Canada column for
Sunday, May 28/17
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Canadian flyers
will be getting their own bill of rights from the government that will end the
practise of “bumping” people against their will.
Bumping has been
the subject of ugly scenes recently on several U.S. airlines and will be part
of the changes expected to become law next year.
Even before that
happens, Transport Minister Marc Garneau wants the country’s airlines to live
up to the spirit of its bill.
He has called on airline
executives to voluntarily stop removing passengers from full flights against
their will and to ensure that children can be seated next to a parent at no
extra cost.
The bill would set
minimum levels of compensation for people who voluntarily agree to be bumped.
It would also make
airlines establish clear standards of treatment and compensation for
circumstances such as lost or damaged luggage, delays while sitting on the
tarmac and other non-weather related issues.
The amendments would
raise the cap on foreign ownership in airlines and require railways to install
voice and video recorders in locomotives.
---
The federal
Conservative Party’s interim leader Rona Ambrose is quitting politics to join a
Washington “think tank.”
In seeking a “new
chapter in my life,” Ambrose said she will resign her position as an Alberta
Member of Parliament at the start of the summer break.
Her announcement
comes as the Conservatives are choosing a new leader this weekend.
She will become a
visiting fellow at the Canada Institute of the Wilson Center, a Washington,
D.C. public policy organization.
Among her
initiatives are to bring Canadian and America officials together to explore
issues relating to the North American economy.
---
News in brief:
- Canada has
announced plans to host the G7 summit next year in Charlevoix, Quebec. As the
current summit of world leaders winds up in Sicily, Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau is looking at inclusive growth and gender equality as major themes next
year. Canada has hosted the event in Montebello, Quebec in 1981; Halifax, 1995;
Alberta’s Kananaskis Country, 2002; and Huntsville, Ontario in 2010.
- The big banks are
reporting huge second-quarter earnings, led by $2.81 billion in net income for
the Royal Bank. Second-largest Toronto-Dominion had strong retail and
investment business for $2.5 billion while the CIBC’s earnings reached $1.05
billion for the three-month period. Banks benefitted from high account balances
in personal checking accounts and growth in commercial loans and deposits.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar has
advanced to 74.27 cents U.S. as the U.S. dollar is lower at $1.346 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 mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index down at 15,409 points while the TSX Venture index is up at 805
points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at
$1.128 a liter or $4.28 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (May 24) 3, 5, 9, 22, 37 and 46;
bonus 10. (May 20) 5, 8, 10, 20, 33 and 34; bonus 45. Lotto Max: (May 19) 8,
11, 18, 25, 34, 35 and 38; bonus 44.
---
Regional briefs:
- Cecile and
Annette Dionne, last surviving sisters of the famous Dionne quintuplets, are
marking their 83rd birthdays on Sunday. Their wishes include seeking consistent
funding for their soon-to-be-relocated log cabin birthplace in North Bay,
Ontario and to see Canada do more to prevent child abuse. They became a public
sensation with their birth in 1934 near Corbeil, Ontario.
- A painting by the
late folk artist Maud Lewis of Nova Scotia has sold for $45,000, almost three
times its estimated price. It was discovered at a New Hamburg, Ontario thrift
store run by the Mennonite Central Committee. The “Portrait of Eddie Barnes and
Ed Murphy, Lobster Fishermen” and was among paintings the woman sold for only
several dollars from her home.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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