Canada column for Sunday, Feb. 21/21
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
Snowbirds from abroad are taking advantage of a loophole returning to Canada and avoiding an expensive three-day stay at a COVID quarantine hotel.
As of Feb. 22, the Canadian government said air travelers must land in one of four designated cities – Toronto, Montreal, Calgary or Vancouver.
Before being allowed to go home, they have to show a negative COVID result from tests taken 72 hours before boarding a flight or if they arrive at a land border crossing.
There is also a quarantine rule that only applies to those coming into the country by air, not by land, to await the result of a test that could take up to three days.
During that time, they must stay at a government-approved airport strip hotel at their cost.
Some Canadians are flying to airports close to the border and then crossing by land in order to avoid that rule.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said imposing the same rule to land travelers would be difficult since there are 117 points of entry and many of them are in remote areas.
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Canada’s iconic Tim Hortons fast-food coffee and restaurant chain is pushing its popular annual “Roll up the Rim” promotion to all digital.
No more spilled coffee or chipped teeth rolling up the rim as the digital contest makes every online roll a winner.
The company is also doing away with the dreaded message “Please Play Again.”
Added prizes besides coffee, donuts, electronic devices and streaming services are Tims’ Reward Points and coffee mugs.
Grand prizes haven’t been announced yet for the game played through the company ap and website.
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News in brief:
- Canada’s land border with the United States will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month. The Canadian government said the closing has been extended to March 21. Canadians can still return home and it has been one year since the border closed to curb the spread of the pandemic.
- The government has announced an extension of several pandemic income benefits. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Recovery, Sickness and Caregiving benefits and Employment Insurance will all see extensions in the number of weeks eligible recipients can receive them.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is higher at 79.28 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.26 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 down at 18,384 points and the TSX Venture index up at 1,098 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.19 a liter (Canadian) or $4.52 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Feb. 16) 1, 6, 12, 21, 34, 37 and 47; bonus 20. (Feb. 12) 2, 5, 10, 11, 14, 23 and 33; bonus 47.
Lotto 6/49: (Feb. 17) 7, 16, 18, 43, 45 and 48; bonus 14. (Feb. 13) 16, 17, 27, 40, 41 and 45; bonus 38.
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Regional briefs:
- The Quebec government will compensate movie theater owners for lost concession stand revenue. Premier Francois Legault calls the issue “Popcorngate” and said theaters can reopen but not sell food. That’s in order to ensure people wear masks throughout the duration of films to limit spread of COVID-19. He wants theaters to stay open to give parents something to do during the March break week.
- Atlantic Canada is getting some of the snow left over from dumping six inches and more in Toronto and up to a foot across southern Ontario. The same weather system that impacted the eastern U.S. is aiming at Canada’s east coast with up to six inches of snow across coastal Nova Scotia and parts of Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. It is accompanied by frigid Arctic cold air.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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