Canada column for
Sunday, Aug. 11/19
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
At one time it was
known as “Toronto the Good,” reflecting its Victorian morals but now the city
is battling an outbreak of guns and gang violence.
After 14 shootings last
weekend injuring 17 people and a daily occurrence of crime, Mayor John Tory
wants help from the Canadian government.
He is reiterating a
demand for a handgun ban and more money to deal with the growing problem in the
city of 2.7 million people.
“Even though our
city is very safe, we have an acute problem as we’ve seen this past weekend,”
Tory said.
Bill Blair, the
government’s Crime Reduction Minister, said it has already allocated $65
million to the province of Ontario to address the violence.
There have been 244
shooting this year, with 19 gun-related deaths and about 350 injuries.
Police Chief Mark
Saunders is calling for the public’s help to solve the crimes.
---
Mounties are
“confident” the bodies of two men found in a northern Manitoba bush are those
of fugitive killers Kam McLeod, 19, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 18.
They were found
after police located “significant evidence” linking the two from British
Columbia to the Nelson River near Gillam.
An autopsy was awaited
to confirm the identities of the two whose burned-out car was found nearby
three weeks ago.
They were wanted for
the murders of three people along the Alaska Highway.
---
News in brief:
- David
MacNaughton, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, is leaving his job to work
in the private sector in Toronto. He held the top diplomatic role since 2016
and was heavily involved in the free trade talks. “Serving as Canada’s
ambassador in Washington at this pivotal time in our country’s history, has
been the greatest honor of my life,” he said.
- Canadians holding
two U.S.-based Chase Bank credit cards can’t believe their good fortune. Chase is
forgiving all outstanding debt owed by users of its Canadian
credit cards: the Amazon.ca Rewards Visa and Marriott Rewards Premier
Visa. The bank decided to wipe out cardholders’ debt as it retires the cards
and leaves the Canadian market.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
is lower at 75.66 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.321 Canadian before
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 16,404 points and the TSX Venture index at 596 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is lower at
$1.19 a liter or $4.52 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 7) 5, 8, 9, 19, 28 and 31;
bonus 18. (Aug. 3) 4, 14, 17, 22, 26 and 46; bonus 47. Lotto
Max: (Aug. 6) 19, 22, 28, 30, 36, 38 and 39; bonus 25. (Aug. 2) 11, 20, 23, 24, 26, 41
and 44; bonus 38.
---
Regional briefs:
- McDonald’s in
Canada is doubling down on beef as competitors promote meatless and plant-based
burgers. Calling it a “remastered burger lineup,” Nicola Pitman, of McDonald’s
said minor changes will result in a hotter and juicier burger. A&W and Tim
Hortons are now serving Beyond Meal and plant-based burgers while Subway Canada
plans to also offer meat-less items.
- Alberta
politicians have cut their pay by five per cent, with an extra five percent cut
for Premier Jason Kenney. As leader of the United Conservative government,
Kenney said the decision “is about leadership by example.” It was a campaign
commitment before winning a majority government in April. This cuts Kenney’s
pay to $186,000 a year, while cabinet members get $181,000 and other
politicians are paid $121,000.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment