Canada column for
Sunday, May 13/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Canadians airlines
are heading back to the Caribbean after repairs to airports and key
infrastructure from devastating hurricanes.
Air Transat’s seasonal
flights will return to St. Martin/St. Maarten and San Juan, Puerto Rico from
Montreal and Toronto before Christmas for four months.
Transat’s Debbie
Cabana said the destinations are mainly embarkation ports for cruises.
Air Canada expects
to operate its normal schedule to the winter destinations along with WestJet
while Sunwing wants to get back early next year to St. Maarten where many of
the hotels are being repaired.
Islands hardest hit
by the storms were Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands,
Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, St. Maarten, Barbuda, Cuba and Dominica.
Places with less
damage such as Grand Cayman, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines
benefited with additional visitors.
A study said the
hurricane season resulted in a loss of 826,100 visitors to the Caribbean and
about 740 million in spending.
---
Canada’s trade
surplus with the U.S. narrowed to $1.7 billion last month from $2.3 billion in
February.
Overall, the trade
deficit advanced to a record $4.1 billion as exports rose and there was a
higher domestic demand.
Exports increased
by 3.7 percent to $47.6 billion, largely by aircraft and transportation
equipment, parts, farm, fishing and food and energy products.
Imports gained 6
percent due to motor vehicles and parts and consumer goods.
---
News in brief:
- Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau says the police, not politicians, should decide the restrictions
for specific kinds of guns. The Liberal government is facing renewed pressure to
impose an outright ban on semi-automatic rifles. The proposed firearms bill
would restore the authority of the Mounties to classify firearms without
political influence. It would repeal cabinet’s authority to overrule the police
determinations.
- A violet storm
with high winds ripped across southern Ontario killing three people including
two young men who were clearing branches off a road. The two tree service
workers were struck by a falling tree in Milton while clearing limbs to allow a
school bus to pass. The storm had gusts of up to 66 mph and downed power lines
and trees, and tore apart roofs. A third man died in downtown Toronto when
struck by a piece of scaffolding from a construction site.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar has
advanced to 78.32 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.276 in Canadian
funds (exchange fees extra).
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is
steady at 1.25 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.45 percent.
Stock markets are higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 15,959 points while the TSX Venture index is 774 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.22 a liter or $4.63 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (May 9) 15, 17, 21, 24, 36 and 37;
bonus 32. (May 5) 1, 9, 11, 13, 16 and 28; bonus 6. Lotto Max: (May 4) 1, 11,
15, 16, 20, 29 and 39; bonus 32.
---
Regional briefs:
- Flood-weary New
Brunswick residents got some good news as the Trans-Canada Highway between
Fredericton and Moncton was reopened Friday afternoon. The highway, used by up
to 12,000 vehicles a day, had been closed for a week but flood waters have
since receded from record highs. Premier Brian Gallant called in the Armed
Forces to aid in the cleanup. Geoffrey Downey of the Emergency Measures Organization
said 1,516 people forced from their homes have registered with the Red Cross
for assistance.
- Ontario’s June 7
provincial election promises to be the liveliest in years as Donald Trump-like
Conservative Doug Ford is leading in the polls over the unpopular Liberals led
by Kathleen Wynne. They are followed by socialist New Democrat Andrea Horwath while
Green leader Mike Schreiner’s party trails.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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