Canada column for Sunday, Dec.27 /20
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
The Canadian government will spend $850,000 from now through March to urge Snowbirds not to go to Florida and other warm-weather destinations.
The digital-based ad shows a man in a hospital bed with COVID-19 and somber music playing.
It warns of the perils of travel now during the pandemic along with annoying grounded flights and lax health rules and health insurance at their destination.
At this time of year, most Snowbirds are already away as many leave after the Canadian Thanksgiving in early October and stay until around Easter.
It’s estimated that 3.5-million Canadians visit Florida every year and spend $4 billion in the state, with many of them owning homes.
It is more challenging to visit now as the Canada-U.S. land border is closed to non-essential travel although Canadians can still fly to the U.S., Mexico and other countries.
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Canadian realtors say it’s an extreme market for sellers as the pandemic is creating pent-up demand for houses.
Buyers are leaving the big cities for larger, more expansive properties and those on lakes as they can work from home.
Realtors in London, Ontario – midway between Toronto and Windsor/Detroit – say there is “extreme volatility” with interest rates at historic lows and houses on the market getting 30 to 60 offers in the $600,000 range.
The Canadian Real Estate Association predicted the average home will reach a price of $620,000 in the New Year.
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News in brief:
- The federal government has directed the Canadian Transportation Agency to strengthen rules that require airlines to refund passengers for canceled flights and those with lengthy delays. The pandemic has highlighted a gap in Canada’s protections for airline passengers, which weren’t designed to cover such lengthy delays, said Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau. This gap needs to be closed so that travellers are treated fairly, he said.
- Canada and the United Kingdom have approved a free-trade deal to avoid an automatic increase in tariffs when Britain leaves the European Union on Jan. 1. This will ensure that Canadian goods such as maple syrup, lobster, beef and car parts aren’t subject to British tariffs, said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. The two countries conduct about $29 billion in trade each year and the U.K. is Canada’s third-biggest export market.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is higher at 78.45 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.274 Canadian 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 higher, with the Toronto index at 17,623 points and the TSX Venture index is 845 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.05 a liter (Canadian) or $3.99 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (Dec. 22) 4, 29, 30, 37, 38, 43 and 44; bonus 15. (Dec. 18) 2, 9, 10, 22, 31, 35 and 49; bonus 30.
Lotto 6/49: (Dec. 23) 7, 15, 24, 31, 33 and 34; bonus 3. (Dec. 19) 1, 8, 10, 11,17 and 3; bonus 41.
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Regional briefs:
- Boxing Day (Dec. 26) shoppers in Ontario faced a new hurdle this year as the country’s most populous province is in lock down for two to four weeks. The provincial government moved to close most businesses, shutting out bargain hunters to slow the spread of COVID-19 that has hospitals at capacity. Stores and restaurants can offer only curbside pickup and delivery with capacity restrictions at big-box retailers that sell food. Quebec businesses are on a similar “holiday pause.”
- It’s being called a “Merry Thrift-mas” at a business on British Columbia’s Campbell River. The Qualitown Thrift Store is letting homeless people shop free. This follows numerous break-ins and thefts with people rummaging through the store’s trash bins. Manager Caroline Bleany said she hopes this will stop the crimes and help the needy. Now every second Monday afternoon, people who are homeless can stop in for a hot meal and take what they need.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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