Canada report

By JIM FOX
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 19, 2002

Canada may extend participation in Afghanistan

The Canadian government is considering whether to send fresh troops to Afghanistan this summer to extend its participation in the U.S.-led war against terrorism.

Military officials downplayed reports saying the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, now deployed with an American brigade in Kandahar, will be replaced by a Romanian outfit in July.

Some Canadian observers have suggested the military is too stretched to allow replacement of the Patricias in Afghanistan, especially with its heavy commitment in the former Yugoslavia. There's also the need to provide backup security for the G8 meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, next month.

Canada's navy had six ships in the area earlier this year but has reduced that to three. The frigate HMCS Toronto has just left for home to be replaced by her sister ship, HMCS St. John's, within days.

In all, there are 2,200 Canadian military personnel in the region.

Clark plans to stay

Conservative leader Joe Clark, 62, says he intends to stay as head of the party.

His comment followed reports that party officials gathered at a private Toronto club in what was called a "Dump Joe Clark Dinner."

The party is gaining momentum, Clark said, noting the by-election win on Monday by Conservative candidate Rex Barnes in Newfoundland's Gander-Grand Falls.

News in brief

Gamblers might help pay the cost of staging the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler should the Canadian bid win. Heritage Minister Sheila Copps said the federal and British Columbia governments are working on a national lottery that would help cover the millions needed. A decision on the Games' location will be made next year.

Proposed antiterrorism legislation would be "difficult to justify" if it allowed police to screen all air travelers in a search for terrorists while ignoring others wanted by the law, critics say. George Radwanski, federal privacy commissioner, said extraordinary new powers are too broad. But, Solicitor General Lawrence MacAulay said Canadians "live in a changed security environment and expect police to use all reasonable tools available to ensure their safety."

Facts and figures

The Canadian dollar surged to an eight-month high of 64.67 US cents on Friday, while the U.S. dollar returned $1.5463 Canadian, before bank exchange fees.

The Bank of Canada key interest rate is unchanged at 2.25 percent while the prime lending rate is 4.0 percent. Stock markets were higher, with the Toronto exchange index at 7,727 points while the Canadian Venture Exchange was 1,182 points.

Lotto 6/46: (Wednesday) 1, 4, 14, 20, 41, 44; bonus 9. (May 11) 9, 33, 36, 40, 46, 47; bonus 35.

Regional briefs

About 1,700 people in Notre-Dame-Du-Lac, Quebec, were forced from their homes after fire destroyed a slaughterhouse employing 450 people on Tuesday. Three days later, 30 people left their homes after an ammonia leak was detected at the slaughterhouse. The fire was caused by workers welding in the plant.

Jay Handel will appear in court July 3 for a preliminary hearing on charges that he killed his six children and set fire to the family home in Campbell River, a remote Vancouver Island community. Handel, who is separated from his wife and undergoing psychiatric evaluation, faces six counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his children, aged two to 11 years.

Small and medium-sized businesses in Atlantic Canada are getting help exporting products through $54-million in aid from the federal government. Gerry Byrne, minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, said a five-year partnership will "give a gentle push" to companies that have products with the potential to crack international markets. It will focus on trade missions, education and export internships.

John Tudor, 48, a double murderer, is back in prison -- although he was never really out. It was thought Tudor had escaped from the Drumheller Institution in March, but he literally fell into the laps of Mounties when he was cut out of his hideout in the overhead ductwork of a prison building. His disappearance baffled officials since security perimeters were never breached.

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