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.
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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.
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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
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