Canadian winter 'snowbirds' finding ways to cross closed Canada-U.S. boder

     Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 22 /20

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Canadian “snowbirds” have found creative ways to get across the still-closed Canada-U.S. land border to go to their winter haunts in the sunny south.

   While the land crossings remain closed until at least Dec 21 due to the pandemic, people wanting to get away primarily to Florida are flying over the border.

   Calling it a “loophole,” some are paying trucking companies to take their cars, trailers and RVs across the border since commercial traffic and flying are allowed.

   A Quebec-based transporter charges $500 for a flight to Plattsburgh, N.Y., where they meet snowbirds with their vehicles.

   From Toronto and other provinces, people are flying directly to their winter destinations and a hauling service takes their vehicles there and back in the spring.

   A survey by travel site SnowbirdAdvisor.ca of 3,000 snowbirds found that more than 30 percent still plan to get away for some or all of the winter.

   “People are going to go to Florida no matter what,” said Ron Ohayon of Snowbirds Auto Connection.

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    Lockdowns are being imposed in virus “hot spots” across Canada with severe limitations on movements and businesses while schools and big-box stores remain open.

   This includes Toronto and adjacent Peel Region as of this weekend where most non-essential businesses and sit-down dining are outlawed to try to cope with a rise in infections.

   “I know these past few months have been extremely difficult with COVID fatigue setting in on all of us, said Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pleaded with Canadians to stay home and restrict gatherings as more than 11,000 people have died of the virus in Canada.

   Projections suggest there could be 10,000 infection cases daily if drastic measures aren’t taken now, he said.

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    News in brief:

   - The Toronto Raptors, the National Basketball Association’s league champs last year, will be playing their home games this coming season in Tampa. The Canadian government rejected the team’s proposed plan to play in Toronto due to the pandemic border crossing restrictions and imposed quarantine measures. Team president Masai Ujiri said Tampa will be its home base for the season starting on Dec. 22.

   - Higher food prices raised Canada’s inflation rate last month by 0.7 percent compared to a year ago. It was the fastest consumer price index rise in months, Statistics Canada reported. The biggest gains were for lettuce and fresh and frozen chicken largely due to supply issues.

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    Facts and figures:

   The Canadian dollar is higher at 76.3 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.30 Canadian before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada key interest rate is steady at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 2.45 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are higher with the Toronto index at 17,019 points and the TSX Venture index 740 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is lower at 99.7 cents a liter (Canadian) or $3.78 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Nov. 17) 6, 18, 21, 30, 31, 34 and 38; bonus 1. (Nov. 13) 3, 4, 7, 19, 44, 48 and 49; bonus 8.

   Lotto 6/49: (Nov. 18) 7, 14, 21, 28, 30 and 32; bonus 22. (Nov. 14) 1, 2, 13, 30, 35 and 38; bonus 45.

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   Regional briefs:

   - A veteran Ontario Provincial Police officer died after a shootout with a man while investigating a trespassing complaint. Constable Mark Hovingh, 52, was killed along with the unnamed man that neighbors said was a squatter at a trailer park near Gore Bay on Manitoulin Island. A second police officer was wounded by gunfire.

   - Maritimers have a Christmas wish: “Don’t beak our (pandemic) bubble.” It’s been more than four months since the east-coast provinces formed the “Atlantic bubble” to protect them from people bringing the virus to their coasts. The bubble has been praised internationally for keeping case numbers low by keeping a lid on travel.

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 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Fight against pandemic in Canada to get nasty, health officials say

    Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 15 /20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    The gloves are off in the battle against a resurgence of COVID-19 in its second wave across Canada.

   With more than 20,000 new cases in the country in the past week, medical experts want governments to enforce stricter health measures.

   “The time for asking nicely has passed – there’s simply too much at stake,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Abdu Sharkawy.

   “There are too many lives that have already been lost and too many more that lie in waiting,” he added as Canada has 10,828 deaths and 45,646 cases.

   There are calls for the Canadian government to play a more active role in health care even though it’s a provincial government issue.

   “Action needs to be taken soon, or this will just become more frightening,” said Ann Collins, Canadian Medical Association president.

   “We all have to be vigilant in every part of daily life and in every part of the community,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

    ---

    Help is on the way for Canadians living in Hong Kong where there’s a Chinese clampdown on democracy.

   Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada is targeting students and young people.

   They are being offered work permits to help them obtain permanent Canadian residency faster.

   The law says Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Hong Kong can return to Canada at any time and the government will expedite documents they need.

