Americans "share" 1.5-million doses of pandemic vaccine with Canada

    Canada column for Sunday, March 21/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

   “Thanks neighbor,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said to U.S. President Joe Biden for his offer to send Canada 1.5-million doses of COV1D-19 vaccine in a “sharing deal.”

   Canada has struggled to get the population vaccinated with some bottlenecks in the delivery of vaccine.

   “Vaccines are the path out of this pandemic,” Trudeau said as he reported he deal that will see the United States send doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Canada.

   “Canada and the U.S. are each other’s closest friends and most important allies and I know we’ll continue working to keep Canadians and Americans safe,” Trudeau said.

   The U.S. is ready to also release 2.5-million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico from a stockpile of 7 million.

   Both countries want to immunize their populations quicker and so far about 10 percent, or 3.5-million Canadians have had their first of two planned doses.

   Canada expects to receive larger shipments of vaccines in the push to immunize everyone who wants to be by the end of September.

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   It’s been a year now and the ban on non-essential travel will continue at the land border between Canada and the U.S.

   The restrictions, approved by both countries, are extended now to April 21 in a bid to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

   The border will “eventually open, but not today,” Prime Minister Trudeau said.

   “We're all eager to be able to travel again, but I think we're all going to wait patiently until such time as the health situation allows us to loosen border restrictions internationally,” he added.

   People flying home to Canada and others face having proof of being virus-free and face quarantine periods.

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    News in brief:

   - Erin O’Toole put it bluntly to his Conservatives who have lost the last two elections saying that “new ideas” are needed. “We are never going to win over Canadians just by relying on Justin Trudeau to continue to disappoint,” he said at the party’s convention. “His scandals, as outrageous as they often are, will never be enough to defeat him,” he added.

   - Rogers Communications wants to buy Shaw in deal worth $26 billion that would combine Canada’s two largest cable providers and second-largest cellular company after Bell. The blockbuster deal is subject to government scrutiny and approval.

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    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is higher at 79.8 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.25 Canadian before exchange fees.

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

   Canadian stock markets are higher, with the Toronto index at 18,854 points and the TSX Venture index at 995 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.25 a liter (Canadian) or $4.75 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (March 16) 8, 15, 25, 27, 33, 39 and 44; bonus 20. (March 12) 5, 12, 15, 23, 28, 38 and 39; bonus 46.

   Lotto 6/49:  (March 17) 4, 9, 13, 25, 44 and 49; bonus 3. (March 13) 15, 24, 27, 29, 42 and 49; bonus 18.

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    Regional briefs:

   - An easing of virus outbreaks in Atlantic Canada has resulted in the reopening of the border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick this weekend. As well, remaining restrictions in Halifax and area are being lifted. “Now we look forward to reopening the entire Atlantic bubble,” Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin said.

   - A Sudbury, Ontario couple has won the top $70-million tax-free cash jackpot from the Feb. 26 Lotto Max draw on a $5 ticket. Retired mechanic Marc Meilleur and his wife Dorothy-Ann of Noelville said they plan to tour Canada in a new motorhome, buy houses for their kids and new vehicles along with supporting local charities.

    Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

 

New Canadian jobs don't catch up with those lost due to pandemic

    Canada column for Sunday, March 14/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Canada added 259,000 jobs to the labor force last month but the country remains a long way from a return to its pre-pandemic economy.

   Statistics Canada said there are still 599,000 fewer people working than a year ago.

   Last month marked a year of “unprecedented changes” in the Canadian labor market coping with the COVID-19 outbreak.

   Now there are 406,000 more people working less than half their usual hours with employment last month 3.1 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

   The number of new jobs added resulted in Canada recovering most of the jobs it lost in the previous two months during tighter pandemic restrictions.

   This pushed the jobless rate down to 8.2 percent from 9.4 percent, the lowest rate since March 2020, when the pandemic began.

   Among those working at least half their usual hours at locations other than home increased by 600,000 as schools and other work places reopened in several provinces, the report said.

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   Amazon has decided not to locate the largest warehouse in Canada on a controversial environmental site at a protected wetland in Pickering, east of Toronto.

   The company said it is no longer considering the Duffins Creek land for its fulfilment center with four-million square feet of warehouse space.

   The Toronto Region Conservation Authority hadn’t agreed to allow property owner Triple Group of Companies to begin destroying the wetland.

   Mayor Dave Ryan said the next step would be to pause any immediate disruption to the land and lose this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for 2,000 jobs and revenue from development charges and taxes.

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   News in brief:

   - As Canadian provinces, with the exception of Saskatchewan, entered Daylight Saving Time today, politicians are reviewing whether to continue the clock-changing ritual. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is springing forward with a plan to hold a vote on ending the tradition. Ontario is also considering staying on daylight time forever. To make it work, politicians say bordering U.S. states would have to make a similar decision.

