Toronto mayor's popularity soars; would defeat all challengers, poll says

   Canada column for Sunday, Jan. 12/14

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Celebrated Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s popularity has spiked in opinion polls after his tireless response to the ice-storm crisis.

   Forty-seven percent of Torontonians surveyed by Forum Research Inc. approve of Ford’s work as mayor, up from 42 percent in December.

   Even more telling is that 41 percent said they will vote to re-elect him as mayor in October, easily defeating all of the expected opponents for the job.

   The massive ice storm that left more than 300,000 customers without power, some for up to eight days over the holidays, saw Ford on the front lines daily.

   “People saw him taking charge and will remember it,” said Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff.

   Ford was stripped of most of his powers by city council after he admitted to buying and smoking crack cocaine.

   Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly, who was put in charge, had to apologize after it was reported that he left the city at the height of the crisis to spend Christmas in Florida with relatives.

   The city is asking for provincial and federal government disaster assistance as costs from the storm and cleanup are estimated at $106 million.

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   Canada’s dollar is under pressure against a stronger U.S. currency that could result in a higher price to get away or shop in the U.S.

   Economists suggest the dollar could drop to 90 cents U.S. after being equal to the U.S. currency last year.

   The dollar dropped below 92 cents U.S. Friday after jobless numbers rose and the trade deficit worsened slightly.

   With it costing about $1.12 Canadian with bank fees for each U.S. greenback, there has been little or no effect on trips to the sunny south, said David McCaig, president of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies.

   “It's cold enough in Canada that everyone wants to get away,” he added, noting: “Most Canadians feel they have the right to have a holiday and they're going to take it.”

Ice-storm cleanup in Toronto could cost $75 million; food cards given to the needy who lost power

   Canada column for Sunday, Jan. 5/14

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The cost of the ice-storm cleanup in Toronto could reach $75 million after 300,000 customers lost power – some up to nine days.

   City officials estimated that amount for work that could take eight weeks to remove the thousands of trees and limbs that fell during the storm.

   Hundreds of people lined up to get grocery gift cards of $100 for a family and $50 for a single person.

   The cards were provided by the Ontario government and retailers to help low-income residents replace food spoiled during the power outage.

   Electricity was restored to all by mid-week just before much of Eastern Canada went into another deep freeze with Arctic air plunging temperatures to below 0F.

   The same storm that hit the northeastern U.S. hard brought blizzards to Nova Scotia and severe wind chill temperatures across Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island.

   There was up to eight inches of snow in southern Ontario’s Niagara region and combined with the freezing temperatures led to numerous multi-vehicle crashes.

   The Prairies also set cold records, with temperatures around -20F in Regina and Winnipeg, while out west Calgary and Vancouver had above-freezing temperatures.

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Tens of thousands of Canadians still in dark and cold after massive ice storm

   Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 29/13

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   A massive ice storm has left about 56,500 homes and businesses in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick still without power after a week.

   Hardest hit was Toronto where hydro crews had reduced the number of properties without electricity in below-freezing temperatures to 32,000 on Friday, down from a peak of more than 300,000 last Sunday.

   At the start of the weekend, there were still about 40,000 customers in Ontario without power, 14,000 in New Brunswick and 2,500 in Quebec.

   The storm coated trees and power lines with a thick layer of heavy ice, bringing them down and cutting off power.

   The massive around-the-clock effort to clear trees and limbs to replace power lines and restore electricity has had utility companies in the three provinces receiving help from outside, including New York state and Michigan.

   Toronto Hydro focused on restoring power to the most people in the shortest amount of time, including two hospitals, and is just now getting to clearing debris and reconnecting individual homes, said chief executive officer Anthony Haines.

   Mayor Rob Ford, who has held daily news conferences since last Sunday and has visited “warming shelters,” said the city is “doing the best we can” at getting all the power restored.

   Authorities were warning against the use of generators and barbecues inside to keep warm as there have been reports of five people killed in Ontario and Quebec from carbon monoxide poisoning.

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Supreme Court declares Canada's prostitution laws are unconstitutional

   Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 22/13

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Workers in the “world’s oldest profession” have won an historic victory as the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country's prostitution laws.

