Sears Canada restructures with bankruptcy protection

   Canada column for Sunday, June 25/17

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Battered by slow sales for several years, Sears Canada Inc. will close 59 of its 225 stores as it receives bankruptcy protection to restructure.

   The retailer will cut 2,900 jobs under the court-supervised restructuring approved by the Ontario Superior Court.

   It received 30 days of protection from creditors while it “tries to revamp its business” and seek up to $450 million in financing, the company said.

   Sears stores will continue to operate, except for those closing – 20 department stores, 15 Sears Home stores, 14 Sears Hometown locations and all 10 outlet locations.

   In order to “right-size” its business, Sears said it intends to emerge as a “leaner, more focused operation better able to compete in the hyper-competitive retail industry.”

   Founded in Canada in 1952 as Simpsons Sears, it employs about 17,000 people.

   Marketing strategist Tony Chapman said Sears’ problems were “inevitable” as low-cost producers such as Amazon and Walmart continue “to eat your lunch.”

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Canada boosting defense spending for less U.S.-centric Canadian foreign policy

   Canada column for Sunday, June 18/17

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Canada’s decision to hike its defense spending by $14 billion over 10 years can be summed up in a name: Trump.

   That’s what the Toronto Globe and Mail commented when reporting that Canada will be making major investments in the military.

   This is the promised response to the presidency of Donald Trump, aiming at a less United States-centric Canadian foreign policy, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia said.

   “To rely solely on the U.S. security umbrella would make us a client state,” Freeland added.

   Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said the Liberal government vision for expanding the Armed Forces would include spending $60 billion over 20 years.

   The plans include adding 5,000 personnel to the Armed Forces and modern capabilities for cyberattacks and armed drones for unmanned airstrikes along with new warships and fighter jets.

   “We’re serious about our role in the world and we must be serious about funding our military,” Sajjan said.

   As well, Canada will spend an additional $198 million on health and wellness in the next decade to better support military personnel, especially the ill and injured, as well as family members.

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Terrorism concerns as Canada plans to celebrate its 150th birthday

   Canada column for Sunday, June 11/17

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   As Canada’s capital prepares to mark the country’s 150th birthday on July 1, there are concerns about potential terrorism.

   “Could the events in Britain happen here? Sadly, the answer is yes,” said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

   One of the fatalities from last weekend’s London Bridge area attack was Christine Archibald, originally from British Columbia.    

   The 30-year-old woman moved to Europe to be with her fiancé and was caught up in the deadly attack in which seven people were killed and dozens injured.

   Heightened security measures are planned around Parliament Hill but no amount of preparation can guarantee 100-percent safety, Watson said.

   Liberal Member of Parliament David McGuinty, head of a new national security committee, said the government is consulting with Canadian communities about precautions for the celebrations.

   In 2014, terrorist Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was shot and killed by security and police officers killing Corporal Nathan Cirillo, a soldier on duty at the National War Memorial, and who then stormed the Parliament Buildings.

   Last Jan. 29, six were killed and eight injured in a shooting at a Quebec City mosque.

Andrew Scheer, new Conservative leader, aims at toppling Liberals

   Canada column for Sunday, June 4/17

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Canada’s Conservatives are looking to Andrew Scheer to rebuild the party that was swept aside by the Liberals in the 2015 vote.

   It took 13 ballots for party members to select Scheer, 38, a Saskatchewan Member of Parliament and former Speaker of the House of Commons, as their new leader.

   In a narrow margin, he was declared the winner with 50.95 percent over leadership front-runner Maxime Bernier of Quebec with 49.05.

   Scheer told cheering supporters the goal is for the Conservatives to form the government in 2019 by defeating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

   In promising “renewed hope for Canada,” Scheer said that the “pain and hardship the Trudeau Liberals are causing Canadians is just temporary.”

   Scheer said he will balance the budget within two years, ending the Liberal job-creating spending spree, and provide tax credits for home-schooled children and those attending private schools.

   The victory makes Scheer, who with wife Jill have five children, the Opposition leader in the Commons.

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   Ontario’s minimum wage will jump to $15 an hour in 2019, Premier Kathleen Wynne said.

   The raise will be phased in over 18 months, rising to $14 an hour next Jan. 1 and to $15 the next January.

   After that, the minimum will rise annually based on the inflation rate.

   The current Ontario minimum wage is $11.40 an hour and ranges across Canada from $10.72 in Saskatchewan to $13 in Nunavut.

   Alberta’s rate will rise to $15 hourly in October of next year.

   The increase, which is a concern for small business owners, is part of a bill that aims to better protect part-time and contract workers, Wynne said.

    ---

   News in brief:

   - Prime Minister Trudeau said he told U.S. President Donald Trump he is “deeply disappointed” with his decision to pull out of the Paris agreement on climate change. “Canada is unwavering in our commitment to fight climate change and support clean economic growth,” Trudeau said. “Canadians know we need to take decisive and collective action to tackle the many harsh realities of our changing climate,” he added.

   - The Canadian government is providing an aid package of $867 million in loans for the forestry industry, workers and communities impacted by softwood lumber tariffs recently imposed by the United States. The aid includes support to expand overseas markets and to help affected workers upgrade their skills and find new opportunities. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said she is confident a fair agreement on softwood lumber can be reached.

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   Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is lower at 74.14 cents U.S. as the U.S. dollar is worth $1.348 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 up at 15,452 points while the TSX Venture index is down at 802 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is down at $1.11 a liter or $4.21 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto 6/49: (May 31) 1, 3, 8, 9, 12 and 40; bonus 2. (May 27) 7, 15, 25, 26, 27 and 36; bonus 12. Lotto Max: (May 26) 14, 16, 18, 21, 38, 44 and 49; bonus 15.

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   Regional briefs:

   - Public outrage has resulted in a Montreal private elementary school no longer allowing convicted sex killer Karla Homolka to help with kids. The school run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church is where Homolka’s kids attend. She and ex-husband Paul Bernardo were convicted in the rape and murder of Ontario teenagers Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy. Homolka was released after spending 12 years in prison in 2005.

   - Nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer has admitted killing eight elderly patients with insulin overdoses because she was “overwhelmingly angry” about her life and saying God urged her to do it. She will be sentenced June 26 for the deaths at three long-term care facilities in Woodstock and London, Ontario. She also pleaded guilty to attempting to kill four seniors and to two counts of aggravated assault.

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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com