Canada extends strict travel restrictions for returning Canadians

    Canada column for Sunday, Aug. 30/20

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Canada is extending its travel restrictions with strict quarantine measures by one month through Sept. 30 to limit the spread of COVID-19.

   Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said restrictions on international travel to Canada are for citizens and permanent residents returning home, with some family exceptions.

   The government global travel advisory and its pandemic travel health notice tell people to “avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice.”

   Those arriving in Canada are being asked whether they have a cough, fever or difficulty breathing.

   New arrivals must quarantine for 14 days if they don’t have symptoms or isolate for two weeks if they do.

   The aim is to slow the flow of foreign nationals to the country by restricting discretionary travel, including for tourism, recreation and entertainment.

   ---

   Canada’s new Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says he will work to unite the party and its values while pointing out “Liberal failings and corruption.”

   “We must also show Canadians our vision for a stronger, more prosperous and more united Canada," he said in his acceptance speech.

   “Canada can and must do better and Conservatives will work hard to earn the trust and confidence of Canadians in the next election,” he said.

   O’Toole won the leadership on the third ballot with 57 percent of the votes compared with 43 percent for second-place contender Peter MacKay in a four-person field.

   ---

   News in brief:

   - WestJet is demanding that that all passengers as young as two wear masks and face coverings. Those who fail to comply will face penalties including denied boarding, return of the aircraft to the gate to offload the passenger and the suspension of travel on any WestJet aircraft for up to a year. The ruling is part of the airline’s new safety guidelines. “Canadian travellers and all of our WestJet Group employees are counting on us to keep them safe and it is our utmost priority to do so,” said Ed Sims, president and CEO.

   - Canada’s economy had its steepest decline on record in the second quarter due to the pandemic that closed businesses and slowed business. The gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 38.7 percent over three months. The economic output rebounded by 6.5 percent in June and 3 percent in July.

   ---

   Facts and figures:

  The Canadian dollar is higher at 76.34 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.309 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 higher with the Toronto index at 16,705 points and the TSX Venture index 745 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.068 a liter (Canadian) or $4.05 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Aug. 25) 1, 21, 34, 38, 39, 40 and 46; bonus 24. (Aug. 21) 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, 30 and 39; bonus27.

   Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 26) 6, 8, 20, 23, 35 and 39; bonus 11.(Aug. 22) 19, 25, 34, 36, 40 and 43; bonus 32.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - Senator Mike Duffy of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island has lost his challenge to overturn a court decision blocking him from suing the Senate for $7.8 million. The Ontario Court of Appeal agreed with a lower court ruling that the decision to suspend Duffy without pay over an expenses scandal is protected by parliamentary privilege.  Duffy was acquitted of 31 criminal charges in 2016.

   - The Trump Hotel in Vancouver has closed for good with the owners blaming the pandemic. TA Global Berhad, a multinational Malaysian property company, was licensed to use the Trump name. Two of its Canadian subsidiaries are bankrupt with debts of $$4.795 million. Also in Vancouver, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is said to be looking for a hotel since losing its lease at the Pacific Center.

-30-

Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

 

 

Cable barrier placed along highway between the U.S. and Canada

    Canada column for Sunday, Aug. 23/20

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    It’s not quite the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico but a “cable barrier” has been placed along a portion of the western Canadian boundary.

   The U.S. Border Patrol has supervised the installation of the highway-type cable barrier between Washington State and British Columbia stretching from Surrey to Abbotsford.

   Covering almost three miles, it’s said to curb “dangerous criminal enterprises” trying to enter the U.S. or Canada by way of a ditch in the rural location.

   This will aid in “securing this portion of the border by deterring illegal vehicle entries in both directions,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Tony Holladay.

   This is happening as the number of Americans trying to visit Canada is climbing while the border remains closed to all but essential travel.

   The mutual ban by the two countries started in mid-March to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

   There have been 12,819 Americans turned away at the shared border from since March.

    ---

   It isn’t business as usual as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided it was time for his Liberal minority government to “take a pause.”

   Proroguing or shutting down Parliament until Sept. 23 will put a halt to a committee investigating Trudeau for possible ethics violations and most other business.

   Often known as a “reset button” in Canadian politics, the break will result with a new session of Parliament and a new agenda.

   It’s also a gamble as the opposition parties can consider overthrowing the government in a non-confidence vote.

