Canada bars flights from India and Pakistan virus hotspots for 30 days

    Canada column for Sunday, April 25/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Canada has begun a 30-day halt to flights from COVID-19 hotspots of India and Pakistan in an attempt to counter the virus variants.

   “We’ve been saying for over a year, now is not the time to travel,” said Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra.

   “Our government continues to take unprecedented action to protect the health and safety of all Canadians,” he added.

   As well, the land border between Canada and the United States has been closed to non-essential travel for a year.

   It will continue to be shut at least until May 21 with more extensions possible.

    “As cases rise and variants of concern continue to emerge across the country, we will continue to do what it takes-for as long as it takes-to keep Canadians safe,” said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.

   Along with that, COVID testing and quarantine measures are in place for those flying to Canada.

    ---

    Across Canada, provinces are enforcing a variety of lock-down rules including Quebec and now strict measures in Halifax and Nova Scotia to battle the virus.

   Ontario’s stay-at-home rules continue as Premier Doug Ford emotionally apologized

and removed his earlier order to have police stop people to see if they are complying.

   Ford also said he shouldn’t have ordered playgrounds closed as of last weekend and removed the order.

    ---

    News in brief:

   - Canada has secured tens of millions of COVID-19 booster doses and a pledge from the U.S. government to share more. Prime Minister Trudeau, who received his vaccination last week, said Pfizer will supply 35-million booster doses next year and 30 million the year after. About 30 percent of Canadian adults have received at least one shot. The federal forecast suggests an easing of lockdowns could happen this summer if 75 percent of Canadians receive vaccinations.

   - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has ordered the three major telecom companies to lower their rates by increasing competition. Known for their high charges, the Liberal government wants the companies to reduce bills by 25 percent. The commission said the companies should offer wholesale wireless access to smaller competitors.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is higher at 80 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar is worth $1.247 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 lower, with the Toronto index at 19,102 points and the TSX Venture index 930 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.278 a liter (Canadian) or $4.85 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (April 20) 7, 10, 11, 19, 22, 30 and 37; bonus 18. (April 16) 1, 13, 19, 27, 42, 49 and 50; bonus 32.

   Lotto 6/49: (April 21) 15, 18, 23, 32, 38 and 47; bonus 19. (April 17) 7, 13, 32, 38, 39 and 48; bonus 23.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - The famed Vancouver Aquarium has been sold to Herschend Enterprises of Atlanta as it copes with mounting costs while being closed due to the pandemic. This is “fantastic news,” said current operator Ocean Wise president Lasse Gustavsson. Even with emergency funds from the government and donors, the non-profit facility couldn’t survive, he said. It costs $1 million a month to feed and care for the 70,000 animals.

   - Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors’ National Basketball Association star player, will soon be known as Dr. Lowry after being honored by Acadia University. The Nova Scotia university will present Lowry with an honorary doctorate on May 9 during convocation. Lowry said he will be the “second greatest doctor from Philadelphia after Dr. J. (Julius Erving).” Along with his basketball skills, the university noted that Lowry and his wife, Ayahna Cornish-Lowry, are involved in charitable work in Canada.

    Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Tougher lock-down conditions imposed across Ontario as virus surges

    Canada column for Sunday, April 18/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

    By Jim Fox

   Ontario’s 15-million residents are being more severely locked down as the provincial government tightens its “stay-at-home” order to fight the pandemic surge.

   “We are losing the battle between variants and vaccine shortages and there are few options left with infection and hospitalization rates at record highs,” said Premier Doug Ford.

   The emergency order bans out-of-province travel for non-essential reasons and recreation activities including closing golf courses.

   Big box and food and drug stores can only operate at 25-percent capacity until at least May 20.

   Police and bylaw officers have the authority to ask why someone is away from home.

   All non-essential construction projects must stop, gatherings with people from another household are prohibited and crossing interprovincial borders between Quebec and Manitoba are limited to essential travel only.

