Canada
column for Sunday, Dec. 7/14
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
Plans are advancing for a $12-billion Energy East pipeline that would
carry Alberta oilsands crude to export terminals and refineries in New
Brunswick.
Once it reaches Canada’s east coast, the oil would be shipped to the United
States, Europe, China and India by cargo ships.
It’s one of three major – but controversial – oil pipeline projects
involving the export of Canada’s vast supply of crude oil and concerns over
environmental impacts.
The
others are the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, still seeking U.S. approval,
and the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline to British Columbia ports
from Alberta.
Alberta
Premier Jim Prentice has been meeting with provincial premiers seeking their
support and approval for the Energy East plan.
TransCanada
wants to use a repurposed gas pipeline to carry crude oil two-thirds of the way
across the country and build an extension that would lead to Saint John, New
Brunswick.
Ontario
Premier Kathleen Wynne called it a project “of national importance . . . and a
nation-building exercise.”
The project must also be approved by the National Energy Board.
---
Opposition
politicians are demanding the resignation of Veterans Affairs Minister Julian
Fantino over reports about the Conservative government’s treatment of mentally
ill veterans.
At
issue is an announcement by Fantino of $200 million for mental health
initiatives over six years but reports suggest the money will actually be
spread out over 50 years.
As
well, Auditor General Michael Ferguson said that 80 percent of veterans face an
eight-month wait to learn if they are eligible for physical and mental health
benefits.
New Democratic Party Leader Thomas Mulcair and Liberal House Leader
Ralph Goodale said Fantino has mismanaged his duties and should resign.
The opposition leaders have resorted to “fear-mongering and mudslinging”
when the government is making “tangible improvements,” Fantino said.
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News in brief:
-
A “humble but accessible” funeral will be held Wednesday for Jean Beliveau, the
former iconic Montreal Canadiens hockey player. He died last Tuesday at age 83.
“He is probably the most respected hockey player in the world and he touched so
many lives in all aspects of his life for almost seven decades,” said
Canadiens president Geoff Molson. Beliveau led the team to 10 Stanley Cup
championships as captain before retiring in 1971.
- Teams
of up to 40 Canadian military medical specialists are being deployed to Sierra
Leone for two months at a time over a six-month period in the fight against the
deadly Ebola virus. The federal government is encouraging private health-care
workers to join them in the Ebola mission where about 5,700 people have died.
The Canadians will work with military medics from the United Kingdom and treat workers
who have been exposed to the virus.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar has dropped to 87.75 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar
returns $1.139 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The
Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 1 percent while the
prime-lending rate is unchanged at 3 percent.
Stock
markets are lower, with the Toronto exchange index at 14,469 points and the TSX
Venture index 707 points.
The average price of a liter of gasoline is lower at $1.092 (Canadian).
Lotto 6-49: (Dec. 3) 1, 3, 4, 24, 28 and 36; bonus 6. (Nov. 29) 9, 20,
24, 26, 43 and 47; bonus 45. Lotto Max: (Nov. 28) 3, 4, 7, 12, 17, 26 and 34;
bonus 1.
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Regional briefs:
-
A bad-weather plan is ready to be enacted at Toronto’s Pearson International
Airport to ease the pain of stranded travelers. The enhanced Winter Weather
Operations Approach includes a mobile flight tracking app, more widespread
Wi-Fi access and access to food, water and even baby diapers during extended
delays. It’s the result of a review by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority after
thousands of passengers were delayed by weather issues last winter.
- Sun
News Network host Ezra Levant has been ordered to pay $80,000 in damages for
libeling Saskatchewan lawyer Khurrum Awan. Judge Wendy Matheson said Levant’s series
of blog posts were “motivated by malice.” The posts concerned Awan’s testimony
at a British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal case about a magazine article about
Islam.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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