Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 6 /20
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
“'I’m the guy who is stealing Christmas,” Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister is telling people in his province.
Next door in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province with 14.5-million residents, Premier Doug Ford is being blamed for killing businesses especially restaurants and fitness studios by pandemic lockdowns.
All across Canada, various forms of lockdowns are being imposed to stop the spread.
Pallister and Ford are among the leaders who are urging people to stay apart this holiday season.
They want people to celebrate the holidays differently and not disrespect public health orders as Canada awaits a vaccine next month.
Quebec is among the provinces restricting the sizes of family gatherings around Christmas.
Canada has its 300,000th case of COVID-19 and 12,470 deaths.
“If you don’t think that COVID is real right now, you’re an idiot,” said Pallister.
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Statistics Canada reports the pace of job gains slowed to 62,000 last month, down from 84,000 in October.
Job gains were in full-time work mainly with a gain of 99,000 jobs that was offset by a decline in part-time work of 37,000 positions.
This leaves Canada 574,000 jobs short of recouping the three-million jobs lost from lockdowns in March and April.
The unemployment rate fell to 8.5 % last month from 8.9% in October and 13.7% in May.
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News in brief:
- Canada’s home mortgage rates have fallen to a new low – less than 1%. HSBC is offering 0.99% for some mortgages on new five-year variable and renewable closed-term mortgages. The annual percentage rate is based on a $200,000 mortgage. The deal applies to high-ratio residential mortgages where the homebuyer has a down payment of less than 20% of the purchase price.
- Transport Canada is on the verge of approving a return to the skies of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft that had two disastrous crashes killing 346 people. Federal officials told Canadian families of the victims that approval is “imminent” as it is in the United States. Transport Canada has spent months reviewing changes in the anti-stall system that could plunge the plane into a nosedive if a sensor failed.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar has advanced to 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 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 17,520 points and the TSX Venture index 769 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.02 a liter (Canadian) or $3.87 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Dec. 1) 1, 4, 9, 15, 18, 24 and 31; bonus 43. (Nov. 27) 9, 15, 35, 41, 42, 45 and 46; bonus 43.
Lotto 6/49: (Dec. 2) 22, 24, 28, 41, 47 and 49; bonus 21. (Nov. 28) 3, 4, 16, 23, 26 and 44; bonus18.
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Regional briefs:
- Three people have been arrested on charges of supplying ammunition to the gunman dressed as a police officer who killed 22 people in the April mass shooting in Nova Scotia. Those charged include Lisa Banfield, 52, the common-law partner of gunman Gabriel Wortman, who was killed by police. Also charged are James Banfield, 65, and Brian Brewster, 60. Police said the three “had no prior knowledge of the gunman’s actions.”
- The Toronto Santa Claus Parade, bringing the jolly gent to the big city the past 116 years, has fallen victim to the pandemic. The merry Christmas spirit will prevail as the parade must go on, said Mayor John Tory. In order to bring Santa to town, the parade went on this weekend without spectators and as a television special. It featured 20 floats, musical guests, celebrity appearances and marching bands.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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