Canada column for
Sunday, Feb. 19/17
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Canadians are
cautiously optimistic that any “tweaking” of the North American Free Trade Agreement
won’t impact the country greatly.
President Donald
Trump told visiting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the trade relationship
with Canada is “outstanding,” calling only for a “few tweaks.”
“If we’re going to
change it, we’re going to do things that are good for both Canada and the
United States,” said David MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S.
Trump said his
major concern was trade with Mexico that greatly puts the U.S. at a
disadvantage.
Both leaders are seeking
common ground to help the middle classes prosper, Trudeau said.
“What I saw from the
American president was a focus on getting things done for the people who
supported him and who believe in him, while demonstrating good relations with
one’s neighbors,” he added.
Later in the week,
Trudeau addressed members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France on
the passing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement that Canada is to
ratify by the spring.
---
After getting the
nod from President Trump, TransCanada is again seeking approval of its Keystone
XL pipeline route in Nebraska that had been rejected by the former U.S.
government.
The
multi-billion-dollar project, still being hotly contested by environmentalists,
would carry 830,000 barrels a day of Alberta crude to U.S. Gulf Coast
refineries.
A decision from the
Nebraska Public Service Commission is expected by the end of the year and the
company has also filed a presidential permit application for the project.
---
News in brief:
- A six-alarm fire destroyed
the Badminton and Racquet Club in mid-town Toronto. It took about 120
firefighters almost 24 hours to control the fire. It caused the evacuation of
nearby condominiums, offices and retail businesses. There were no serious
injuries but damage to the 1922-era building was “astronomical,” said Deputy
Fire Chief Jim Jessop. The cause is under investigation.
- They’re running
out of space to put all the snow after a third recent blizzard struck Atlantic
Canada. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and
Labrador received more than a foot of new snow. It followed a dump of three
feet of snow in central New Brunswick, parts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
- Stuart McLean, bestselling author and
humorist on CBC Radio’s "The Vinyl Cafe," has died at age 68. The celebrated
storyteller had been diagnosed with skin cancer and died in Toronto.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar is lower at 76.25 cents
U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.311 Canadian, before exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is
steady at 0.5 percent while the prime-lending rate is 2.7 percent.
Stock markets are higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 15,840 points while the TSX Venture index is 844 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher
at $1.063 a liter or $4.03 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Feb. 15) 1, 16, 17, 24, 41 and 46; bonus
22. (Feb. 11) 10, 11, 21, 28, 38 and 44; bonus 17. Lotto Max (Feb. 10) 11, 16,
19, 22, 24, 38 and 41; bonus 48.
---
Regional briefs:
- A Calgary jury
has convicted Douglas Garland, 57, of murdering Alvin and Kathy Liknes and
their grandson Nathan O'Brien, 5, in 2014. He will serve a life term. The trial
was told traces of their bodies were found burned on the farm owned by Garland
who had been upset over a patent dispute with Alvin Liknes.
- Nova Scotia teachers
went on strike Friday to protest in Halifax over the provincial government’s
plan to impose a contract on them. Premier Stephen McNeil said the government
has been unable to negotiate an agreement with the teachers’ union and its
9,300 members for 16 months.
- It wasn’t a case
of “finders keepers” after a worker recycling a television in Barrie, Ontario
found $100,000 in cash and banking records inside. The worker at GEEP recycling
turned it over to his manager and police found the owner – a 68-year-old man from
Bolsover. He said he had forgotten about the money from an inheritance that he
hid there.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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