Canada column for Sunday, Jan.24/21
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
Spending two weeks holed up in an airport strip hotel under mandatory quarantine isn’t the way returning travelers want to wind up their vacations.
That’s an option being considered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that incudes having the travelers pay their hotel costs as a way to stop the spread of the pandemic by international travel.
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that 153 flights have arrived from outside Canada over the last two weeks on which at least one passenger later tested positive for COVID-19.
As well the land border between Canada and the United States remains closed except for essential travel.
Trudeau is urging Canadians to stay home and will look at options to make it harder for people to return from foreign trips.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said this option could include police enforcement of two-week quarantine rules for arriving travelers.
A negative COVID-19 test is also required before taking a flight home.
---
Canada’s relationship with the new U.S. Administration got off to a rocky start as President Joe Biden canceled the multi-billion-dollar expansion of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Citing environmental concerns, the pipeline would have carried 830,000 barrels of oil a day 179 miles from Alberta to Nebraska.
It would have created tens of thousands of jobs and billions in revenues and provided a domestic source of oil.
Reaction ranged from outrage by Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, who called for a trade war with “economic consequences” for the U.S., to disappointment from the prime minister.
Trudeau discussed the issue with Biden in a telephone conversation on Friday but issued no threats.
---
News in brief:
- “Tensions have arisen at Rideau Hall . . . and for that, I am sorry,” Julie Payette said as she quit her posting as Canada’s Governor General. The former astronaut whose post was Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in Canada resigned after a scathing report that confirmed allegations of bullying and harassment by Payette. She will receive $143,000 in benefits a year for life.
- The Bank of Canada has held its trend-setting interest rate steady at 0.25 percent even as it predicts the economy will shrink for two more months. The central bank expects economy to grow by four percent this year and to almost five percent next year. The rate will remain low until the recovery is well underway, the bank said.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is lower at 78.52 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.273 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 lower, with the Toronto index at 17,845 points and the TSX Venture index 947 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.105 a liter (Canadian) or $4.19 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Jan. 19) 23, 31, 34, 38, 40, 45 and 50; bonus 41. (Jan. 15) 5, 23, 31, 35, 36, 37 and 43; bonus 13.
Lotto 6/49: (Jan. 20) 2, 5, 18, 23, 29 and 47; bonus 45. (Jan. 16) 9, 10, 21, 28, 35 and 43; bonus 34.
---
Regional briefs:
- WestJet’s Boeing 737 MAX flight that just returned to service was grounded at Calgary airport on Friday after ‘potential fault’ warning. The WestJet flew Canada’s first commercial flight on a 737 MAX in almost two years after it was taken out of the skies after two deadly crashes. The 35 passengers were put on another flight and the plane late resumed service when no fault was found.
- Changes in consumer habits during the pandemic are leading to Starbucks closing up to 300 locations in Canada by the end of March in its five-year “transformation strategy.” The Seattle- based coffeehouse chain has about 1,400 locations in Canada. Changes include adding drive-thru locations, expanding delivery and curbside pickup-only shops. Godiva, the luxury chocolatier, will close 128 stores in North America, including 11 in Canada.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment