Canada column for
Sunday, June 24/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Provincial
governments are scrambling to determine how it will all work as Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau announced that Canadians will be able to legally use
recreational marijuana.
The legalization of
pot becomes effective across Canada on Oct. 17.
The move was
promised in the Trudeau Liberals’ election platform and the launch date had
been set for July 1, Canada Day, but procedural issues and delays prevented
meeting the target.
The Cannabis Bill
was passed by Parliament, the Senate and given Royal Assent by the Governor-General
ending Canada’s near-century-old prohibition.
Governments in the
provinces and territories can decide where and how the products will be sold, either
in private stores or government facilities such as liquor stores.
The age restriction
for legal use is 19 but a year younger in Quebec and Alberta and there will be
strict regulations on where it can be consumed.
The government also
passed a bill with harsher penalties for
driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
---
A woman from France
who was visiting her mother in British Columbia says she was detained for two
weeks for inadvertently crossing into the U.S. during a jog along the beach.
Cedella Roman,
19, said she had no official documentation with her when apprehended by the
U.S. Border Patrol south of White Rock.
She was taken into
custody for crossing illegally into Blaine, Wash. and transferred 160 miles to
the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center.
Even though her
mother presented her passport and documentation, she was still held while her
story and validity to return to Canada were investigated.
CBC News confirmed
the story and said border officials in the U.S. and Canada wouldn’t comment on
the incident citing privacy concerns.
---
News in brief:
- Economic concerns
have dimmed the expectations about the timing of the Bank of Canada’s next
interest rate increase. It had been predicted the central bank would raise its
trendsetting rate next month. Economists now suggest concerns about the U.S.
protectionist policy and trade issues are adding uncertainty to the interest
rate outlook. Canada’s annual inflation rose 2.2 percent last month and retail
sales contracted by 1.2 percent in April.
- Manulife is
cutting 700 people from its 13,000 Canadian workforce in a bid to streamline
and digitize its customer service operations. The Waterloo, Ontario-based
financial services company will close its Kitchener office to move into its
consolidated Canadian headquarters. Manulife Canada chief executive Michael
Doughty said the job cuts will come from voluntary exit programs and natural
attrition.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
lower at 75.3 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.327 in Canadian funds
(bank 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 16,450 points while the TSX Venture index is 756 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.31 a liter or $4.97 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (June 20) 14, 24, 31, 35, 37 and 48; bonus 17.
(June 16) 2, 15, 21, 31, 38 and 49; bonus 8. Lotto Max: (June 15) 18, 23,
28, 37, 44, 45 and 47; bonus 9.
---
Regional briefs:
- The Newfoundland
and Labrador government plans to redesign the province’s 400-year-old coat of
arms that has been called “inappropriate” in these times. The archaic symbol of
Canada’s colonial past depicts two Indigenous warriors holding a red shield.
The concern is the official description of the pair, written in 1637, calls
them “savages.” This has prompted the Indigenous Peoples Commission to call for
changes.
- A gift of two
aviator sunglasses made by an Atlantic Canada company has resulted in Prime
Minister Trudeau assessed a $100 fine for violating conflict of interest rules.
It was found that Trudeau failed to disclose the gift from Prince Edward Island
Premier Wade MacLauchlan. Made by Fellow Earthlings in Guernsey Cove, each pair
was worth $300. It was called an “administrative error” by Trudeau’s office.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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