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Sunday, September 10, 2017

Canada Navy ship heads to the Caribbean, Florida with relief supplies, aid



   Canada column for Sunday, Sept. 10/17

   THE CANADIAN REPORT
   (c) By Jim Fox

   A Royal Canadian Navy ship is en route to Florida and the Caribbean islands to offer aid to areas devastated by Hurricane Irma.
   HMCS St. John’s was being deployed for a training exercise in the Caribbean when it returned to Halifax to be loaded with additional relief supplies and a CH-124 Sea King helicopter.
   The ship, with a crew of about 250 along with an air detachment, is carrying humanitarian assistance supplies and disaster response equipment, said National Defense spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier.
   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government has been in contact with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and others in the U.S. to determine the needs and to co-ordinate potential assistance as requested.
   Among the relief aid, the ship carries water purification systems, primary medical care supplies, food and items to keep people warm and comfortable for “a rapid response,” Le Bouthillier added.
   Global Affairs Canada has been in touch with Canadians in the path of the storm and offered assistance to those requiring emergency services, Trudeau said.

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   Canada’s central bank has again raised its trendsetting interest rate, the second hike since July.
   The Bank of Canada’s key rate rose 0.25 percent to match the jump in July and is now at 1 percent.
   Bank governor Stephen Poloz therefore reversed the two cuts he made in 2015 to aid the economy that has now become increasingly robust and no longer in need of as much stimulus.
   The move led commercial banks to raise their prime-lending rates to 3.2 percent from 2.95 percent.
   “Given elevated household indebtedness, close attention will be paid to the sensitivity of the economy to (additional) higher interest rates,” the bank said.

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   News in brief:
   - A trade dispute could threaten the Canadian government’s plan to buy 18 Super Hornet fighter jets from Boeing based in St. Louis, Prime Minister Trudeau said. Boeing has accused the Montreal aerospace company Bombardier of being unfairly subsidized by Canada’s government. U.S. trade regulators are expected to announce this month whether to impose tariffs on Bombardier.
   - Toronto is making a bid to convince Amazon that it should become its second North American headquarters. Mayor John Tory was commenting on news that Amazon is hunting for a site for another headquarters along with its Seattle hub. Toronto is a “prime candidate” for the $5-billion headquarters to employ about 50,000, Tory said as it is a “bold, innovative city that has plenty of homegrown tech talent.”

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   Facts and figures:
   Canada’s dollar is higher at 82.27 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.215 in Canadian funds before exchange fees.
   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is up at 1 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.2 percent.
   Stock markets are lower, with the Toronto exchange index at 14,985 points while the TSX Venture index is 771 points.
   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.215 a liter or $4.61 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
   Lotto 6/49: (Sept. 6) 9, 15, 18, 21, 24 and 28; bonus 14. (Sept. 2) 9, 19, 26, 27, 42 and 46; bonus 21. Lotto Max (Sept. 1) 1, 7, 18, 28, 31, 39 and 48; bonus 35.

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   Regional briefs:
   - A search team has found a test model of the Avro Arrow, an advanced Canadian jet fighter, at the bottom of Lake Ontario near Point Petre. OEX Recovery Group is spearheading the Raise the Arrow expedition for the aircraft that was controversially scrapped in 1959. Searchers are looking for nine models of the plane ordered to be destroyed and dumped in the lake when the Canadian government ended the project.
   - Not many swimmers are enjoying Halifax’s harbor 10 years after the city spent $333 million to clean up the pollution and establish two public beaches near the downtown. Tests show the crystal-clear saltwater is fit to swim in. It’s a perception problem, said Anika Riopel, an environmental student at Dalhousie University, as for 250 years raw sewage was sent to the sea.

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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

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