Canada
column for Sunday, Sept. 13/15
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
The father of a three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on a
Turkish beach said he blames Canada for the tragedy that also killed his wife
and another son.
Abdullah
Kurdi’s comment comes as Canadian premiers, mayors, church groups and citizens
put pressure on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to welcome more Syrian refugees
to Canada.
Kurdi said he does not understand why Canada rejected his application
for asylum but Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials said they received
no such notice on his behalf.
His sister, Tima, of Coquitlam, British Columbia, said she submitted an
application for his brother Mohammed and planned to later apply to sponsor Abdullah’s
family as well.
Mohammed Kurdi’s application was said to be incomplete and he is now in
Germany with his family.
Tima said she sent money to Abdullah to pay smugglers for the deadly
ride to Greece from Turkey in a boat that capsized.
At
an election campaign stop, Harper said he will unveil plans “in the very near
future” to expedite the process for refugee resettlement.
“Let
me assure you that the position of this government is we have been the world
leader in refugee resettlement and we intend to do that in a responsible and
affordable way for Canadians,” he said.
---
Canada’s leading dollar store might become a buck-and-a-half and more store
due to the weak Canadian dollar.
Dollarama CEO Larry Rossy said he expects to raise prices and make the
high-end threshold at $4, up from $3, over the next year.
He
called this “an exceptional time” with the Canadian dollar dipping to a value
of 75 U.S. cents.
Everything sold by the discounter is bought in U.S. dollars, “so to
absorb 25 to 35 percent (in currency exchange) is almost impossible,” he said.
The Montreal-based store with 989 outlets across Canada had a 39-percent
increase in earnings to $95.5 million in the three months ended Aug. 2.
---
News
in brief:
-
Canada’s central bank held the line on further rate cuts despite concerns over
low oil prices and slowing economic growth. The Bank of Canada’s key interest
rate remains at 0.5 percent after two previous cuts of 0.25 percent each. The
cuts have had the desired “stimulative effect,” the bank said.
-
The household debt of Canadians has risen faster than incomes this year. Canadians
owed nearly $1.65 for every dollar of disposable income, Statistics Canada said.
On a per-capita basis, household net worth increased to $243,800, an increase
of 0.9 percent in the second quarter.
---
Facts and figures:
The
Canadian dollar is lower at 75.40 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.3262
in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The
Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady at 0.50 percent while the prime-lending
rate is 2.7 percent.
Markets
are mixed with the Toronto Stock Exchange index up at 13,437 points and the TSX
Venture index down at 547 points.
The
average price of gas is lower at a national average of $1.063 a liter or $4.04 (Canadian)
for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Sept. 9) 15, 16, 29, 30, 42 and 44; bonus 37. (Sept. 5) 10,
21, 36, 37, 42 and 48; bonus 43. Lotto Max: (Sept. 4) 7, 8, 15, 19, 36, 37 and
41; bonus 43.
---
Regional briefs:
-
Jerry Bance is no longer an Ontario candidate for the Conservatives after news
that he was caught on hidden camera urinating into a coffee mug during a 2012
house call to repair a leaky kitchen sink. Vancouver-area Liberal candidate Joy
Davies has resigned after making controversial Facebook posts about marijuana use
decreasing domestic violence and cancer research that weren’t to the liking of
leader Justin Trudeau.
-
Marley Mcmonster, an Alberta search-and-rescue dog, is in need of help after
veterinarians believe he received a venomous bite. The black Labrador retriever
known as Monster has been saving lives since 2011 but is deathly ill. Owner
Dalia Cheshire has maxed out her savings as vet bills have topped $6,000 and
are growing. Supporter Sarah Tetlock has created a GoFundMe web page “Monster has a Mission” to help
pay the bills.
-30-
Jim
Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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