Canada column for
Sunday, Aug. 19/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Snowbirds taking
flight to their winter sun destinations in Florida, Nevada and Arizona have a
new “ultra-low-cost” way of getting there.
Swoop, a subsidiary
of WestJet Airlines, will become Canada’s super low-cost airline to fly to the
United States starting in October.
Airline president
Steven Greenway said the goal is to use Swoop’s low fares to stimulate demand
from people who don’t typically fly.
It will also be a
way of regaining business from some of the five-million Canadians who cross the
border to fly out of U.S. airports to save money.
Flights began
initially in June to Canadian destinations of Abbortsford, Edmonton, Halifax,
Hamilton and Winnipeg.
Using Boeing 737-800
aircraft, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Phoenix (Mesa)
flights will begin in October.
One-way fares from $149
(Canadian) include taxes and fees through April while 4,100 seats will be
offered at $99 and $119 if booked online until Feb. 13.
---
Americans need
Canadian lumber but costly U.S. tariffs have increased the price of the average
new home in the U.S. by $9,000 (US).
Forest Products
Association of Canada CEO Derek Neighbor made the comment as President Donald
Trump took another swipe at Canada’s trade policies.
Trump drew a link
between imports of Canadian lumber and raging wildfires in California,
dismissing climate change.
It is “ridiculous”
that the U.S. imports lumber from Canada while fallen trees are left to rot on
the forest floor, creating an ideal environment for wildfires, Trump told a
cabinet meeting.
---
News in brief:
- An anti-colonial
group has claimed responsibility for spray painting a Montreal statue of Canada’s
first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. It was painted red partly to
support Victoria’s removal of its Macdonald statue. The British Columbia city cited
Macdonald for supporting the removal of Indigenous children from their “savage”
parents to put them in residential schools.
- Canadians are
supportive overall of current immigration levels but are concerned about the
handling of asylum seekers, a federal government study has found. Most said
that immigration has a positive effect on Canada and the economy. They doubted the
fairness of the system when thousands have entered Canada illegally at unofficial
border crossings.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar
increased in value as the inflation rate rose to 3 percent, the highest since 2011,
largely due to higher prices for gas, airplane flights, restaurant meals and
cars.
The dollar rose to 76.41
cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.308 Canadian (before bank exchange
fees).
The inflation rate could cause the Bank of
Canada to raise its key interest rate from 1.5 percent next month and a higher prime-lending
rate now at 3.7 percent.
Stock markets are lower, with the Toronto
exchange index at 16,323 points while the TSX Venture index is 678 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.303 a liter or $4.95 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 15) 2, 17, 25, 27, 37 and 42; bonus 29.
(Aug. 11) 2, 9, 16, 27, 38 and 41; bonus 34. Lotto Max: (Aug. 10) 2, 9,
18, 33, 36, 40 and 49; bonus 38.
---
Regional briefs:
- Massive wildfires
burning across British Columbia have led to the provincial government declaring
a state of emergency and raising evacuation notices. There are 566 wildfires
with 3,050 people forced from their homes. There are another 48 evacuation
alerts that would raise the number of displaced people to 19,000. Smoke from
the fires covers the province and into Alberta.
- A colorful
gathering of hundreds of Boler camper trailers has descended on Winnipeg to mark
the 50th anniversary of the local product. The camper was called the “egg on
wheels,” said event organizer Ian Giles. About 10,000 of the ultralight
trailers were manufactured from 1968 to 1988. Camper Angela Durand decorated
her trailer to look like the Beatles’ yellow submarine.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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