Tougher gun laws coming to Canada, Trudeau says

  Canada column for Sunday, May 29/22

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    More stringent gun controls are coming for Canadians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said after expressing the condolences of the country to Texans after the horrific school murders.

   The shooting deaths of 19 students and two teachers was “an incredibly senseless, violent act,” Trudeau said vowing to “move forward on doing even more” with updated gun laws.

   In the coming weeks, the Canadian government will announce new steps related to gun control, he said.

   No details were given or whether it would include a handgun ban across the country.

   Trudeau said there has been less pressure from some mayors and gun control advocates.

   “We understand there is a range of opinions and views,” along with unity “in wanting to see less gun violence and fewer deaths from gun violence across the country.”

   The government currently allows cities and provinces to determine their own gun laws.

   During the last election, the Liberal government planned to give $1 billion to provinces that instituted a handgun ban.

   There has also been a ban on many assault-style rifles and stricter background checks on weapon buyers.

   As well, the owners of some of the 1,500 gun types were given a two-year amnesty period.

    ---

   A man with a rifle in the area of several schools in east-end Toronto was shot to death by police.

   The man was seen carrying a rifle or gun and police were called to Scarborough, Ontario after there were lockdowns of multiple schools in the area.

  He was shot and killed in a confrontation with the police but few details were given.

   Toronto Police Chief James Ramer said he cannot comment while the provincial watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit, is investigating the case.

   It is known that two police officers fired their weapons at the suspect and a long barrel firearm was recovered.

  In brief:

   - Environment Canada has determined that a tornado was part of deadly Ontario storm with high winds and a series of thunderstorms that killed eight people, mostly from fallen trees. The twister touched down in Uxbridge, east of Toronto, as the weather system moved through Ontario.  Known officially as a decrecho, it tore apart houses and knocked out power to thousands as far away as Ottawa. The storm developed around Sarnia near the U.S. border and moved northeastward over southern Ontario and into Toronto and Ottawa.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is steady at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 1 percent while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 3.2 percent or more.

   Canadian stock markets are down, with the Toronto index at 20,532 points while the TSX Venture index is at 714 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.96 a liter or $7.44 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.

    Lotto Max: (May 24) 12, 26, 30, 31, 35,39 and 45; bonus 22. (May 20) 5, 6, 20, 29,42,44 and 47; bonus 14.

   Lotto 6/49: (May 25) 14, 15, 22, 35, 36 and 47; bonus 19. (May 21) 4, 5, 26, 33, 35 and 44;  bonus 30.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   Voters continue to favor Premier Doug Ford and his Conservatives to win in the June 2 Ontario elections. A survey by Ipsos says 45 percent of respondents said they believe Ford’s Conservatives will be re-elected. Next are Steven Del Duca and the Liberals with 14 percent, with 10 percent for Andrea Horwath and the Ontario New Democratic Party. One voter in three or 32 percent had no opinion.

 -30-

 canadareport.blogspot.com

Ontario leaders' campaigns slowed by COVID-19 incidents

    Canada column for Sunday, May 22/22

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    Two of Ontario’s4 political party leaders have had their election campaigns stalled after coming down with COVID-19.

   New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Andrea Horwath called off a northern tour in Sault Ste. Marie and went into isolation after testing positive for the virus.

   She is unable to attend in-person campaign events for now and has switched to virtual campaigning ahead of the June 2 Ontario election.

   She said her symptoms are mild and that she is looking forward to getting back to the campaign once she is feeling better and has tested negative.

  Also switching to virtual events is Green Party leader Mike Schreiner who said he tested positive on a rapid test after close contact with a staff member.

   He said he is “feeling fine” and is fully vaccinated and will communicate remotely from home “for a few days” while following public health advice.

   Ontario public health rules require that people isolate for five days after COVID-19 symptoms first appear or after a positive test result.

   Polls show Premier Doug Ford’s Conservatives remain in the lead in a Nanos poll, with 36.1 percent support ahead of the Liberals 29.3 percent, the NDP 19.8 and the Greens, 7.3.