   Church services are capped at a maximum of 10 people indoors.

   “We need to focus on those who are deliberately putting others at risk by ignoring the stay-at-home order,” Ford said.

    ---

    A peaceful demonstration against a pandemic curfew turned violent in Old Montreal, leaving dozens of businesses damaged and fires set.

   Some business owners said the police were not prepared and took too long to intervene.

   Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said officers were there from the outset of the protest when the 8 p.m. curfew took effect and wanted to avoid further escalating the situation.

   So far, police have made seven arrests and issued about 110 fines, said Chief Cedric Couture.

   There were several dozen protesters who remained to defy the provincial government’s stay-at-home order.

    ---

    News in brief:

   - It has taken more than a year but people whose flights were canceled by Air Canada are finally getting their money back. That’s because the airline was told by the Canadian government the refunds are part of a deal to receive $6 billion in a financial support package. Other conditions are the airline will ensure that regional communities have connections to the rest of Canada, protect jobs, pensions and collective agreements, restrict executive compensation and buy back shares and dividends.

   - Canada has been ranked the No.1 country in the world in which to live. This is according to the 2021 Best Countries Report by U.S. News & World Report ranking 78 countries. Canada was tops in quality of life and social purpose with a good job market. Canadians were found to have concern over human rights, are committed to social justice, not corrupt and respectful of property rights. Next in the survey were Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the U.S.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is steady at 79.83cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar is worth $1.255 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 mixed, with the Toronto index up at 19,351 points and the TSX Venture index down at 944 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.246 a liter (Canadian) or $4.73 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (April 13) 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 44 and 47; bonus 28. (April 9) 1, 19, 28, 29, 31,33 and 43; bonus17 .

   Lotto 6/49: (April 14) 4, 6, 12, 23, 36 and 47; bonus 18. (April 10) 5, 16, 19, 24, 28 and 34; bonus 4.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - High winds almost blew a large trailer over the guardrails on the Seal Island Bridge in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Police said the wind caused a pickup truck hauling a trailer to become stuck sideways between the guardrails. It took about an hour to remove it and the trailer.

   - Two Ontario medical students studying in St. Vincent, devastated by the recent La Soufriere volcano, put final exams aside to help the island residents. Claire Matlock of Kitchener and Anna Vanhoof, from  Bowmanville, delivered food and supplies to displaced families.

    Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

CDC tells Americans not to visit Canada over virus surge

    Canada column for Sunday, April 11/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Americans should “avoid all travel to Canada,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests to avoid the risks of COVID-19.

   The unprecedented warning across the longest undefended border in the world by the CDC goes on to suggest this applies to those who are even fully vaccinated against the virus.

   “Because of the current situation in Canada, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada,” the CDC said on its website.

  Even vaccinated travelers “may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants,” it added

   The center said Canada is ranked as a Level 4 health risk due to high levels of the virus and low vaccination rates.

   Canada is coping with a problem of delays in receiving vaccines and an efficient rollout of who should get them first.

   The number of new cases across Canada reached a high of 9,255 while the nation works to stop or slow the spread of multiple variants.

    ---

     The Canadian government is preparing to count how many people are living in the county in a census next year.

   It will “paint a portrait of Canada’s population and the places where we live,” said Statistics Canada, the agency in charge.

   The data will help planning for schools, daycare, housing, hospitals, emergency services, roads, public transportation, and employment skills training, it said.

   The current population is 37.6-million people.

    ---

    News in brief:

   - Canada will remember Prince Phillip as a man of “great service to others,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said of the Duke of Edinburgh’s passing. A frequent visitor to Canada and husband to Queen Elizabeth II, he was 99. “It was with deep sadness that I learned of his passing, Trudeau said.  He was Colonel in Chief of six Canadian military units, honorary general of the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, and honorary admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy.

