Canada column for Sunday, April 12/15
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
When is a house not a home for Canadian senators, the fraud, bribery and
breach of trust trial for suspended Sen. Mike Duffy has to determine.
At
issue for Duffy and some other senators is their expense claims for having a
primary residence outside of the Ottawa area in Canada’s Capital Region and
travel costs.
Duffy,
who was appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said his main
residence is a house in Prince Edward Island.
That was despite spending most of his time living in suburban Ottawa and
for which he received a housing allowance of about $82,000, the trial was told.
An
observer in the courtroom is suspended Sen. Patrick Brazeau who also faces
trial related to his living and travel expenses.
Brazeau
said his principal residence is in Maniwaki, Quebec but police allege he
actually lives in Gatineau across the Ottawa River from the Parliament.
Investigators continue to review the expense records of suspended Sen.
Pamela Wallin along with claims of more than 100 current and former senators.
---
Two weeks after admitting trying to influence national news coverage,
Bell Media president Kevin Crull has left his job.
George
Cope, head of Bell Canada and BCE Inc., said the “independence of Bell Media’s
news operations is of paramount importance to our company and to all
Canadians.”
Crull was unhappy with Canada’s broadcast regulator requiring companies
to offer a low-cost package and a “pick-and-pay” option to cable television
subscribers.
He
then ordered journalists at Bell’s CTV network not to give any airtime to
Jean-Pierre Blais, chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission.
---
News
in brief:
-
Canada’s jobless rate held steady at 6.8 percent last month with more people
finding part-time work, Statistics Canada said. The federal agency said there
was a net gain of 29,000 jobs in March and 63,000 so far this year.
-
Best Buy Canada is in the process of converting 65 of its Future Shop
electronics stores to its banner after abruptly closing the 131-store chain, putting 1,500 people out of work. Part
of the decision was that many of Future Shop’s 131 stores and Best Buy
locations were next to each other and many people are shopping online.
-
How fast is fast enough, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission is asking about Internet speeds. The agency has launched a study to
keep Canada a world-class player in the digital economy. It wants to know what upload
and download speeds are needed, the prices charged, the location of underserviced
areas and regulations for the industry.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar has dipped to 79.40 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar
returns $1.259 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The
Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 0.75 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 2.85 percent.
Stock
markets are higher, with the Toronto exchange index at 15,390 points and the TSX
Venture index 696 points.
The
average price of gasoline is up slightly at $1.053 a liter or $4 (Canadian) for
a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (April 8) 2, 4, 14, 16, 18 and 19; bonus 25. (April 4) 2, 9,
32, 33, 35 and 49; bonus 4. Lotto Max: (April 3) 10, 11, 23, 28, 32, 34 and 41;
bonus 29.
---
Regional briefs:
-
Law student Harrison Jordan, 22, held a mock funeral for Target as it retreats
from Canada this weekend after a two-year failed attempt to do business. Jordan
was Target’s first Canadian customer when he bought a Snickers bar at the grand
opening of the Guelph, Ontario store in 2013. He said the funeral in Toronto
was to close the “circle of retail life” for the 133 stores.
-
Chainsaws appear to be the intimidating weapon of choice in Quebec. Twice in
the past week, police have arrested men for threatening people with power saws.
The first was a road-rage incident in St-Jerome where a man approached a
vehicle swearing and revving a chainsaw. Manuel Delisle, 37, was arrested for
armed assault. The other incident was at a house in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield
where a man picked up a chainsaw and used it to intimidate two others, police
said.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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