Canada column for
Sunday, March 15/20
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
The Canadian
government is considering closing the Canada-U.S. border to slow the spread of
COVID-19, if the situation worsens.
It will also be
more complicated for Canadians returning home from the U.S. and abroad as they
could face 14-day periods of quarantine.
There are 193
confirmed cases and one death from the disease across Canada.
Just before the
one-week March school break began on Friday, the government called on Canadians
to cancel or postpone all non-essential travel outside the country until
further notice.
Border and travel
measures could “severely disrupt travel plans for Canadians and potentially
leave them stranded abroad longer than expected,” Foreign Affairs Minister
Francois-Philippe Champagne said.
As well, international
flights into Canada will soon be limited to a small number of airports, said
Federal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau.
Canadians were
cautioned earlier about travel and advised to change their plans to return home.
They were also
advised not to cruise and now ships will not be allowed to stop in Canada until
July 1 with the Alaska season cancelled.
---
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau is in self quarantine “out of an abundance of caution” after his
wife Sophie Gregoire tested positive for COVID-19.
They recently
returned from London, England as did Toronto Mayor John Tory and other
provincial leaders who are also staying at home.
After passing a
bill to ratify the new North American trade deal on Friday, Trudeau said the
Parliament will adjourn for five weeks in an extraordinary effort to arrest the
spread of the outbreak.
---
News in brief:
- Canadian
scientists have isolated and reproduced copies of novel coronavirus that opens
the way for a potential vaccine, treatments and tests and allow them to conduct
long-term research to understand its biology. Tools are needed to “develop
solutions to this pandemic,” said Dr. Samira Mubareka of Sunnybrook Hospital in
Toronto.
- In a surprise
move to help stabilize the economy, the Bank of Canada for the second time in a
week cut its trend-setting rate by 0.5 percent to .75 percent. The virus is
having “serious consequences” for families and the economy, said bank governor
Stephen Poloz. Of major concern is the collapse of the western Canada oil
market and the need now for banks to cut their prime-lending rates.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
has plummeted to 72.38 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.381 Canadian
before exchange fees.
It’s been a rough
week for Canadian stock exchanges, as the Toronto index fell by 2,459 points to
13,716 points while the TSX Venture index was down by 115 points to 391 points.
The average price
for gas in Canada is down to 96.5 cents a liter (Canadian; 89.5 in Ontario) or
$3.66 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (March
10) 5, 6, 27, 37, 38, 46 and 48; bonus 9. (March 6) 2, 9, 10, 35, 41, 42 and 47;
bonus 40.
Lotto 6/49: (March
11) 5, 24, 32, 37, 43 and 44; bonus 23. (March 7) 5, 8, 13, 27, 34 and 46;
bonus 39.
---
Regional briefs:
- After this week’s
March Break, Ontario children will be getting another two weeks off school through
April 6. Public elementary and high schools will close over concerns about the COVID-19
virus. Premier Doug Ford said it is “necessary to keep people safe” and on the
advice of health officials. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the province
will then re-evaluate to see if other measures are required. Many
universities have also switched to online learning.
- In a case of
fallen arches, two iconic keyhole structures in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley
have collapsed. The popular tourist destination, known as Paddy’s Island, is
where the arches fell in strong tides. There are concerns that in 10 or 20
years with storms and rising sea levels, they might disappear.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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