Canada column for Sunday, July 25/21
THE CANADIAN REPORT
By Jim Fox
Canada is reopening its land border with the United States next month to vaccinated visitors but the U.S. is keeping things closed to non-essential travel for now.
In a message in the U.S. Federal Register, the government said that while vaccination rates have improved, opening the land border to non-essential travel “still poses too great a risk.”
The new U.S. order continues until at least Aug 21 for further review.
There has been pressure from U.S. federal and state officials to get the border reopened after being closed for more than a year over the virus.
The Department of Homeland Security said the spread of the pandemic requires caution and the agency continues to be in “constant contact with Canadian and Mexican counterparts to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably.”
Canada is reopening the land border to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens on Aug. 9 and to travellers from other countries on Sept. 7.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the U.S. policy doesn’t affect Canada’s decision to open its border.
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Hundreds of wildfires in British Columbia and northwest Ontario continue out of control and are speeding their toxic smoke eastward across the country.
The fires during record-breaking high temperatures and dry conditions have forced people from their homes and long-term care facilities and even destroyed most of the village of Lytton in British Columbia.
With Canada having almost 10 percent of the world’s forests, this year’s fires have come early and with greater intensity than in the past, fire watchers say.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center said there are some 300-uncontrolled active fires burning in several provinces, with the worst in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
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News in brief:
- Canada is projected to win 21 medals by a global tech company at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Gracenote, based in California said its survey shows Canada winning four gold, eight silver and nine bronze medals and ending up in 15th place. It expects the United States, Russia and China will be the top three winners. That would be the seventh consecutive Summer Games win for the U.S.
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Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is lower at 79 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.26 in Canadian funds 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 lower, with the Toronto index at 20,166 points and the TSX Venture index 902 points.
The average price for gas in Canada is steady at $1.38 a liter (Canadian) or $5.25 for a U.S. gallon.
Lotto Max: (July 20) 2, 13, 15, 19, 38, 39 and 46; bonus 34. (July 16) 13, 17, 24, 26, 33, 46 and 48; bonus 27.
Lotto 6/49: (July 21) 2, 4, 15, 20, 35 and 45; bonus 10. (July 17) 22, 24, 28, 35, 37 and 45; bonus 49.
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Regional briefs:
- A hiker, missing in British Columbia’s Garibaldi Provincial Park for two weeks, has been found alive and well. Daniel Ring, 33, was planning to camp at Rampart Ponds but couldn’t be found two days later, on July 9, prompting a search-and-rescue effort. Wildfire Service crews, responding to reports of smoke near Pitt River, saw him waving from the air and made the rescue. Ring managed to survive on a little fresh water, food and berries.
- The Quebec Superior Court has ordered the demolition of a $3-million mansion built too close to the road in Gatineau. The court overturned a 2014 city council exemption in the latest twist in the eight-year-old saga since owner Patrick Molla had thought everything was in order. Neighbors complained that the house didn’t fit with the rest of the neighborhood and broke the law.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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