Canada column for
Sunday, Aug. 6/17
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
The trickle of
asylum seekers pouring across the Canada-U.S. border into Quebec has turned
into a flood, leading to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium providing temporary refuge.
A makeshift
reception center has also been established at what was once an unmarked
roadside ditch in Hemmingford.
There has been a
surge in the number of people, largely from Haiti, seeking refuge in Canada
over fears they will be deported from the U.S.
Quebec Immigration
Minister Kathleen Weil said 50 people a day were illegally crossing from New
York State but the number has surged to 150 daily since mid-July.
The influx is
causing authorities to scramble to provide temporary accommodation as the
newcomers await a ruling on their refugee claims.
Asylum seekers were
being bused to the Olympic Stadium that will accommodate as many as 600 people
until mid-September.
“Our government is
committed to offering protection for those fleeing war, persecution and natural
disasters without compromising the safety and security of Canadians,” said Liberal
Member of Parliament Marc Miller.
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Canadians are
getting older and more plentiful, according to results from last year’s census.
For the first time
in the history of the count, seniors outnumber children with those 65 and older
numbering 5.9 million compared 5.8 million for children to age 15.
Declining
affordability and seniors helped push up the number of people no longer living
in single detached houses.
Also for the first
time, people living alone make up the majority of households.
It found almost 30
percent of households are occupied by one person, up from 7.4 percent in 1951.
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News in brief:
- Kelly Knight Craft,
a Kentucky philanthropist, has been named U.S. Ambassador to Canada. She
pledged to “work tirelessly to further enhance our strong economic partnership,
the most extensive and integrated economic relationship of any two nations in
the world.” She will also seek “new opportunities to foster further growth to
create more jobs for both countries, while promoting free and fair trade.”
- Waukesha
has been granted approval to draw water from Lake Michigan by the Great
Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. The Wisconsin city of 70,000 people
has groundwater contaminated by naturally occurring radium. There was concern about
other cities wanting Great Lakes’ water that supports 33-million people including
eight of Canada’s 20 largest cities.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
lower at 79.06 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.264 in Canadian funds
before exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady
at 0.75 percent while the prime-lending rate is 2.95 percent.
Stock markets are mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index up at 15,257 points while the TSX Venture index is lower at 765
points.
The average price for gas in Canada has risen
to $1.088 a liter or $4.13 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 2) 13, 16, 24, 25, 38 and 43; bonus
48. (July 29) 12, 15, 17, 31, 47 and 49; bonus 26. Lotto Max: (July 28) 9, 12,
16, 24, 33, 45 and 47; bonus 14.
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Regional briefs:
- Vancouver and area
residents are being advised of poor air quality and an “extreme fire danger” at
parks as forest fires rage in British Columbia. A second state-of-emergency has
been declared with 7,000 people still displaced from their homes with some 870
fires scorching 2,000 square miles since April 1.
- An afternoon
without phones and wireless services on the Bell Aliant network in Atlantic
Canada lead to massive disruptions. The outage disrupted air travel for about
five hours on Friday. It affected 885 cell sites across Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. Bell said two
major fiber links were cut “during third-party construction work.”
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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