Canada column for
Sunday, Jan 5/20
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Canadian
“snowbirds” are in a flap over the decision by the Ontario government to end
out-of-country health insurance coverage.
The Canadian
Snowbird Association has filed a legal challenge against the changes that came
into effect on Jan. 1.
The group said the
government’s cost-saving move violates terms of the Canada Health Act that
“protect the right to out-of-country emergency medical care.”
Used to “free”
health and hospital care at home, the now-ended program covered out-of-country
inpatient services up to $400 a day for higher level of care and $50 daily for
emergency outpatient and doctor services.
Health Minister Christine
Elliott said the program was costly and did not provide value to taxpayers.
“With this limited
coverage and low reimbursement rate, eligible Ontarians who do not purchase
private travel health insurance can be left with catastrophically large bills
to pay,” her office said.
The province spent
$2.8 million to administer $9 million in claim payments through the program
every year.
---
Firefighters
from across Canada are in Australia helping to battle devastating wildfires
there.
The 100 Canadian
wildfire specialists are stationed in Queensland and New South Wales.
This is
the first time Canada has made a coordinated effort to send firefighters
to Australia, said Stephen Tulle of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
More than 60
fire-fighting professionals arrived last month and the rest since then.
The
Canadian group is made up of volunteers from British Columbia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and
Parks Canada.
Crews from
Australia went to British Columbia to fight widespread wildfires in 2017 and
2018.
---
News in brief:
- Canada’s largest
lottery prize – $70 million ($54 million U.S.) in tax-free cash paid all at
once – remains elusive as there was no winner in Friday night’s Lotto Max draw.
The jackpot carries over to Tuesday. There were 10 winners of added $1 million
prizes. The last jackpot was won in November and the prize has grown to its
maximum of $70 million. Last year, there were two winners of $65 million each in
Quebec and western Canada.
- Canada’s 100
highest-paid chief executives received record amounts in 2018, says a report by
the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. It found the average CEO at a top
publicly traded company made as much money as the average Canadian worker earned
all year by10 a.m. on Jan. 3. They
received 227 times more for an average of $11.8 million.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
has advanced to 76.94 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.30 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.
Canadian stock markets are mixed with the Toronto
exchange index lower at 17,066 points and the TSX Venture index up to 587
points.
The average price
for gas in Canada is higher at $1.14 a liter or $4.33 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Dec. 31) 3, 4, 11, 19, 30, 39
and 40; bonus 25. (Dec. 27) 13, 27, 34, 36, 38, 45 and 50; bonus 18.
Lotto 6/49: (Jan.
1) 11, 23, 30, 35, 39 and 43; bonus 34. (Dec. 28) 2, 4, 12, 18, 29 and 41;
bonus 30.
---
Regional briefs:
- Climate change is
being blamed for the average Canadian family having to pay an extra $487 for
food this year. Prices will especially hit produce due to snowstorms, droughts
and other weather events. These issues have impacted crops and food prices,
said Professor Simon Somogyi of Ontario’s University of Guelph in Canada’s
Food Price Report 2020.
- Police in North
Delta, British Columbia rushed to respond to a “gun fight” only to find four
men battling each other with plastic weapons. It turned out the street battle
grew intense with Nerf guns at 2 a.m., police said. A neighbor reported that
several people were arguing and threatening to shoot each other. The men didn’t
live on the street and were told by the police to break it up and move on.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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