Morning Update: Patrick Brown, Winter Olympics, South Africa’s Guptas

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These are the top stories:

Former Ontario Tory leader Patrick Brown discussed $375,000 deal with future PC candidate

An affidavit says Jass Johal agreed to pay $375,000 for Aeroplan miles and a stake in a restaurant in former Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown's hometown of Barrie. One month later, Mr. Brown deposited $375,000, ahead of a $2.3-million property purchase. But the former leader says the deal "was never done" and that his family helped him buy the home. The affidavit was sworn five months before Mr. Johal was acclaimed as the PC candidate in the riding of Brampton North. According to bank documents seen by The Globe, Mr. Brown deposited $375,000 at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce one month after the affidavit was signed. He earned $180,886 a year as a leader of the Official Opposition.

Olympics 2018: Virtue and Moir closed out their Olympic careers with a gold medal

Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir posted a combined score of 206.07 to narrowly eke out a win over France's Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, who finished with a total of 205.28.​ Virtue and Moir first won gold at the Vancouver Games, but placed second in Sochi. They proceeded to take a break from skating, before returning to compete for a final shot at another Olympic gold. Between pairs and team events, Virtue and Moir now have five Olympic medals.

Elsewhere on the Olympics front:

Canadian skier Cassie Sharpe posted a score of 95.80 to win a gold medal in women's halfpipe. The 25-year-old from Comox, B.C., topped Marie Martinod of France, who finished in second with a score of 92.60. Canada has now picked up a total of seven medals in freestyle and snowboarding events. Cathal Kelly writes that these X-Games athletes are bringing back that old fashioned Canadian Olympic spirit.

Canada's women's curling squad will be fighting for their Olympic lives as they play the U.K. in round robin action tonight. Rachel Homan's Ottawa rink sits in seventh place after a 7-5 loss to China. Only the top four teams advance to the playoff round.

Canada and the U.S. are once again set to face each other in the women's hockey final (the game goes down at 11:10 p.m. ET tomorrow). This will be the fifth time in the past six Olympics that the two countries have competed for gold. But a new era of parity may slowly be coming to women's hockey.

Medal count (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total)

Norway: 11, 9, 8, 28
Germany: 10, 6, 4, 20
Canada: 8, 5, 6, 19
Netherlands: 6, 5, 2, 13
United States: 5, 3, 4, 12

Want to get caught up further? Our daily Olympics guide gives you everything you need to know about the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

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South Africa's Guptas hid Bombardier jet, EDC says in court repossession efforts

Export Development Canada, a Crown corporation, is concerned about a Canadian-financed Bombardier luxury jet and how it could be used for the Gupta brothers to escape prosecution in South Africa, court papers say. The Guptas are associates of former South African president Jacob Zuma's son and face allegations of corruption, which played a part in the former leader's resignation last week. They are refusing to surrender the aircraft, which was purchased with support from an EDC loan, and have turned off the tracking device on the Bombardier Global 6000 in an effort to mask its location, the documents filed in Johannesburg say.

Morneau signals federal budget may include funding for independent no-fly list system

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has signalled to parents of children affected by Canada's no-fly list because of their names that the upcoming federal budget could address their concerns. A grassroots parents group has organized to sway the opinions of lawmakers across the aisle in an effort to push the government to put an end to nerve-racking airport delays for youngsters whose names match others on Canada's no-fly list. Last year, a proposal by the Department of Public Safety to create a standalone database was scrapped by the Finance department. The U.S.-style system came with a price of $78-million. Currently, Canada's database does not have dates of birth, sex or other identifying information.

Canadian banks set for strong results as trade, housing woes loom

Canada's big six banks are heading into reporting season for the first fiscal quarter. Expectations are bullish but uncertainty remains over the volatility in real estate markets across the country as well as the direction of global trade winds. Despite some signs of slowing down, economic growth in Canada is still strong and benefits are anticipated from U.S. tax cuts to the banks with operations south of the border. Analysts are expecting as many as four banks are likely to hike their dividends. (for subscribers)

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Can we ever kick our smartphone addiction? Jim Balsillie and Norman Doidge discuss

Discuss is a Globe Opinion feature in which two people – from politicians to journalists, academics to authors – engage in a conversation that flows out of a single question. Former CEO of BlackBerry Jim Balsillie and psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Dr. Norman Doidge discussed how we've become dependent on our digital devices in a conversation that occurred by phone and over e-mail.

MORNING MARKETS

Markets anxious

A six-day rebound in global stocks began to splutter on Tuesday, as bond market borrowing costs regained traction and the U.S. dollar kicked firmly away from a three-year low. Tokyo's Nikkei lost 1 per cent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng 0.8 per cent, while the Shanghai composite rose 0.5 per cent. In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was down 0.4 per cent by about 5 a.m. ET, Germany's DAX was down slightly, and the Paris CAC 40 was flat. New York futures were down, and the Canadian dollar was shy of 79.5 US cents. Oil markets were split in the early going.

FYI: The Globe now provides all users access to real-time stock quotes for both Canadian and U.S. markets. Go here to find out about the major changes to our Globe Investor site.

WHAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT

No criticism needed: Canada's jury system works

"What is at stake here is respect for the rule of law, the presumption of innocence, the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and independence of the judiciary. Political criticism of jurors to achieve a 'better' result improperly intrudes upon these fundamental principles of justice." – Charles Lugosi

How to change arts leadership in Canada: An insider's perspective

"The question of leadership for nurturing the next generation has reached a pivotal point for the arts and culture sector in Canada. Moving forward requires shared commitment and ownership. Here's why: Canadian cultural organizations are experiencing a leadership deficit and the problem is worsening as more and more highly regarded chief executive officers announce their retirement." – Rosalyn Rubenstein

Why Conservatives really ought to love carbon taxes

"If they work and they're conservative – and they do and they are – what's stopping Canadian Tories from going all in on carbon taxes? Some, it seems, are genuinely unconvinced by the evidence staring them in the face. Others don't believe a small country like Canada has a role in fighting climate change – or don't believe in climate change at all. And some are just using the word 'tax' to scare people. It's the sort of thing that makes you rub your eyes and wish they really were lying." – Globe and Mail editorial board

HEALTH PRIMER

Will a soup cleanse help me safely lose weight?

Soup on a cold winter's day. Few combinations of food and climate go better together. But would you recommend a soup cleanse for losing weight? Nutritionist Leslie Beck writes that depending on what you usually eat and how much you weigh to begin with, you could lose a few pounds by going on a soup cleanse.

MOMENT IN TIME

Mir space station launched

At various times called "a marvel," "a lemon" and a "giant Tinkertoy," the Mir space station symbolized a period of transition for space exploration and for international relations back on Earth. The launch of Mir's core module in 1986 was heralded as a new era for the Soviet space program, during the tail end of the Cold War. While Soviet officials were reportedly jubilant as the initially unmanned craft was blasted into orbit, experts in the West were left to speculate on Mir's dimensions and the type of booster rocket used. (The first occupants were sent up a month later.)

But true to its name, Mir (translated as "peace" or "world"), was "intended solely for peaceful purposes," cosmonaut training officer General Alexei Leonov said. The orbiting laboratory remained as the Soviet Union fell and allowed technological co-operation between Russia and the United States. During its 15 years, far surpassing its original five-year lifespan, Mir received more than 100 visitors from 12 countries, including Canadian Chris Hadfield. By the end, Mir was falling apart, enduring fire, collisions and multiple malfunctions. It returned to Earth in 2001 in a controlled plunge into the Pacific Ocean. – Wency Leung

Morning Update was written by Mayaz Alam and Arik Ligeti

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