Canada column for
Sunday, June 28/20
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
American tourists
who are finding ways to visit the Canadian Rockies in Alberta against pandemic
rules are being fined $1,200 ($876 U.S.).
As the Canada-U.S.
border remains closed to all but essential travel and Canadians returning home,
some visitors are finding ways to get into around the law by saying they are
driving directly to Alaska.
Mounties say seven
people were initially apprehended for violating public health rules for
COVID-19.
The fines were
given to the people who stopped at Lake Louise and then taken long hikes in Banff
National Park.
Canada Border
Services Agency said U.S. citizens can travel through to Alaska as long as they
show they are traveling for an essential reason.
While entering
Canada, the visitors must be healthy and are given instructions on avoiding
unnecessary stops and contact with others, said CBSA’s Jacqueline Callin.
The border was
closed to all non-essential travel on March 21 in response to the pandemic and
has since been extended to July 21.
---
Canada had its
lowest daily Covid-19 deaths since late March with four on Friday.
Health authorities
said cases across the country continue to drop with 173 in 24 hours to 102,700
while deaths rose to 8,508.
More than 65,000
people have recovered while 2.7 million tests a day have been conducted as
regions continue reopening.
Ontario, Canada’s
most populous province that includes Toronto, had its lowest daily caseload
since March 25 with 111 new cases Friday and three new deaths. The province has
more than 34,000 cases, including nearly 30,000 recoveries and 2,600 deaths.
---
News in brief:
- Canada is
prepared to “push back” should the U.S. re-launch tariffs on aluminum, said Treasury
Board President Jean-Yves Duclos. There are reports of possible protectionist
efforts with a 10-percent tariff. Duclos said, however, he can make the case
that Canadian aluminum is no threat to the American market.
- Abortion and
climate change emerged as the key issues for the four Conservative leadership
candidates at their first English and French debates. Seeking to succeed Andrew
Scheer are Leslyn Lewis, Peter MacKay, Erin O’Toole and Derek Sloan. Scheer continues as interim leader after announcing his resignation
when the Conservative’s lost the 2019 election.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
is lower at 73.03 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.369 Canadian before
exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate is unchanged at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is
2.45 percent.
Canadian stock
markets are mixed with the Toronto index down at 15,188 points and the TSX Venture
index up at 598 points.
The average price
for gas in Canada is higher at $1.04 a liter (Canadian) or $3.95 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (June
23) 2, 3, 6, 13, 37, 42 and 46; bonus 19. (June 19) 3,12, 17, 22, 29, 31 and
48; bonus 8.
Lotto 6/49: (June 24) 6, 16, 23, 39, 47 and 48; bonus 33.
(June 20) 14, 22, 29, 36, 48 and 49; bonus 19.
---
Regional briefs:
- Prosecutors are
opposed to revealing details used to obtain search warrants in Nova Scotia’s
mass killing of 22 people by deceased gunman Gabe Wortman. That would
compromise the police investigation, identify innocent parties and should
remain sealed for six months, they said.
- The just-started forest fire season is expected to
be one that’s “well above average,” said Natural Resources Canada. Projections
show an elevated fire risk from British Columbia to Northern Ontario and the
territories. Parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. could see an
elevated threat of wildfires that stretches into September, it said.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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