    ---

    There’s another virus to worry about as Quebec has two confirmed cases of monkeypox in the province with 20 other suspected cases under investigation.

   These are first confirmed cases in Canada, while other countries have identified other cases of the rare disease.

   Public health Dr. Mylene Drouin said the illness is not extremely contagious and is the milder of two strains.

   Epidemiological investigations are continuing to determine the links in cases and identify potentially at-risk contacts.

    Health officials are advising people to be vigilant and note that the disease is “transmissible through prolonged and close contact with an infectious person.”

     ---

 News in brief:

- There have been numerous carjackings during daylight hours across Toronto with armed thieves stealing high-end automobiles along with driver’s wallets and purses. One high profile theft was that of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player Mitch Marner’s Range Rover in a movie theater parking lot. The brazen surge amounts to 64 carjackings this year compared with 59 in all of last year. One car quickly recovered by the police was a $250,000 Lamborghini taken during a home invasion at a downtown Toronto condo.

    ---

   Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is higher at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.30 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 1 percent while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 3.2 percent or more.

   Canadian stock markets are higher, with the Toronto index at 20,181 points while the TSX Venture index is 705 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada has risen to $2.01 a liter or $7.63 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.

   Lotto Max: (May 17) 10, 35, 38, 40 45, 47 and 48; bonus 23. (May 13) 2, 22, 37, 38, 39, 42 and 47; bonus 30.

   Lotto 6/49: (May 18) 14, 22, 24, 28, 42 and 48; bonus 23. (May 14) 2, 14, 21, 27, 34 and 49; bonus 5.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

    - Jason Kenney is leaving his job as leader of Alberta’s United Conservative Party, saying the slim majority of his leadership review was not enough to stay on. Kenney, Alberta’s Premier Kenney, 53, who cofounded the party five years ago, received support from 51.4 per cent of party members in the review and said it was “not enough to hold on to power.” Kenney said he will remain leader until someone is appointed to replace him. Critics said he broke his word by ignoring the “grassroots” members and called for his resignation.

 -30-

 

canadareport.blogspot.com

 

Canada OKs loan guarantee for Trans Mountain pipeline expansion to west coast

 

    Canada column for Sunday, May 15/22

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    The Canadian government has approved a $10-billion loan guarantee for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in western Canada.

   An announcement said this is common practice and does not reflect any additional public funding for the high-profile oil pipeline.

   Trans Mountain pipeline is Canada’s only oil pipeline system from Alberta to the West Coast and was bought by the federal government in 2018 for $4.5 billion.

   Previous owner Kinder Morgan Canada Inc. was considering scrapping the planned expansion  due to environmentalist opposition.

   Scheduled to be completed in 2023, the project will twin the existing pipeline and boosting daily output to 890,000 barrels of crude oil, and  50-percent complete.

   Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has said there will be no additional public funding for the pipeline but the government-owned project needs to secure third-party funding to complete the project.

   Meanwhile, the massive Keystone XL pipeline was canceled over U.S. environmental concerns.

   It would have covered 1,210 miles from Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska and moved 830,000 barrels of crude from western Canadian oil fields to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.

    ---

    Gas prices across Canada have hit a new all-time record, closing in on $2 a liter ($7.60 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds).

   Natural Resources Canada said they are still going higher, with Vancouver at $2.23 a liter, Toronto,  $2 and Edmonton, $1.30.

   As prices reached $2 in Atlantic Canada and $2.50 for diesel, some governments are looking at cutting excise sales tax on fuel.

   New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs also said his province will ensure revenues from the record gas prices will go back to the public.

    ---

 News in brief:

Ryerson University in Toronto is the latest institution being politically correct in changing its name. To be known as Toronto Metropolitan University, the change was prompted by growing calls to examine the legacy of Egerton Ryerson. Research showed he was an architect of Canada’s residential school system that separated 150,000 Indigenous children from their families to “Canadianize” them. A statue of Ryerson was also pulled down by students and protesters last year.