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    News in brief:

   - The pandemic resulted in scaled-down Remembrance Day ceremonies Wednesday. Distancing requirements led to small groups at cenotaphs and the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa, Canada’s capital. There were also concerns for the health of the aging veterans of the conflicts dating back to the Second World War. Debbie Sullivan was the Silver Cross Mother, whose son Chris Saunders died while serving on one of Canada’s submarines in 2004.

   - Canadian grocery chain Loblaw Cos Ltd. has had higher profits boosted by online sales as stuck-at-home consumers spent more on groceries during the pandemic. Loblaw, with 2,400 stores, had revenue of $15.67 billion for the last quarter and plans to invest more to expand pickup and delivery offerings and reduce costs.

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    Facts and figures:

   The Canadian dollar is lower at 76.12 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.313 Canadian before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada key interest rate is steady at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 2.45 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are mixed with the Toronto index up at 16,675 points and the TSX Venture index down at 736 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1 a liter (Canadian) or $3.80 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Nov. 10) 4, 6, 18, 27, 28, 30 and 40; bonus 13. (Nov. 6) 7, 9, 19, 20, 26, 32 and 35; bonus 49.

   Lotto 6/49: (Nov. 11) 6,14, 18, 23, 31and 47; bonus 44. (Nov. 7) 1, 16,19, 24, 26 and 47; bonus 29.

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    Regional briefs:

   - Toronto-based Porter Airlines won’t be flying again until at least Feb. 11. The regional airline said flights will remain grounded until then due to rising pandemic cases and ongoing travel restrictions. Michael Deluce, president and ceo, said travel demand has dropped so a return to sustainable levels of passengers is unlikely for the rest of the year. Porter suspended service March 21 after the pandemic hit.

   - Sir John A. Macdonald High School outside Halifax will be getting a new name to be determined due to the role Canada’s first prime minister played in developing the residential school system. Principal Darlene Fitzgerald said Macdonald’s school policy for Indigenous children and passage of the Indian Act in 1867 caused irreparable harm to generations of young people.

   - While southern Ontario was enjoying record-high temperatures in the mid-70s F skiing has started in the Vancouver area. Several downhill runs at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver opened Friday with a few inches of snow. Under pandemic guidelines, the mountain resort requires all lift tickets to be bought in advance online to control the number of skiers.

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 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

 

General Motors returns to truck production in Canada with $1.3-billion investment

   Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 8 /20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    General Motors Corp. is returning to Canada in a big way only a year after shuttering its Toronto-area assembly plant.

   The automaker is reopening the plant in suburban Oshawa, Ontario as part of an investment of $1.3 billion and the hiring back of up to 1,700 workers.

   High demand for GM’s trucks, the Chevrolet Silverado and Sierra, drove the decision in the three-year deal with the Unifor union

   Earlier the Canadian assembly and parts plants in Ontario, just across the border from Detroit, were idled as part of a global restructuring plan by the automaker.

   “We never gave up hope and frankly neither did General Motors,” said Unifor president Jerry Dias.

   There will also be a return to parts and engine manufacturing at the Woodstock and St. Catharines, Ontario plants.

    ---

    Canadian politicians are watching with interest the U.S. election results and hoping for better neighborly relations in the future.

   “Always we will seek to make sure that we are able to defend Canadian interests and Canadians as we move forward,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

   Most Canadian politicians are taking a watch-and-see approach and say they will find a way to work with whoever is declared the winner.

   Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was involved in negotiating the new free-trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico, said the federal government is ready.

   “We have thoughtfully prepared for all eventualities and I am really confident that we have a plan no matter what happens,” she said.

    ---

   News in brief:

   - Canadians can expect a viable COVID-19 vaccine will be available in the spring but some of the initial doses will require special handling, Prime Minister Trudeau said. Some of the vaccines “will pose significant logistical and distribution challenges,” he said. There will be “a very sophisticated plan to be able to roll out vaccines the right way in the right place to the right people.”

   - With more Canadians working and attending school virtually from home, real estate sales are through the roof. They are at record highs up 45.6 percent from a year ago with the average home price in Canada up 17.5 percent at a record average of $604,211.  The Canadian Real Estate Association said people are fleeing confined urban centers for the open spaces. Most popular are the suburbs of Toronto and Ottawa as well as lakeside vacation towns.

