Canada column for
Sunday, July 21/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
The downturn in
Canada’s auto industry is growing, costing thousands of jobs by the end of the
year.
The latest is the
announcement that Ford Motor Co. will lay off 200 workers in September in Oakville,
west of Toronto, with the possibility of more layoffs in January.
The decision is to “match
production with consumer demand,” said Ford’s Kelli Felker.
Oakville, which
employs about 4,600 workers, noted disappointing demand for its Ford Flex and
Ford Edge SUVs and the Lincoln MKT crossover made there.
Other big job
losses include General Motors saying a few months ago that it would close its
Oshawa, Ontario plant with the loss of about 2,800 jobs by December.
Fiat Chrysler will
put 1,500 people out of work starting Sept. 30 by ending a shift at the
Windsor assembly plant, across from Detroit.
The move is to
“better align production with global demand,” the company said.
Last week, the U.S.
Buy America Act was cited as a reason for 550 workers losing their jobs with Bombardier’s
railway car plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario by year’s end.
---
An expansion of a
border treaty will enable agents to share information about Canadian and U.S.
citizens more freely.
It’s the third
phase of a pact to enable easier trade and travel across the Canada-U.S.
border.
To be shared are biographic
data, travel documents and information related to border crossings.
So far, the
countries have shared data on legal permanent residents and third-country
nationals.
The “Beyond the
Border” agreement was launched eight years ago by former Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper and former U.S. president Barack Obama.
---
News in brief:
- We’re having a
heat wave in naturally air-conditioned Canada with record high readings across
the country. Environment Canada said sweltering highs in southern Ontario
near104F (40C) and 110 (44C) with the humidity are the result of a “heat dome.”
A large part of Quebec is baking, too, with Montreal’s highs of 90 (32) as the
air mass moves this weekend into Atlantic Canada.
- In a bizarre
case, former financial adviser Dennis Oland, earlier convicted in the 2011
murder of his multi-millionaire father Richard Oland, 69, has now been
acquitted of the crime. It’s been an eight-year legal ordeal for Oland, 51, a member
of one of Atlantic Canada’s most prominent families. Prosecutors have 30 days
to decide whether to appeal the ruling by Judge Terrence Morrison in New
Brunswick.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
is lower at 76.52 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.306 Canadian before
exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate remains at 1.75 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.95 percent.
Stock markets are mixed, with the Toronto
exchange index down at 16,485 points and the TSX Venture index up to 591
points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.239 a liter or $4.70 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (July 17) 21, 24, 33, 36, 41 and
42; bonus 3. (July 13) 5, 11, 12, 33, 37 and 45; bonus 2.
Lotto Max: (July
16) 11, 14, 17, 21, 23, 26 and 36; bonus 19. (July 12) 3, 13, 19, 25, 28, 30
and 37; bonus 1.
---
Regional briefs:
- British Columbia
Transit is getting $79 million to replace its aging buses and improve public
transportation. The province will buy 118 new buses, including 10 electric
powered ones for Victoria. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal and
B.C. governments will contribute $31 million each and cities will cover the balance.
Replacing the fleet will help curb air pollution and shorten commutes, he
said.
- In order not to infringe
on anyone’s rights, two water parks in Ontario and Quebec are allowing women –
and men for that matter – to go topless. The Village Vacances Valcartier near
Quebec City and the Calypso Theme waterpark in eastern Ontario didn’t specifically
state that visitors can bare their breasts in the revised rules. They merely
ask bathers to wear “an appropriate swimsuit bottom.”
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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