Canada column for
Sunday, Feb. 10/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Canada is expanding
its humanitarian efforts by rescuing and resettling hundreds of people from
slavery in Libya.
Immigration
Minister Ahmed Hussen said Canada was one of the few countries to respond to a
United Nations’ request for assistance.
So far, more than
150 people have been resettled and 600 more are expected over the next two
years, he said.
Canada will also
take in 100 refugees from Niger who were rescued from Libyan migrant detention
centers, including victims of human smuggling.
The Libyan
initiative follows recent resettlement of 1,000 Yazidi refugees from Iraq and
40,000 Syrians, threatened by Islamic State militants and Syrian forces.
“Canadians have always
been welcoming to newcomers and that generosity has helped offer protection to
those fleeing persecution, terror and war,” Hussen said.
---
Three crew members
were killed when a runaway Canadian Pacific Railway freight train hurtled off a
bridge falling more than 200 feet near Field, British Columbia.
Engineer
Andrew Dockrell, trainee Daniel Waldenberger-Bulmer and conductor
Dylan Paradis were killed in the spectacular crash.
Investigators said
the westbound 112-car train derailed on a curve near the Spiral Tunnels
and plunged into the frozen Kicking Horse River.
The Transportation
Safety Board said the train had been parked on a grade for about two hours when
it started rolling on its own.
---
News in brief:
- Serial killer
Bruce McArthur, 67, has been sentenced to a life prison term with no chance of
parole for 25 years. The self-employed landscaper admitted killed eight men
from Toronto’s gay village. Judge John McMahon said he had “no doubt” McArthur
would have killed again if he hadn’t been arrested last year. Prosecutors
sought no parole for 50 years. Police discovered the dismembered remains of his
victims inside planters at a house where he worked and in a forested ravine.
- A hiring surge in
the private sector in January boosted the labor force by 66,800 net new jobs,
Statistics Canada said. More people were searching for work, driving the
unemployment rate higher to 5.8 percent from its 43-year low of 5.6 percent in
December.
- In a
vast overhaul of its program for autistic children, the Ontario government will
give treatment money directly to families instead of regional service
providers. Depending on age, it would provide up to $140,000 for children aged
2 to 18, said government minister Lisa MacLeod. It’s an attempt to clear a
waiting list of 23,000 children but critics say the money would soon run out
for intensive therapy that can cost $60,000 and more a year.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
has dropped to 75.32 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.327 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 mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index up at 15,581 points while the TSX Venture index is down at 610
points.
The average price for gas in Canada is steady at
$1.01 a liter or $3.83 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon; 93.7 cents a liter in Ontario.
Lotto 6/49: (Feb. 6) 1, 16, 27, 28, 36 and 39; bonus 9.
(Feb. 2) 14, 16, 25, 29, 30 and 48; bonus 12. Lotto Max: (Feb. 1) 2, 6,
13, 19, 21, 32 and 40; bonus 12.
---
Regional briefs:
- Sault Ste. Marie
is offering some hope for employment to General Motors’ workers in Oshawa who
will soon be without jobs and are willing to relocate. The northern Ontario
city wants to fill hundreds of jobs, most with Algoma Steel, said Tom Vair, the
city’s deputy chief administrative officer. The GM plant shutdown by the end of
the year will affect up to 3,000 workers in southern Ontario as production
shifts to Mexico.
- The unusual
winter weather continued across Canada in the past week, with everything
including freezing drizzle, freezing rain and fog, thunderstorms, snow and high
winds. It was an “icy mess” in the Toronto area, Montreal and across the
Maritimes, leading to schools being closed and numerous travel delays.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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