   The landmark unanimous ruling Friday by the six men and three women judges dealt with prostitution-related prohibitions against brothels, living “off the avails of prostitution” and street soliciting.

   Canada’s social landscape has changed since the laws were last upheld by the court in 1990, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin said.

   The issue is “not about whether prostitution should be legal or not,” she added, but whether the laws are constitutional – and the judges concluded they are not.

   It upholds the case of sex-trade workers who are seeking safer working conditions.

   The court has given the Canadian government one year to produce new legislation while the existing laws remain in effect.

   The judges agreed with an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that said outlawing brothels exposes sex workers to added danger by forcing them onto the streets.

   The Supreme Court appeared to acknowledge the case of Robert Pickton convicted of killing prostitutes in British Columbia.

   “A law that prevents street prostitutes from resorting to a safe haven such as grandma's house while a suspected serial killer prowls the streets, is a law that has lost sight of its purpose,” the ruling said.

 (For more Canadian news of the week, click "Read more")

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Door-to-door mail delivery to end in Canadian cities within five years

   Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 15/13

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The days of door-to-door mail delivery in urban areas across Canada are about to end.

   And, the declining number of people still using the mail will see substantial increases in domestic stamp prices – to 85 cents from 63 cents if bought in a booklet and to $1 individually – starting March 31.

   It’s part of a plan by Canada Post to cut its operating costs by up to $900 million a year based on the reality that fewer people use the service in these days of e-mail, courier deliveries and bills received and paid online.

   As well, the “average Canadian household” now buys fewer than two stamps a month.

   Thirty years ago, the post office began installing group mail boxes in newly built subdivisions and that will be implemented in all city areas over the next five years, said spokesman Jon Hamilton.

   Canada Post said up to 8,000 jobs would be eliminated while nearly 15,000 employees will retire or leave the government agency within that time.

   This will be a hardship for seniors with mobility issues who still want five-day-a-week home delivery of their mail, said Susan Eng of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons.

   “In cases where there are mobility issues, we will ensure a box can be accessed that isn't too high and we will provide additional keys (for caregivers to pick up the mail),” Hamilton said.

(For more Canadian news of the week, click on "Read more")

Lottery officials track down $50-million jackpot winner who lost ticket

   Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 8/13

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   When investigators came knocking at Kathryn Jones’ door in Hamilton, Ontario she at first hesitated at letting them in.

   It turns out they were really from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) trying to find the winner of an unclaimed ticket worth $50 million, tax free.

   And, as luck would have it, Jones, a 55-year-old engineer, was determined to be the winner of the prize paid all at once – even though she lost the ticket that was about to expire and didn’t know it was the winner.

  The investigation that led to Jones resulted from looking into the case of one of 435 people who tried to claim the Lotto Max prize from the Nov. 30, 2012 draw.

   The trail led to Jones based on a surveillance video from a store near her office and credit card records showing she bought a lottery ticket there at the time the winner was sold.

   Had she paid cash for the ticket, she might not have been found, said Mike Hamel of OLG's corporate investigations.

 (For more Canadian news of the week, click "Read more . . .")

Senate scandal plays role in outcome of Canadian byelections

   Canada column for Sunday, Dec. 1/13

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   The Senate expenses scandal is viewed as a major factor in the Liberals emerging as the overall victor in recent federal by-elections and taking a lead in opinion polls.

   Notable in the mid-term elections to fill vacancies in the House of Commons was the increased share of the votes for the Liberals.

   They were expected to win those districts in Toronto and Montreal while the ruling Conservatives won, as expected, in Manitoba’s Brandon-Souris and Provencher but with diminished support.

   “Canadians grow weary of the deceit, the mistrust and the cover-ups of the Conservatives,” a jubilant Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said.

   He was referring to the suspension of three Conservative senators appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper for making inappropriate expense claims amounting to about $278,000.

   Public opinion polls also show growing Liberal support at the expense of the Conservatives and the socialist New Democratic Party (NDP).

   The latest polling averages give the Liberals 35.7-percent support, the Conservatives 28.9 percent and the NDP, 23 percent.

 (For more Canadian news of the week, click "Read more)

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