    ---

   Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is lower at 77 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.30 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 1 percent while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 3.2 percent or more.

   Canadian stock markets are down, with the Toronto index at 20,110 points while the TSX Venture index is 700 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is rising to a national $1.93 a liter or $7.33 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.

   Lotto Max: (May 10) 6, 15, 18, 19, 20,   27 and 28; bonus 24. (May 6) 3, 6, 11, 18, 19, 28 and 41; bonus 26.

   Lotto 6/49: (May 11)5, 10, 12, 34, 36 and 48; bonus 27. (May 7) 7, 12, 21, 28, 40 and 46; bonus 34.

   ---

    Regional briefs:

   - Water bombers have been sent to battle forest fires in Nova Scotia. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center said the bombers are from Newfoundland and Labrador to help ground and air crews fight an out-of-control wildfire near Horseshoe Lake in Yarmouth County. The fire covers about 15 square miles and continues to grow with winds and low humidity. It has also led to air-quality alerts for the area.

- Canadians are being urged to remove bird feeders to help combat the spread of avian flu that has caused the deaths of 1.5-million birds. The infectious virus spread primarily among birds, mainly chickens, turkeys and ducks and attacks internal organs within the infected bird and usually causes death. The outbreak began across the country last year. 

   -30-

 canadareport.blogspot.com

 

Ontario medical officers want to bring back masks

    Canada column for Sunday, May 8/22

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    There’s a call by medical officers of health to bring back mask-wearing mandates in schools and other indoor public settings.

   Drs. Mustafa Hirji, Shanker Nesathurai and Thomas Piggott, all from Ontario, have made the request in a letter to Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

   They note the decision by the Ontario government to lift the mask mandate in most settings for the province’s 15-million residents was detrimental.

   Public Health Ontario said “this contributed to the province’s sixth wave, which saw about 100,000 to 120,000 daily cases at one point.”

   The medical officials are asking the government to bring back the mask wearing now mandated still in hospitals, long-term care homes, on public transit and in other high-risk settings.

   They want it further widened to include indoor public places, including workplaces, schools, universities, colleges and essential service places such as pharmacies.

   “We had hoped that as masking and other protections ceased to be requirements, that we would be able to get through this wave without much suffering or long-term disruption. Unfortunately, this does not seem to have played out as we had hoped,” the doctors said.

    ---

    Travelers are being confronted by long delays at Canadian airports as resurgence in travel after the pandemic is easing but airlines and airports are having staffing issues.

   Compounding the problems are many travelers have expired passports and documents and are trying to get new ones and security and health checks are taking time.

    The number of Canadian passports issued over the past year has tripled to 363,000, resulting in longer wait times.

   There has been a “huge resurgence of an appetite for travel,” said Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport, adding there will be delays for the next few weeks.

   “Now we’re learning once you turn off the economy (and reduce staff), when you turn it back on, it comes with imbalances.”

   The federal government is working to “ensure that we have the adequate resources to respond to this surge of need for traveling,” Alghabra said.

    ---

    News in brief:

   - Ontario residents will be able to show their support or concerns about how the pandemic has been attacked when the provincial government’s Conservative Party seeks re-election on June 2. Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s party has a14-point lead in a Leger/Postmedia poll and dropping a little. The Liberals and New Democrats are tied for second and the Green Party trails.

   - Montreal hockey legend Guy Lafleur was remembered as an inspiration for generations of Quebecers at his state funeral. Hundreds of people attended the service, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Lafleur died at age 70 after several years of health issues. A hometown hero, he was the first player in the National Hockey League to score 50 goals and 100 points in six consecutive seasons.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is steady at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 1 percent while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 3.2 percent or more.

   Canadian stock markets are down, with the Toronto index at 20,696 points while the TSX Venture index is at 783 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.88 a liter or $7.15 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.

   Lotto Max: (May 3) 6, 11, 22,24, 27,29 and 33;bonus 31. (April 29) 8, 9, 19, 32, 37, 46 and 48; bonus 45.

