Canada
column for Sunday, May 27/12
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THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
The student unrest movement in Quebec – where more than 2,500 people
have been arrested in what are now daily and often violent protests – is
spreading across Canada.
Student groups in Ontario and British Columbia are holding protest
gatherings while national labor unions are financially supporting the Quebec
uproar over planned tuition fee increases by the provincial government.
Demonstrations in the three-month conflict were capped on Tuesday by a
massive gathering estimated at 200,000 students in Montreal where more than 500
arrests were made by riot police.
The U.S. Consulate in Montreal has advised Americans living there and
visitors to be wary of being injured or caught up in the violence where
students have been smashing windows, damaging property and fighting with police
officers.
It also threatens to keep visitors away and
disrupt Montreal’s summer festival season, particularly the Grand Prix race and
jazz festival.
Protesters have ignored the emergency bill passed by the Quebec Legislature
that outlaws unlawful assembly and provides for stiff fines.
The protests have also spread beyond Montreal and Quebec City to smaller
cities across the province.
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The British Royals visited one of the former “colonies” – Canada – to mark
Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
After arriving in St. John, New Brunswick, Prince Charles and his wife,
Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, went to Toronto on the Victoria Day holiday
on Monday.
There, they took in a fireworks display at a park on Lake Ontario to
celebrate the birthday of Charles’ great, great, great grandmother, Queen
Victoria.
The couple also visited Regina, Saskatchewan during the three-day trip.
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News in brief:
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Winds were pushing a massive forest fire towards Timmins, Ontario where a
state-of-emergency was declared on Thursday. Residents were being told to leave
the west end of the city of 45,000 people as ashes fell from the sky and smoke
filled the area. An evacuation might also be ordered in Kirkland Lake, south of
Timmins, due to another wildfire caused by a lightning strike.
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An Ontario artist’s rendering of a nude painting of Prime Minister Stephen
Harper has sold for its asking price of $5,000. Maggie Sutherland of Kingston
called her work, “Emperor Haute Couture.” Created for art’s sake, it depicted a
naked Harper reclining on a lounge chair with row of men and a woman in suits
looking on. She said the painting was to recreate Edouard Manet's 1863 painting,
Olympia.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s
dollar continued its retreat in the past week, down to 97.10 cents in U.S.
funds on Friday. The U.S. dollar advanced to $1.0298 Canadian, before bank
exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 1 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 3 percent.
Stock
markets are higher, with the Toronto exchange index at 11,548 points and the
TSX Venture index 1,305 points.
Lotto
6-49: (May 23) 2, 3, 7, 13, 32 and 40; bonus 8. (May 19) 14, 17, 21, 27, 37 and
46; bonus 39. Lotto Max: (May 18) 3, 4, 13, 15, 21, 29 and 48; bonus 26.
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Regional briefs:
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A more-secure courtroom has been arranged due to death threats against a man
accused in the mass slaughter of nearly 60 “unneeded” sled dogs near Whistler,
British Columbia. The trial of Robert Fawcett, former manager of Howling Dog
Tours, for animal cruelty will be held in North Vancouver.
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The Ontario government will extend the Highway 407 Toronto-bypass toll road
another 13 miles east to Oshawa over the next three years. A consortium based
in Spain that operates the existing 65-mile electronic toll highway will
receive payments over 30 years from the government to build and maintain the new
section, along with one east to the Peterborough area by 2020.
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Timothy Schell, 34, an electrician who came to Toronto from Lloydminster,
Alberta to find work, has found a fortune instead. He now plans to buy a new
house, classic cars and even get married after winning $50 million tax-free in
the Lotto Max draw. Schell said he will be rewarding the gas station attendant
who talked him into buying the ticket.
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