Canada column for
Sunday, May 7/17
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
A massive storm stalled
over central and eastern Canada has resulted in several days of persistent
rainfall into this weekend and flooding.
Lake Ontario is at
its highest level since 1993 – almost two feet above average – as measures are
ready to remove the 700 residents of the Toronto islands, if necessary.
The three inches or
so of rain have flooded Toronto beach parks and roads near the lake.
Environment Canada
said the weather system is drenching much of Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes,
with officials invoking states of emergency and contingency plans.
In Quebec, 132
communities have been flooded with about 700 people forced from their homes,
with less severe conditions in Montreal.
In Atlantic Canada,
Environment Canada was predicting up to four inches of rain for most of Nova
Scotia and two inches in southwestern New Brunswick.
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau said the federal government is “ready and willing” with whatever
help is needed with the floods and cleanup.
There is also a risk
of flooding in southern British Columbia with thunderstorms, heavy rain, wind
gusts and large hail.
---
A Canadian man arrested
for a burglary has been questioned by police in Belize in connection with the
deaths of an Ontario woman and her U.S. boyfriend.
The bodies of Francesca
Matus, 52, of Keswick, a property manager who has properties in Toronto and a
house in Belize, and Drew DeVoursney, 36, a former Marine from Atlanta were
found near her car in a sugarcane field.
The couple
disappeared after leaving a Corozal bar on April 25, the day before Matus was
to return to Canada.
Police ruled out robbery
as the motive and said the unidentified Canadian man remains a “person of
interest.”
---
News in brief:
- Canada’s jobless
rate has fallen to 6.5 percent – the lowest in nearly nine years – but wages
only grew by 0.7 percent in April, Statistics Canada said. Fewer young people
searching for work helped push the unemployment rate lower as only 3,200 new
jobs were created last month.
- A $500-million
cost-cutting measure is planned by Empire Co. Ltd. to revive its Sobeys grocery
chain since acquiring Safeway Canada four years ago. Chief executive Michael
Medline said the plan is for a leaner organization by 2020 for the business
that has1,500 stores including IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods and
Lawston’s Drug Stores.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
lower at 72.97 cents U.S. as the U.S. dollar gained to $1.37 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 lower, with the Toronto
exchange index at 15,568 points while the TSX Venture index is 776 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is down to
$1.09 a liter or $4.14 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (May 3) 1, 5, 7, 16, 28 and 46;
bonus 30. (April 29) 10, 23, 26, 40, 45 and 46; bonus 12. Lotto Max: (April 28)
10, 14, 22, 36, 38, 44 and 45; bonus 11.
---
Regional briefs:
- An Argentine
climber has been rescued unharmed by helicopter after being stranded for four
days on the Yukon’s Mount Logan, Canada’s highest mountain. Natalia Martinez,
37, was on a solo ascent of the mountain when two powerful earthquakes hit,
causing avalanches and glacial ice to fall around her camp. She was stuck at
the 12,800-foot level on the east ridge of Logan.
- Canada’s Supreme
Court will hear an appeal of a New Brunswick court ruling overturning a ban on
taking alcohol across provincial boundaries. The case is the result of Gerard
Comeau of Tracadie being acquitted of exceeding the importation limits on beer
and liquor. He returned home from Quebec with 14 cases of beer and three
bottles of liquor. At issue is whether limiting the movement of such products
between provinces violates the Constitution.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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