Good morning. Prime Minister Mark Carney is trying to sell the idea of an alliance with the EU. More on that below, along with new documents from the Project South investigation and worrying AI agent mishaps.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney looks towards European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as he addresses the European Parliament on Sept. 17.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
TOP STORIES
Carney makes the case for a European alliance
One day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that if Canada becomes an associate member of the European Union it would be seen as a hostile act, Prime Minister Mark Carney made clear that he views a closer relationship with the EU as a way to address vulnerabilities.
The speech: Speaking to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Carney insisted that what he is proposing is a way to strengthen the sovereignty of Canada and Europe as opposed to a great-power rival. He promised to hold a series of debates and a vote in Parliament on the future relationship with the EU. But he added that the process has just started.
Up next: This weekend, Carney will join France’s President Emmanuel Macron on a small French territory off the coast of Newfoundland. France says it will be the first time a Canadian Prime Minister makes an official visit to Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
Keep reading:
- Campbell Clark: Carney’s Davos speech diagnosed the problem. His EU speech lays out the cure
- Aaron Burnett: In Strasbourg, a muted Carney reins in EU enthusiasm and gives no answers
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Geoffrey Hinton, dubbed the ‘godfather of AI,’ speaks to journalists after an AI briefing for senators led by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday.Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Incidents by AI agents prompt dire warnings
A growing chorus of voices from Silicon Valley to Capitol Hill is calling to regulate artificial intelligence, with some even warning the technology might soon exterminate humanity. The issue has abruptly shot up the political agenda just six weeks before November’s midterm elections.
Back home: The University of Toronto learned that a tool it uses to make web links easier to share had been repurposed by OpenAI agents to communicate with one another. Researchers explain the unauthorized communication and why it’s concerning.
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Toronto police and York regional police host a press conference to announce the results of the Project South investigation, in Aurora, Ont., on Feb. 5.Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press
Newly released materials from Project South
Multiple shooter-for-hire attacks in the Greater Toronto Area last year allegedly trace back to Toronto Police Constable Timothy Barnhardt, who investigators say repeatedly used police databases to leak information to suspected organized crime figures, according to warrant applications that led to the Project South takedown.
Quoted: “Barnhardt routinely abused his position as a police officer by selling confidential database information to criminal associates in exchange for cash,” wrote police affiant Constable Antonio D’Onofrio in the 2025 search-warrant application materials.
Catch up: Justice Laura Bird ruled Wednesday that transcripts of key recordings that led to the Project South takedown will remain under a publication ban, concluding that inflammatory comments attributed to Barnhardt would “deeply offend” the public and create an indelible impression on potential jurors.
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B.C. Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay speaks at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention in Vancouver, on Sept. 17.Rich Lam/The Canadian Press
B.C. Conservative Leader will stay
Kerry-Lynne Findlay is vowing to lead her fractured party into a potential snap election amid mounting speculation that Premier David Eby could soon send British Columbians to the polls. The B.C. Conservative Leader addressed the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Vancouver yesterday.
The context: Nine MLAs have left the Conservative caucus since Aug. 14. The Conservative Leader said anyone who left her party is welcome to have a conversation about returning, but that it has to happen now.
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Tommy Thompson Park on the east side of the Toronto waterfront, is now a thriving biodiversity hotspot.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
How a waste dump turned into a model for eco-restoration
Tommy Thompson Park, a former construction waste dump in Toronto, is an urban wilderness park that has become a model of ecological restoration. It is unique in Canada, and possibly North America, in that the land is entirely man-made.
New inspiration: Its success has attracted global attention. This spring, a delegation of officials from Korea visited the park to learn how to establish plants in similar sites.
Opinion: As Toronto approaches a municipal election, its Parks and Recreation division has no design vision, writes Alex Bozikovic.
The Take
Almost 70 years after C.D. Howe’s death, Mr. Carney is seeking to launch a new industrial and infrastructure revolution. Howe would understand everything the Prime Minister is attempting – and would almost certainly approve.
— John Ibbitson, writer, journalist and author
Mark Carney has become the heir to C.D. Howe, John Ibbitson writes.
The Shot
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After getting dropped off by helicopter, planters must crouch and wait to ensure a safe takeoff.Aidan Clark/The Globe and Mail
Like generations before them, a crew of young Canadians travelled this summer to a small farming town four hours south of the Northwest Territories to plant trees for reforestation companies.
Reader callout
On Monday, Sept. 21 at 11 a.m. ET, institutional investing reporter James Bradshaw, financial reporter Tim Kiladze and deputy Ottawa bureau chief Bill Curry will be answering reader questions about the investment summit, Canada’s plans with the EU and what’s in store for the country’s financial future.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: John Amagoalik, often called the Father of Nunavut, is challenging the government’s refusal to pay for his at-home care and housing.
Abroad: Analysts say that new U.S. sanctions against South African leaders, and their staunch resistance, is expected to benefit the ruling African National Congress in upcoming elections.
The Middle East: A UN mission said it had grounds to believe the U.S. committed war crimes in Iran. It also found that Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity.
At the table: The Unifor union says it won’t return to collective bargaining with Stellantis unless Ottawa blocks the sale of its Brampton, Ont. plant.
On the clock: Manitoba’s twice-yearly clock changes are a thing of the past as the province moves to make daylight time permanent.
For parents: Is your kid feeling scared by AI doomsday warnings? Here’s how to talk about it.
For science: A cat identified in the Bolivian forest, called Tilcayo by local communities, has become the first new living cat species identified in more than a century.