   The action took place as Trudeau’s Finance Minister Bill Morneau, also caught up in the WE Charity scandal contract work, quit politics to be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

   ---

   News in brief:

   - The Canadian government has extended the Canada Emergency Response Benefit into next month. It will then transition the millions of people still without work into a revamped Employment Insurance program. The benefits also include a form of paid sick leave that will cost the government $37 billion over the next year.

   - The next leader of Canada’s federal Conservative party will be announced tonight (Sunday) as Peter MacKay and Erin O’Toole remain the front-runners in the mail-in vote. Leslyn Lewis and Derek Sloan are also in the race for leader Andrew Scheer’s job. He resigned after his party’s loss to the governing Liberals in the federal election last October.

   ---

   Facts and figures:

  The Canadian dollar is higher at 75.86 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.318 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 up at 16,517 points and the TSX Venture index down at 730 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.048 a liter (Canadian) or $3.98 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Aug. 18) 1, 2, 16, 32, 44, 46 and 50; bonus 6. (Aug. 14) 3, 22, 37, 39, 41, 43 and 44; bonus 20.

   Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 19) 2, 17, 32, 37, 39 and 42; bonus 9. (Aug. 15) 6, 7, 11, 18, 22 and 43; bonus 9.

   ---

   Regional briefs:

   - Brockville, Ontario will benefit by a $23.3-million federal-provincial government deal to have its 3M Canada plant produce up to 100 million medical-grade N95 respirator masks a year. The deal, announced by Prime Minister Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, is aimed at ensuring Canada is never again at the mercy of unreliable foreign suppliers of personal protective equipment during a pandemic, they said.

   - Thunderstorms and a heat wave have helped to set British Columbia on fire. Among those forced from their homes are residents of 3,700 properties in Penticton near Sakha Lake and about 125 properties in the Upper Carmi area and Sakha Bluffs Provincial Park. As well, there have been 320 properties evacuated in Okanagan.

-30-

 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Visits by Canadians and Americans at land border are discouraged

    Canada column for Sunday, Aug. 16/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) Jim Fox

   Canadians and Americans who want to visit each other or take summer vacations continue to run up against a closed land border.

   Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says restrictions to bar all but “essential travel” at the Canada-U.S. border are being extended another 30 days to Sept. 21.

   The mutual ban by the two countries started in mid-March to protect against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic but doesn’t include air travel.

   Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the status quo is to keep doing what’s necessary to make communities safe.

   Tourists and cross-border visits and shopping trips remain prohibited but the order exempts the flow of trade and commerce, as well as temporary foreign workers and vital health-care workers.

   There have been 121,568 cases of the virus with 9,020 deaths across Canada as most schools plan to open in September.

   ---

   Asylum seekers, including those who illegally crossed into Canada and who are working on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, are being offered permanent residency.

   Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said the so-called “Guardian Angels” will be recognized for their work in the health-care sector during the pandemic.

   To apply for residency they must have worked at least 120 hours as an orderly, nurse or other designated occupation.

   “This historic announcement is a reflection of the fact asylum claimants put themselves at risk to contribute day-after-day on the front lines, in hospitals and in retirement homes, even without permanent status in Canada, Mendicino said.

   “They demonstrated a uniquely Canadian quality in that they were looking out for others,” he added.

   ---

   News in brief:

   - The Canadian government has pledged $30 million in humanitarian and development assistance for the people of Lebanon after the massive deadly explosion. Canada is also assisting with financial assistance to its citizens and permanent residents to go home. Questions about immigration to Canada are being quickly addressed and Lebanese citizens in Canada can also extend their stay.

   - Canada’s federal Conservative party will name its new leader Aug. 23 with Peter MacKay and Erin O’Toole the front-runners. Also in the race are Leslyn Lewis and Derek Sloan seeking to succeed Andrew Scheer who resigned after his party’s loss to the governing Liberals in the federal election last October. Due to the pandemic, the election is being decided by mail-in votes.

   ---

   Facts and figures:

  The Canadian dollar is higher at 75.42 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.325 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 slightly lower with the Toronto index at 16,514 points and the TSX Venture index 737 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.034 a liter (Canadian) or $3.92 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Aug. 11) 9, 17, 22, 33, 36, 45 and 46; bonus 41. (Aug. 7) 9, 21, 26, 28, 30, 37 and 44; bonus 31.

   Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 12) 16, 24, 27, 43, 48 and 49; bonus 39. (Aug. 8) 1, 20, 21, 23, 40 and 46; bonus 28.

   ---

   Regional briefs:

   - The companion of deceased denturist Gabe Wortman, who killed 22 people and set fires to homes in Nova Scotia in April, is suing his estate for an undetermined amount. The unnamed woman alleges she suffered psychological, physical and emotional injuries. The woman was in a long-term relationship with Wortman and said he beat her before the rampage began.

