an ownership group trying to bring the Expos back to Montreal.” Will he have anything to say about that today?
And the winner is: The Polaris Music Prize will be handed out tonight at a gala in Toronto. It’s awarded for the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, and the winner picks up $50,000. The 2016 short list: Andy Shauf, The Party; Basia Bulat, Good Advice; Black Mountain, IV; Carly Rae Jepson, Emotion; Grimes, Art Angels; Jessy Lanza, Oh No; Kaytranada, 99.9%; PUP, The Dream Is Over; U.S. Girls, Half Free; White Lung, Paradise. The event will be live streamed live via CBC Music at cbcmusic.ca/polarisprize starting at 8 p.m
In sports action, the World Cup of Hockey continues in Toronto with Europe vs. Czech Republic at 3 p.m. and Russia vs. North America at 8 p.m.
And last but not least: The CRTC continues to host an online discussion on how the Wireless Code is helping Canadians address issues with their wireless services. It continues through Sept. 26. Have your say here: http://crtc.gc.ca/eng/phone/mobile/code.htm
Photo of the day:
Don’t forget to submit your photos of Montreal via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by tagging them with #ThisMtl. See them appear at montrealgazette.com/thismtl and we’ll feature one per day in Montreal this morning. This photo was posted on Instagram by @xim_sauriol.
Quote of the day, from Page 2 of today’s Montreal Gazette:
Honesty is not only the first step toward greatness — it is greatness itself. — Christian Nestell Bovee
Montreal this morning is a regular morning update to keep you in the know about what you should expect before starting your day. For more updates on the day’s top stories, breaking news and more, visit montrealgazette.com.
