In the news today: Debby blows in to Eastern Canada

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Debby blows in to Eastern Canada

Remnants of tropical storm Debby merging with another low pressure system over the Great Lakes could bring up to 100 millimetres of rain to parts of Eastern Canada on Friday.

The system is passing through Southern Ontario and Quebec today, which has prompted Environment Canada to issue alerts and warnings for communities between Cornwall, Ont., through Quebec City about the risk of flash flooding.

The agency has also warned that minor landslides are a possibility.

Ottawa is forecast to be particularly hard hit by this storm system, with 50 to 75 millimetres of rainfall expected throughout Friday.

The remnants of Debby are expected to reach New Brunswick Friday night and dump up to 40 millimetres of rain by late Saturday.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Canada vies for gold at beach volleyball at Paris games

Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson will make history today when they take on Brazil for gold in the finals of women’s beach volleyball at the Paris Olympics.

Canadian athletes have never reached the podium in the event at the Olympics, with a fifth-place finish in Tokyo in 2021 the best result to date.

Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson will take on No. 1-ranked Ana Patrícia and Duda of Brazil, who defeated the Australian duo of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar — silver medallists in Tokyo in 2021 — in the semifinals.

Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are ranked No. 7 in the world and struggled to a 1-2 start in pool play to begin the Paris Olympics, needing a win in the lucky-loser round to qualify for the round of 16.

Taylor Swift fans are devastated by canceled Eras Tour shows in Austria over apparent attack plot

Taylor Swift fans are devastated by the cancellations of three sold-out Eras Tour shows in Austria after authorities foiled an apparent plot for an attack in Vienna.

Swifties took to social media to express their desolation at missing out on one of the superstar’s shows.

Some who posted on the social platform X lamented months of now-wasted efforts to make friendship bracelets and pick out fashionable outfits for the performance.

Many spent thousands of euros on travel, hotels and food in one of the most expensive European capitals.

Authorities say they’ve arrested two suspected extremists, one of whom allegedly pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group.

StatCan to release July jobs report today

Statistics Canada is set to release its July labour force survey today.

The unemployment rate has been steadily climbing over the last year as high interest rates send a chill through the Canadian economy.

In June, the unemployment rate rose to 6.4 per cent.

RBC expects it ticked higher again to 6.5 per cent last month.

The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate for a second time in a row last month and has signalled it wants economic growth to pick up speed again.

Olympics ads are worth the money, experts say

Olympics ads and sponsorships can offer big rewards for companies that choose to spend on them — even if those ads spark criticism from some viewers, experts say.

There’s a lot at stake for companies advertising during the Olympics, whether they’re official partners or sponsors, or just referencing the Olympics in their marketing, said Michael Naraine, an associate professor of sport management at Brock University.

One sponsorship garnering some criticism online comes from Ozempic, one of CBC’s sponsors for its Olympics coverage.

Ozempic is primarily used to treat diabetes, but it has recently been catapulted to notoriety for its ability to help users lose weight.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press