   - About 4,000 people have been forced from their homes as a forest fire rages near Red Lake, Ontario. Mayor Fred Mota said about 300 residents refused to leave with the fire about two miles away. Fire crews were making some progress aided by rain but winds have picked up this weekend, he said.

-30-

 

Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Canada objects to new US. tarrif on aluminum with its own taxes

    Canada column for Sunday, Aug. 9/20

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

   Canada is hitting back against a punishing U.S. tariff on aluminum with its own import taxes on U.S. products.

   Calling the move by President Donald Trump “absurd, useless and unjustified,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced $3.6 billion in import tariffs to be imposed within 30 days.

   The 10-percent import tax on aluminum is necessary because Canada had broken a promise not to flood the U.S. market with the product, Trump said.

   Canada has denied the claim and suggests the timing is flawed, coming only weeks after a new free-trade deal began.

   “Imposing trade penalties in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic is unnecessary, unwarranted and entirely unacceptable,” Freeland said.

   The tariff is an “absurd decision” that will cause harm in the U.S. with higher prices.

   “Any American who buys a can of beer or a soda or a car or a bike will suffer,” she said.

    ---

    Only one Canadian in five believes they have had “some form of hardship” with the continued closing of the Canada-U.S. land border.

   The Nanos Research survey found just five percent reporting major hardships.

   The closing to prevent the spread of pandemic started four months ago and is reviewed monthly by both countries.

   There is an exemption for travel called essential, including trade and commerce, health-care and temporary foreign workers.

   Canada is also exempting Americans who are attending universities.

    ---

   News in brief:

   - The Royal Bank of Canada is ending its association with WE Charity that’s linked to an ethics scandal involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada’s largest bank will end its sponsorships and donations to the charity. An ethics investigation continues into Trudeau after the government hired the company to run a $900-million student grant program. Trudeau and his family have worked for the charity.

   - Statistics Canada reported the unemployment rate was 10.9 percent last month, down from 12.3 percent in June. For the first time, it said the rate for “racialized workers” was 16.2 percent compared with 9.3 percent for white Canadians. The difference was suggested to be due to industries hardest hit by shutdowns, such as accommodation and food services where employment dropped by more than half.

     ---

    Facts and figures:

  The Canadian dollar is higher at 74.71 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.338 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 higher with the Toronto index at 16,544 points and the TSX Venture index 739 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is lower at $1.034 a liter (Canadian) or $3.92 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Aug. 4) 18, 24, 25, 30, 31, 33 and 48; bonus 27. (July 31) 8, 16, 19, 22, 28, 31 and 38; bonus 25.

   Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 5) 3, 14, 23, 30, 38 and 43; bonus 24. (Aug. 1) 12, 13, 17, 22, 39 and 40; bonus 25.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - Political news in Atlantic Canada includes orthopedic surgeon Andrew Furey named Premier-designate of Newfoundland and Labrador. He won the provincial Liberal leadership race to succeed outgoing Premier Dwight Ball. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said he will be quitting after being in politics for 17 years. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs plans to call a provincial election for the fall.

   - Scientists say the last remaining intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic has broken apart. The Canadian Ice Service said the shelf on the northwestern edge of Ellesmere Island has shrunk by almost half to 43 per cent to 41square miles. The ice shelf is in a fjord sheltered by tall cliffs but the region has been warming at two to three times the global rate. The breakup was expected but “it’s sort of like losing a good friend in a way,” said University of Ottawa glaciologist Luke Copland.

 -30-

 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Trudeau admits "perception issue" with hiring of WE Charity

   Canada column for Sunday, Aug. 2/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – in what could be a showdown over the fate of his job –

testified he was aware of a “perception” issue over hiring WE Charity to run a $900-million student-volunteer program.

   Trudeau’s wife, brother and mother were paid about $300,000 in fees and reimbursements to take part in WE programs.

  Trudeau has acknowledged that in haste to get the pandemic relief program going, he had failed to recuse himself from awarding the contract.

   The grant program for students who volunteer for work projects “has absolutely nothing to do with any work my brother or mother did with WE and that’s why there was no conflict of interest,” Trudeau told a committee investigating the issue.

   Similar allegations of conflict are being made against Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

   His daughter works for WE and he recently repaid $41,000 for trips his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017 to see humanitarian work.

   Opposition Members of Parliament are still calling on Trudeau and Morneau to resign.