   Lotto 6/49: (May 4) 4, 21, 22, 36, 41 and 43; bonus 31. (April 30) 9, 11,14, 16, 20 and 43; bonus 32.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - Flooding has forced hundreds of people from their homes across Manitoba, especially north of Winnipeg on the Peguis First Nation. I ice jams on the Fisher River combined with heavy rains to drive up water levels. Manitoba faces flooding threats every spring but this year, the province has received six times the normal amount of precipitation. The Red River Valley, including Winnipeg, is protected by dikes and diversion channels, expanded after massive floods in 1997.

 -30-

 canadareport.blogspot.com

 

Bikers roll into Ottawa for "Rolling Thunder" protest

    Canada column for Sunday, May 1/22

    THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

    We’ve got ourselves another convoy, this time with hundreds of bikers in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa.

   Earlier this year, hundreds of trucks and thousands of truckers brought the area around Parliament Hill and downtown to a standstill for more than a month.

   Now, this weekend, it’s Rolling Thunder Ottawa, called “a peaceful celebration of freedom with hundreds of motorcycles and riders in town.

   The trucker convoy took a government order to ban such protests that cause civil disobedience and anarchy in the cause of ending vaccine mandates.

   Organizers of the biker protest said they don’t condone blockades and harm to residents or property damage to make their point.

   City and police officials say they will “not tolerate another occupation” and their response plan is to rebuild community trust.

   They are asking the demonstrators to keep within a designated corridor around the Parliament buildings, where there is a rally planned, and downtown without disrupting life in the city.

    ---

    Statistics Canada says the number of people aged 85 and older is growing rapidly.

   The government agency’s research shows in 2016, there were more than three-quarters of a million (770,780) people aged 85 and older living in Canada.

   That number represents 2.2 percent of the Canadian population overall and about 13 percent of the population aged 65 and older.

   Those aged 85 and older grew by 19.4 percent in the period from 2011 to 2016, nearly four times the rate for the overall Canadian population.

    The centenarian population of those 100 and older grew even faster – by 41.3 percent –

to reach 8,230 people, making it the fastest-growing age group between those years.

   Many municipalities with a high proportion of people aged 85 and older are located in British Columbia, the survey said.

    ---

    News in brief:

  - In its quest to tackle ramping inflation, Canada’s central bank says Canadians should prepare for another round of interest-rate hikes this month.

   A 0.5 percent jump is forecast by the Bank of Canada, following an increase of that amount in April.

   The bank raised its trendsetting-rate to 1 percent and suggests another similar increase will follow this month.

   The increase has already resulted in higher rates for loans and variable-rate mortgages at commercial banks where the prime-lending rate is 2.7 percent.

   Bankers say the economy has been surging as pandemic-related restrictions ease, suggesting the bank is preparing to announce “another oversized rate hike” this month.

    ---

    Facts and figures:

   Canada’s dollar is lower at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.

   The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 1 percent while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 2.7 percent.

   Canadian stock markets are down, with the Toronto index at 20,979 points while the TSX Venture index is 817 points.

   The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.80 a liter or $6.85 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.

   Lotto Max: (April 26) 3, 10, 15, 31, 35, 38 and 42; bonus 22. (April 22) 13, 14, 23, 30, 34

36 and 42; bonus 33.

   Lotto 6/49: (April 27)6, 26, 29, 32, 33, and 41; bonus 2. (April 23) 17, 19, 27, 39, 44 and 49; bonus 2.

    ---

    Regional briefs:

   - In a pre-election move, the Ontario Conservative Party’s budget – if re-elected in June promises to help seniors by cutting income taxes for an average savings of about $300 a year.  “Ontario continues to take every necessary action to stop the spread of the COVID‑19 virus while making record investments in the health care system,” Premier Doug Ford also said. The province will invest another $650 million in long‑term care in 2021-22, bringing the total resources invested since the beginning of the pandemic to more than $2 billion.

 -30-

 canadareport.blogspot.com