Canada column for Sunday, Aug. 2/20
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By Jim Fox
Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau – in what could be a showdown over the fate of his job –
testified he was aware of a “perception” issue over hiring WE
Charity to run a $900-million student-volunteer program.
Trudeau’s wife,
brother and mother were paid about $300,000 in fees and reimbursements to take
part in WE programs.
Trudeau has
acknowledged that in haste to get the pandemic relief program going, he had failed
to recuse himself from awarding the contract.
The grant program
for students who volunteer for work projects “has absolutely nothing to do with
any work my brother or mother did with WE and that’s why there was no conflict
of interest,” Trudeau told a committee investigating the issue.
Similar allegations
of conflict are being made against Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
His daughter works
for WE and he recently repaid $41,000 for trips his family took to Kenya and
Ecuador in 2017 to see humanitarian work.
Opposition Members
of Parliament are still calling on Trudeau and Morneau to resign.
---
The rules are being
tightening for travelers from the United States and abroad heading for Alaska
through Canada.
The new rules now
in effect require that people enter Canada at one of five specified border
crossings.
The Canada-U.S.
border remains closed now until Aug. 31 to all but “essential” travel to stop
the pandemic spread.
Several U.S.
visitors who made side trips to tour Banff National Park were given $1,200
fines.
Now travellers
are given tags to display showing their status and the date they must leave
Canada.
---
News in brief:
- The Canadian government
is revamping its pandemic compensation for those who lost their jobs as the
$2,000 a month support plan is expiring. When the benefit ends, those who are
still unemployed or unable to work will be moved to the employment insurance
system, Prime Minister Trudeau said. About 8.5-million people have claimed the
benefit.
- The economy grew
by 4.5 percent in May as businesses began to reopen after severe lockdowns in March
and April. Statistics Canada said there were record gains of 16.4 percent in
retail trade. Car and truck sales contributed the most to the growth.
- A smartphone app
has been developed in Canada to warn users they’ve been near someone who tested
positive for COVID-19. It is designed to trace and help to slow the spread of
the virus. The free app tracks the location of phones relative to each other
without collecting personal data.
---
Facts and figures:
The Canadian dollar
is slightly higher at 74.55 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.341 Canadian
before exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s
key interest rate remains unchanged at 0.25 percent while the prime lending
rate is 2.45 percent.
Canadian stock
markets are higher with the Toronto index at 16,169 points and the TSX Venture
index 721 points.
The average price
for gas in Canada is steady at $1.04 a liter (Canadian) or $3.95 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (July 28) 7, 10, 11, 24, 39, 43 and 48;
bonus 23. (July 24) 17, 20, 27, 29, 37, 39 and 41; bonus 10.
Lotto 6/49: (July
29) 1, 11, 17, 19, 22 and 45; bonus 14. (July 25) 6, 21, 34, 44, 45 and 48;
bonus 33.
---
Regional briefs:
- A “friendly” takeover
of Torstar, one of Canada’s largest newspaper chains, has been delayed by a
rival bidder. The publisher of the Toronto Star has been controlled by a voting
trust of several families but has had a steady drop in revenue and circulation.
Entrepreneurs Jordan Bitove and Paul Rivett made a $60-million offer while a
court review of rival bidder Canadian Modern Media Holdings is planned.
- Air travellers now
have to undergoing having their temperatures taken at major airports to help
curb the virus spread. Temperature screening stations are operating at airports
in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal and will be expanded to another 11
airports by September. Those with high temperatures won’t be allowed to travel
and everyone must wear face masks.
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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