Canada column for
Sunday, Dec. 30/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Toronto remains one
of the safest cities in North America even as the city set a record for
killings this year, Police Chief Mark Saunders says.
There were 95
killings, “hopefully just a blip,” with most handguns used in crimes being
sourced from the United States.
The number eclipsed
the previous record high of 89 homicides in 1991, with 50 of the latest caused
by shootings, up 28 percent from last year.
The chief, Mayor
John Tory and the Greater Toronto Area’s 6.5-million residents have been
concerned about public safety as the homicide rate steadily climbed – mostly
involving gang members.
The most shocking
news in the city once known as “Toronto the Good,” were two large-scale
attacks.
A man now awaiting
trial for murder drove a van into people walking along busy York Street,
killing 10 in April and two people were killed when a gunman opened fire in
July in the Greektown neighborhood before killing himself.
Police resources
were also strained investigating the ongoing case of alleged serial killer
Bruce McArthur, accused of killing eight men from the city’s gay community over
seven years.
---
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, in his year-end message, is crediting his Liberal party for
creating economic prosperity with 700,000 new jobs over the past three years.
“Right now, we have
(one of) the lowest unemployment rates in recorded history in Canada,” he
added.
The jobless rate
dropped to 5.6 percent from 7 percent when the Liberals took office, the best
since Canada had 5.4-percent unemployment in 1974.
In analyzing
Trudeau’s claims, the Canadian Press newswire said the comments are a stretch as
“no government can take full credit for all the good economic news.”
---
News in brief:
- Citing harmful
polluting effects, Montreal councillor Dominic Perri is calling for a ban on
oil-burning furnaces in Montreal. The city in October banned wood-burning
stoves and Perri’s motion would immediately outlaw oil used to heat new
buildings and give older ones time to switch. There would also be a Quebec
subsidy of up to $1,245 to convert to electric heat. The city is upgrading its
municipal buildings to natural gas from oil.
- A popular
professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia has been found
dead in Colombia. Ramo Gencay was found near Medellin where the economics
professor had gone to attend seminars at a local university. He was last seen
at a salsa night club on Dec. 6. Canadian consular officials are in contact with
local authorities to gather additional information.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
continues at lowest level in 18 months at 73.33 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar
returns $1.363 Canadian before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate is steady at 1.75 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.95
percent.
Stock markets are higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 14,222 points while the TSX Venture index is 552 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is steady
at $1.03 a liter or $3.91 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Dec. 26) 2, 14, 27, 36, 38 and 48; bonus 40.
(Dec. 22) 11, 16, 17, 22, 25 and 33; bonus 40. Lotto Max: (Dec. 21) 7, 21,
23, 25, 31, 34 and 45; bonus 37.
---
Regional briefs:
- More than 1,000
people are still without electricity in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley after
freezing rain and a buildup of ice brought down trees and power lines on
Thursday night. As well, there were travel advisories this weekend for the Coquihalla
Highway and heavy snow was forecast between Merritt and Kelowna with up to 10
inches expected. Abbotsford and Mission initially had 40,000 customers without
power.
- In Calgary,
they’re spraying beet brine to keep streets clear of snow and ice. This eco-friendly
mixture works wonders even in conditions as cold as -5F. The sugary
carbohydrates in beet juice help the brine stick in place. The pilot project is
to keep streets safe as well as to use less salt that is corrosive to vehicles.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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