   - Canada’s central bank has again kept its trend-setting interest rate at 0.25 percent. It suggested it will stay there until the economy recovers and inflation is back at two percent, not likely until 2023. The Bank of Canada said the more transmissible variants of COVID-19 are the biggest risk to an economic recovery and could “restrain growth and add choppiness to the recovery.” The Canadian economy added 303,000 jobs last month as virus restrictions eased

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar returns 79.83cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar is worth $1.255 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 mixed, with the Toronto index up at 19,228 points and the TSX Venture index down at 960 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is lower at $1.23 a liter (Canadian) or $4.67 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (April 6) 2, 14, 24, 25, 35, 44 and 45; bonus 11. (April 2) 30, 32, 33, 34, 37, 45 and 49; bonus 25.

   Lotto 6/49: (April 7) 23, 31, 34, 38, 39 and 41; bonus 12. (April 3) 12,13,19, 35, 42 and 47; bonus 28.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - The little piece of France – the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Newfoundland – wants to end the virus-enacted border closing. Residents of this last piece of French territory in North America, are cut off from the world due to travel restrictions. With virus numbers low, they want to join the Atlantic bubble set to open on April 19. This will allow quarantine-free travel between Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland/ Labrador.

   - The Liberals claimed a slim majority in Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial election, as voters returned Premier Andrew Furey with 48 percent of the vote. The election had been delayed and due to virus outbreaks. The election costs both Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie and New Democratic Leader Alison Coffin their jobs. The Liberals took 22 of the legislature’s 40 seats after the 10 weeks of electoral delays.

    Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Ontario all locked down again for one month to fight pandemic

    Canada column for Sunday, April 4/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Days after Ontario’s restaurants opened their patios and offered indoor dining; a blanket lockdown is keeping them closed to battle the pandemic.

   Doug Ford, premier of Canada’s most-populous province with 15-million residents, said advice from health and medical experts left him no choice but to enact an “emergency brake” at the start of the Easter weekend.

   Unlike previous lockdowns, this one covers the entire province for the next 28 days.

   Along with no patio dining as the warm weather has returned, the lockdown means restaurants can only offer pickup and delivery with no inside dining.

   The order, as the third wave of the pandemic takes hold, forces the closing of personal services such as hair salons, gyms and spas as well as tight customer numbers inside big box stores, grocers and for church services.

   Across Canada, other provinces are taking action of their own to deal with rising infection totals as vaccines dwindle in.

    ---

    The proposed $188.7-million deal offered by Air Canada to buy Transat AT Inc. airline has fallen through.

   Canada’s largest airline pulled out of the deal after being advised that it would face regulatory hurdles in Europe.

   Air Canada is reviewing its other options as this opens the way for other domestic companies to seek the Montreal-based tour operator.

   There were competition concerns covering numerous transatlantic routes with the proposed remedies called “insufficient.”

   Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the two sides are “examining next steps.”

   As well, airlines have been in talks with the Canadian government about a possible aid package over the virus impact.

    ---

    News in brief:

   - Canada’s central bank said the economy is “proving to be more resilient than anticipated” to the virus with associated containment measures as it kept its key interest rate steady. The Bank of Canada’s trend-setting rate remains at 0.25 percent. It also said that consumers and businesses are adapting to containment measures and housing market activity has been much stronger than expected. There remains “considerable economic slack and a great deal of uncertainty about the evolution of the virus and the path of economic growth,” it said.

   - Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.is offering $25 billion to buy Kansas City Southern railway. This would create the first rail network connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico. It would offer a single integrated rail system connecting ports on the U.S. Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific coasts with overseas markets, the railway said. The deal is subject to government regulatory approval.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar returns 79.5 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar is worth $1.257 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 18,990 points and the TSX Venture index at 960 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.245 a liter (Canadian) or $4.73 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (March 30) 12, 22, 25, 30, 37, 38 and 45; bonus 2. (March 26) 2, 4, 16, 24, 25, 27 and 49; bonus 29.

