Canada column for Sunday, April 24/22
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
Thousands of people have been stranded all week in sun destinations and at Canadian airports due to a data security breach involving Sunwing Airlines.
The problem began last weekend and is slowly improving for the Toronto-based “low-cost airline” that connects Canadian destinations with the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America.
Would-be flyers report chaos and confusion with a lack of information on when their planes might leave.
As a result of the breach, the airline has to check-in passengers manually after the server networks belonging to a third-party service provider, Airline Choice of Illinois, were compromised.
“We apologize to our customers for the ongoing delays and thank them for their patience and understanding during this unfortunate situation” Sunwing said in a statement.
Passengers whose flights have been delayed by more than three hours should be entitled to compensation under Canadian air passenger protection regulations.
Sunwing has subcontracted aircraft from other airlines, including WestJet, AirTransat and Nolinor Aviation, to relieve backlogs and has offered customers changes in their departure dates with no fees for flights that were scheduled between April 19 and 22.
“We actually thought it was nice that we got an extra night’s stay at first in Veradero, Cuba, but now I’m thinking this isn’t fun anymore,” said Tania Cameron, of Kemora, Ontario.
---
Canadians are paying more for goods and services as the country’s inflation rate soared to 6.7 percent last month.
It was the fastest annual increase in more than three decades, affected by world affairs that have pushed up oil prices and the continuing pandemic-related supply chain crunch.
The latest increase, after a 5.7 percent jump in February, puts it at the highest reading since January 1991 when the Goods and Service Tax was introduced.
Statistics Canada noted prices were also driven higher with the hot housing market and supply chain constraints.
House prices were up 12.9 percent over last year, grocery store prices rose 8.7 percent, with dairy products and eggs rising 8.5 percent and higher prices for pasta and cereal, with average hourly wages up3.4 percent.
---
News in brief:
Montreal Canadiens’ hockey legend Guy Lafleur has died at age 70 of lung cancer. He led the National Hockey League to a record 24 Stanley Cups and was a member of the team’s Ring of Honor that includes Jean Béliveau and Maurice (Rocket) Richard. Team owner Geoff Molson described Lafleur as “one of the greatest players in Habs’ history and an extraordinary ambassador for our sport.” He is survived by wife Lise and sons Martin and Mark.
--
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is steady at 79 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.25 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is 1 percent while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 2.7 percent.
Canadian stock markets are down, with the Toronto index at 21,650 points while the TSX Venture index is 880 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.76 a liter or $6.69 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.
Lotto Max: (April 19) 1, 6, 10, 27, 42, 45 and 50; bonus 43. (April 15) 1, 6, 18, 21, 30, 32 and 37; bonus 35.
Lotto 6/49: (April 20) 6, 10, 13, 17, 21 and 37; bonus 34. (April 16) 7,13, 26,35,36 and 38; bonus 40.
---
Regional brief:
- A Toronto woman narrowly escaped death after being pushed by a stranger onto the subway tracks as a train approached. The woman, 39, rolled under the platform at the Yonge and Bloor station to avoid being hit by the train. She escaped with a broken rib. Video helped the police make an arrest of Edith Frayne, 45, for attempted murder when she was seen at a Toronto GO train station. Last November, a man was pushed onto the subway tracks and injured at the same station while last week, there was an unprovoked stabbing on the subway that left a man injured.
-30-
canadareport.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment