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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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