   - Canada’s central bank has kept its trend-setting interest rate steady at 0.25 percent. The Bank of Canada has said that’s as low as it will go during the pandemic. It expects the economy to grow in the third quarter of the year as government spending and lower interest rates are “buffering the impact of the shutdown” and creating the foundation for recovery.

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    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is higher at 79.35 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.247 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 18,851 points and the TSX Venture index at 982 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.25 a liter (Canadian) or $4.75 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (March 9) 3, 7, 16, 22, 29, 31 and 42; bonus 15. (March 5) 6, 9, 23, 25, 31,36 and 48; bonus 30.

   Lotto 6/49:  (March 10) 30, 31, 35, 36, 43 and 48; bonus 28. (March 6) 2, 14, 18, 21, 26 and 48; bonus 19.

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    Regional briefs:

   - As Ontario is receiving more than one-million COVID-19 vaccine shipments a day, the provincial government is expanding the delivery to administer the shots. Across the province as of Friday vaccines can be received at pharmacies and primary care settings. This includes more than 325 pharmacies offering the AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD vaccine to Ontarians aged 60-64, by appointment in specific regions.

   - Vote counting has finally begun in Newfoundland and Labrador’s long-delayed COVID provincial election. The deadline for returning mail-in ballots has changed again to March 25 to be counted.  All in-person voting in the election was stopped earlier due to pandemic lockdown measures.  Another deadline passed due to concerns about weather and transportation disruptions to mail services. The winner might be known by April 1, election officials say.

 

Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

 

More vaccine arrivals mean earlier shots for all in Canada

    Canada column for Sunday, March 7/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Increased shipments of COVID-19 vaccine will allow Ontario to guarantee that by June 20 “every eligible person who wants it” can have their shot.

   Doug Ford, Premier of Canada’s most populous province, said shots will also be available to everyone over 60 by end of May – moving both date up by a couple of months.

   Helping the cause for vaccinations is the recent approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

   This is the first one-shot vaccine authorized by Health Canada, making it the fourth vaccine that can be administered to Canadians.

   It will especially boost British Columbia as it begins age-based immunizations and integrates the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine into its program.

   With virus numbers still high, Toronto and nearby Peel Region will move to the restrictive lockdown category on Monday while closings are easing in Quebec and eastern Canada.

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    Tributes are pouring in for Canada’s iconic “hockey dad” Walter Gretzky who died at age 82in Brantford, Ontario.

   He was the father of hockey’s “Great One” Wayne Gretzky, and who taught him to skate and play hockey on their winter backyard ice rink.

   Walter was known for his far-reaching charitable efforts and getting kids interested in the sport and minor hockey.

   He continued to work for Bell Canada and live with his wife and family in their modest home even as Wayne, 60, became the National Hockey League’s star player.

   "Everything I am is because of him – it’s as simple as that," Wayne said in an earlier TV interview.

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    News in brief:

   - Toronto Raptors’ basketball fans are wondering how long star player Kyle Lowry will stick around now that he has sold his Canadian home. The property that he paid $5.25 million for in Toronto has sold for $5.12 million. There is growing speculation that the veteran player aged 34 would want to play in his hometown of Philadelphia.

   - The housing market in Toronto is red hot, with the average house price topping $1 million for the first time. The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board said the average selling price for all houses was up 14.9 percent last month to $1,045,488, an increase from $910,142 in 2020. Sales during the pandemic aren’t keeping buyers and sellers out of the market, the board said.

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    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is higher at 79 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.27 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 18,380 points and the TSX Venture index down at 918 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.21 a liter (Canadian) or $4.60 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (Feb. 26) 11, 17, 19, 22, 27, 31 and 40; bonus 38. (Feb. 23) 3, 13, 14, 20, 30, 45 and 49; bonus 35.

   Lotto 6/49:  (March 3) 3, 11, 33, 34, 36 and 43; bonus 42. (Feb. 27) 11, 15, 16, 20, 46 and 49; bonus 17.

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    Regional briefs:

   - Canada’s Atlantic Provinces and British Columbia rely heavily on cruise ship business but will have to miss this year. The Canadian government has announced a further one-year ban on pleasure craft in Arctic waters and cruise vessels in all Canadian waters. “These prohibitions will protect the most vulnerable among our communities and avoid overwhelming our health care systems,” said Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

   - Cesar the dog has found his new forever “retirement home,” the Cape Breton, Nova Scotia SPCA reports. The society says someone has adopted the cane sorso mix who is 17 and in good health. The dog’s owner was unable to care for him. Posting his image and story on Facebook was all that was needed to find him a home. “We’re very sad to see him go as the staff has bonded with him quite a bit,” said SPCA’s Ryan Toomey.

 Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com