  Lotto 6/49:  (March 31) 3, 7, 8, 12, 37 and 40; bonus 41. (March 27) 15, 16, 17, 30, 36 and 40; bonus 34.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

  - Five people were injured when 70 cars and trucks piled up in wintry conditions on the Trans-Canada Highway in Alberta. The highway near Brooks was closed for hours during a blizzard with white-out conditions. Police said the crash happened at about 8 a.m. in the westbound lanes Drivers were warned to avid travel due to blowing and drifting snow, icy roads and poor visibility.

   - There was a happy ending in the search for a three-year-old boy missing in the woods for almost four days. Ontario Provincial Police Constable Scott McNames caught a glimpse of something bright blue on the ground in the forest. It turned out to be Jude Leyton, alive and well who had been missing near Kingston after wandering away from a fishing camp where his family was staying.

    Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com

Ontario doctor arrested for murder of patient

    Canada column for Sunday, March 28/21

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Police are investigating a “number of suspicious deaths” after a doctor at a Hawkesbury, Ontario hospital was arrested for first-degree murder.

   Ontario Provincial Police said Dr. Brian Nadler, 35, who lives in the Montreal suburb of Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, was arrested after they were called about a death at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital.

   The investigation “led police to look at more than one death,” said OPP spokesman Bill Dickson.

   The hospital is “reaching out to patients and their families and offering trauma counseling to staff,” he added.

   Further details were not given but police indicated the deaths “all occurred in a fairly recent time period.”

   The hospital said there is no risk to public or patient safety and the routine activity at the hospital will not be affected by the investigation.

    ---

    The Ontario government is again moving the city of Hamilton, Ontario and district into a lock-down after a concerning increase in COVID-19 cases.

      The area, with a population approaching 600,000 west of Toronto, faces the action on Monday.

   “Over the last week, we have continued to see some concerning trends in key health indicators in regions across the province," said Health Minister Christine Elliott.

      This would move the area to the lockdown zone from “red-control,” she said.

      The decision was made in consultation with the local medical officer of health and was “based on public health data.”

    ---

    News in brief:

   - Travel restrictions and pandemic periods of quarantine have resulted in the number of air passengers into Canada dropping by almost 97 percent this month. The Canada Border Services Agency said for the first week of March last year, there were 565,323 Canadian citizens or permanent residents entering the country by air. That compares with just 11,529 this year. There was also a significant drop in the number of U.S. citizens entering Canada (1,099) as well as foreign nationals (11,363) over that same period.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar returns 79.3 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar is worth $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 lower, with the Toronto index at 18,752 points and the TSX Venture index at 943 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is lower at $1.23 a liter (Canadian) or $4.67 for a U.S. gallon.

   Lotto Max: (March 23) 5, 6, 12, 28, 29, 36 and 46; bonus 40. (March 19) 2, 7, 8, 26, 30, 43 and 48; bonus 25.

   Lotto 6/49:  (March 24) 3, 4, 27, 43, 45 and 48; bonus 44. (March 20) 9, 16, 25, 36, 39 and 43; bonus 49.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - WestJet Airlines plans to resume flights to five airports starting in June after the pandemic led to a suspension of service last fall. The Calgary-based airline will again fly to Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton, Sydney and Quebec City. There will also be a return on May 6 of its St. John’s- Halifax routes six times a week. Service to the Maritimes is being done “in a timely manner with consideration for the current travel recommendations and isolation guidelines of individual provinces,” said the airline’s Andrew Gibbons.

   - Bald eagles are making a comeback in Canada and now an effort is being made to send some to the U.S. from Atlantic Canada to try to help along the recovery of the birds there. They’re making a comeback in southern Ontario over the last decade after dying out because of the pesticide DDT. Biologists suggest there are about 100 nesting pairs. They have been seen across British Columbia, Alberta and in Ontario from Ottawa to Kingston and the Bruce Peninsula and along the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.

    Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com