Canada column for Sunday, Aug 8/21
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said his government will launch vaccine passports in order for residents to receive non-essential services.
As well, Prime Minister Trudeau is considering making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for some federally regulated workplaces such as airlines.
The plan for Quebec, with a population of 8.5 million and where French is the predominant language, is due to a recent increase in COVID cases.
Quebecers are at the start of the fourth wave of the pandemic with the most-recent daily infection number at 305 new coronavirus cases with 72 more under investigation, the highest daily increase since May 30, he said.
Nationally, the government is in discussions with the public service about whether there are some categories where vaccinations should be made mandatory, Trudeau said.
The announcement is significant as it’s the first time he has publicly supported any form of compulsory vaccine.
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Niagara Falls, Ontario – called the “Honeymoon Capital of the World”— anticipates salvaging much of this year’s tourist season starting on Monday.
That’s when the Canada-U.S. border opens to fully-vaccinated Americans.
For more than a year, the streets, the two casinos, restaurants and the many attractions have remained closed due to pandemic rules.
Mayor Jim Diodati has the welcome mat out in the city that gets one-quarter of its visitors from the U.S.
Americans will still have to prove full vaccination, provide a negative COVID test 72 hours before crossing and be tested once they arrive in Canada.
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News in brief:
- Canada still has fewer jobs than it had at the start of the pandemic. Statistics Canada reported the economy added 94,000 jobs last month as it pushed the jobless rate down to 7.5 percent. Almost all of the new jobs came in Ontario, with 72,000 openings. Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island also added jobs, with other provinces and territories had fewer or were unchanged. Most of the job gains were full-time in the private sector but there were 246,000 fewer jobs than in February last year.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is lower at 79.7cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.254 in Canadian funds 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 20,416 points and the TSX Venture index down at 917 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.396 a liter (Canadian) or $5.30 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Aug. 3) 4, 5, 9, 15, 24, 36 and 48; bonus 50. (July 30) 4, 12, 18, 19, 22, 25 and 44; bonus 43.
Lotto 6/49: (Aug. 4) 3, 8, 21, 38, 42 and 49; bonus 37. (July 31) 7, 30, 37, 43, 47 and 49; bonus 20.
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Regional briefs:
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, fresh from a two-week vacation, joined Quebec Premier François Legault to announce a plan to add day-care spaces and improve working conditions for educators. This will be accomplished with a federal investment of $6 billion in Quebec over the next five years. The money is part of the pledge to establish a nationwide subsidized day-care program, with an average fee of $10 a day. Deals have been signed with British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Yukon, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland/Labrador .
- With wildfires burning across British Columbia, neighboring province Saskatchewan leads the country with an “extreme fire risk.” This is according to a map generated by Natural Resources Canada showing the province’s hot spots. The area involved is almost all of southern and central Saskatchewan, and much of the north. The province currently has 129 active wildfires burning.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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