Canada column for
Sunday, July 29/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Amazon is on a tear
across Canada creating new facilities and hiring thousands of workers.
The latest
announcement by the Seattle-based e-commerce retailer is a “fulfillment center”
in Caledon, north of Toronto, to ship books, electronics and toys.
It will cover
one-million square feet and employ 800 people and is Amazon’s sixth facility in
Ontario and ninth in Canada.
It is expected to open
by the end of next year along with a facility in Ottawa, adding more than 1,400
jobs to the province.
Last April, Amazon
said it will expand its Vancouver technology hub and create 3,000 new high-tech
jobs.
It will be in a new
office tower on the site of the city’s old post office, opening in 2022.
Amazon now employs
6,000 people at facilities in Ontario, British
Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec.
Awaited is the
decision by Amazon for the location of its second North American headquarters,
with Toronto among the 20 finalists.
---
Newly elected
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his Conservative government will slash the
number of elected council members in Toronto.
As well, it will
cancel plans to elect regional chairs in Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka this
fall.
Ford’s radical
approach to cut costs and government bureaucracy – as promised during the
election campaign – will reduce the number of Toronto City Council members to
25 from 47 in time for the Oct. 22 civic election.
---
News in brief:
- Toronto is
reeling during a summer of gun violence with the latest resulting in the deaths
of two people and the wounding of 13 in the Danforth entertainment district.
The attacker identified as Faisal Hussain, 29, killed himself after firing on
people with a handgun smuggled from the U.S. The Canadian government will consider
tightening handgun laws, said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.
- A survey by
Manulife Bank finds 60 percent of Canadians are cutting back on spending to
cope with expected rising interest rates. It found 27 percent reduced entertainment
spending on things such as going to the movies and bars, 17 percent are putting
more money into savings accounts and 10 percent are spending less on essential
items such as groceries.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
higher at 76.57 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.305 in Canadian
funds (plus bank exchange fees).
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady
at 1.5 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.7 percent.
Stock markets are lower, with the Toronto
exchange index at 16,393 points while the TSX Venture index is 707 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at
$1.329 a liter or $5.05 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (July 25) 2, 7, 15, 31, 33 and 42; bonus 20.
(July 21) 2, 9, 22, 26, 27 and 30; bonus 41. Lotto Max: (July 20) 6, 8,
12, 19, 20, 25 and 49; bonus 18.
---
Regional briefs:
- Work is to resume
next month to prepare a route for the controversial $4.5-billion Trans Mountain
pipeline expansion. Ian Anderson, president of Kinder Morgan Canada, said the
company “anticipates laying physical pipe in a prepared, surveyed, environmentally
protected right-of-way early next year.” The pipeline carries crude and refined
oil from Alberta to the west coast of British Columbia.
- Hockey great
Mario Lemieux has put his Quebec vacation home on the market for $22 million.
Located at Mont Tremblant, the chateau has 50 rooms, 17 fireplaces, antique
columns from a castle in India and was inspired by the Chateau Frontenac hotel
in Quebec City. Lemieux, the former Pittsburgh Penguins superstar and now team
owner, lives primarily with his family in Pennsylvania and also has a Florida
property.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment