Canada column for
Sunday, June 10/18
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Promising to “put
more money in your pocket,” Doug Ford led his Conservatives to a sweeping
victory in the Ontario provincial election.
The popularity of
the brash former Toronto city councillor along with citing a need for change
after 15 years of Liberal rule, voters gave Ford’s party a majority government.
The Conservatives
had 76 members elected while the socialist New Democrats led by Andrea Horwath
will form the Official Opposition with 40 elected.
With a series of
scandals, spending concerns and high energy costs, voters failed to give the
ruling Liberals even official party status with just seven elected to the
Ontario Legislature.
Liberal Premier
Kathleen Wynne, who was narrowly re-elected in her Toronto district, resigned
as party leader.
Green Party Leader
Mike Schreiner made history being the first member of the party elected in
Ontario.
The victory sends a
clear message that “Ontario is open for business” and there will be an “era of
economic growth and prosperity,” Ford said.
---
Bourdain, 61, said three
Montreal chefs featured on his CNN show “Parts Unknown” should be declared
national heroes.
He declared being a
“huge fan” of chefs Martin Picard, Fred Morin and David McMillan.
In a recent show
from Newfoundland, Bourdain ate fish and chips in Petty Harbour, jigged for cod
off the tiny fishing village of Quidi Vidi near St. John’s, and hunted moose.
While in Nova
Scotia, Bourdain expressed his fascination with the Halifax donair – a
sweet-and-savoury, meat-lovers treat – now known as the city’s official food.
---
News in brief:
- Police clashed
with demonstrators protesting concerns about the environment and governments away
from where world leaders from the G7 were meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec.
President Donald Trump, under attack by his long-time allies over new tariffs,
said the Canada-U.S. relationship is better than ever. He said the two
countries have made progress in the trade dispute involving steel and aluminum
tariffs and the North American Free Trade Agreement’s rewriting.
- Canada
unexpectedly lost 7,500 jobs for the second month in May while wages were at
their fastest year-over-year increase in nine years at 3.9 percent. Statistics
Canada reported the lost jobs were in full-time employment that was only partially
offset by an increase in part-time positions. The jobless rate was steady at
5.8 percent for the fourth consecutive month.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is
higher at 77.32 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.293 in Canadian
funds (exchange fees extra).
The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is steady
at 1.25 percent while the prime-lending rate is 3.45 percent.
Stock markets are higher, with the Toronto
exchange index at 16,202 points while the TSX Venture index is 775 points.
The average price for gas in Canada has dropped
to $1.315 a liter or $4.99 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto 6/49: (June 6) 10, 15, 23, 38, 40 and 41; bonus 35.
(June 2) 2, 26, 32, 40, 45 and 49; bonus 29. Lotto Max: (June 1) 2, 11,
17, 18, 22, 25 and 39; bonus 3.
---
Regional briefs:
- Three Canadian
visitors from China have died and dozens were injured when their bus crashed in
eastern Ontario. The tour bus was carrying 37 people, including the driver and a
guide, when it crashed into a rock wall off Highway 401 near Prescott. Police
said the cause of the crash is still unknown. The bus was operated by
Massachusetts-based Union Tour Express company.
- Earthquake
scientists suggest the possibility of a “big one” hitting British Columbia is
higher due to recent seismic activity. There was a jolt Friday morning with a
quake measuring 3.2 on the south coast near Saturna Island. It was centered
about 30 miles northeast of Victoria at a depth of about 35 miles. It was felt in
parts of southern Vancouver Island and North Vancouver but there were no
reports of damage.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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