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    Facts and figures:

   The Canadian dollar is higher at 76.5 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.30 Canadian before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada key interest rate is steady at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 2.45 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are higher with the Toronto index at 16,282 points and the TSX Venture index is 742 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1 a liter (Canadian) or $3.80 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: ((Nov. 3) 5, 7, 14, 21, 26, 34 and 49; bonus 31. (Oct. 30) 19, 20, 23, 31, 37, 46 and 48; bonus 50.

   Lotto 6/49: (Nov. 4) 2, 9, 13, 18, 40 and 46; bonus 34. (Oct. 31) 5, 8, 18, 22, 41 and 48; bonus 23.

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    Regional briefs:

   - The Mounties are onboard British Columbia ferries to “educate “passengers” on pandemic safety rules. Officers are enforcing regulations that require passengers to leave their vehicles when they’re in an enclosed deck and to wear masks. The police were also called in October when the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal had groups of “anti-maskers” berating mask-wearing passengers.

   - U.S.-based Whole Foods grocery chain learned a lesson in Canadian traditions when it initially wouldn’t allow workers at its Canadian stores to wear Remembrance Day poppies. The poppy has been the veteran’s flower worn to honor soldiers on Nov. 11from as far back as 1921. Whole Foods said the symbol didn’t conform with its dress code but changed its ruling after a barrage of complaints. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the ban was “disgusting and disgraceful.”

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 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Socializing named big factor in pandemic surge in Canada

    Canada column for Sunday, Nov. 1 /20

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Health authorities say Canadians are doing too much up-close socializing that’s causing the pandemic to reach concerning levels.

   As a result, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said people must cut their contacts by a quarter to control the COVID-19 outbreak.

   Government forecasts indicate that at current rates of socializing, Canada could see COVID-19 case counts increase to 8,000 a day within a month or so while fewer contacts could drop that number to below 2,000.

   After curbing the number of cases over the summer, “letting down our guard and letting this virus win is not an option,” Tam said.

   Further restrictions and business closings might be needed in communities where the virus is surging, she said.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he believes Canada can curb the swell of infections without again imposing sweeping shutdowns.

   Across Canada, there have been 10,110 deaths, 232,000 coronavirus cases and 193,937 recoveries.

    ---

    Former federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has been cleared by the federal ethics watchdog of failing to disclose a gift from WE Charity.

   Ethics commissioner Mario Dion says he accepts that Morneau “genuinely believed” he had paid the total cost of two trips he and family members took in 2017 to view WE’s humanitarian projects in Ecuador and Kenya.

   Morneau had since repaid $41,000 in expenses for the trips offered by the charity.

   Still under examination is a potential conflict by Prime Minister Trudeau whose family members received speaking fees from the charity that had been hired for lucrative government work.

    ---

 

   News in brief:

   - Two Calgary Facebook users are seeking damages on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Canadians whose personal data may have been improperly used for political purposes. The class-action lawsuit by Saul Benary and Karma Holoboff seeks the Federal Court to grant $1,000 for each of the 622,000 Canadians whose information was shared with others through a digital app. They also seek to have the social-media company bolster its security practises and comply with federal privacy law.

   - Canada’s central bank has left its trend-setting interest rate unchanged at 0.25 percent. The Bank of Canada suggests cheap money could remain until 2023 “until inflation gets back to two percent and stays there and until the economic slack is absorbed.”

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    Facts and figures:

   The Canadian dollar is lower at 75 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.33 Canadian before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate steady at 0.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 2.45 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are lower with the Toronto index at 15,580 points and the TSX Venture index at 683 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is lower at $1 a liter (Canadian) or $3.80 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Oct. 27) 2, 9, 11, 29, 33, 39 and 44; bonus 15. (Oct. 23) 2, 8, 20, 21, 29, 34 and 37; bonus 41.

   Lotto 6/49: (Oct. 28) 2, 3, 16, 25, 34 and 46; bonus 49. (Oct. 24) 4, 9, 17, 20, 26 and 31; bonus 34.

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    Regional briefs:

   - Canada has extended its ban on cruise ship visits until the end of February. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said cruise ships cannot sail in Canadian waters as well as smaller vessels in Arctic coastal waters due to the pandemic. Canada banned cruise ships with overnight accommodation for at least 500 passengers in mid-March. Several ships have resumed operations or planned to by the end of the year.

    A British Columbia man wasn’t happy drinking Canada Dry as he won a class-action lawsuit for $200,000 from the beverage maker. The company agreed to pay the settlement brought by Victor Cardoso who said he was misled by marketing suggesting the soda had medicinal benefits. The marketing saying the beverage is made from “real ginger” was false and it contained none aside from small amounts of ginger derivatives, he said.

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 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com