Canada report

Uncertainty leads to pot proposition

An enterprising Saskatoon businessman wants to open a Dutch-style marijuana cafe as Canada considers decriminalizing pot possession.

The uncertainty over the country's marijuana laws prompted the proposal for the cafe where small amounts of marijuana would be consumed, the businessman said in a letter to city officials.

Mayor Jim Maddin said the letter to the city's planning and zoning department suggested there are many "users of cannabis throughout Canada and certainly here in Saskatoon." It said "a lot of these people have been sheltering that activity because of course it's a criminal offense."

In Holland, more than 800 licensed cannabis cafes have been set up where marijuana users can buy and smoke up to 5 grams at a time. The cafes are not allowed to sell alcohol, so they sell coffee, tea and fruit juices, but no food.

A Canadian government committee has recommended decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Judge Douglas Phillips threw out a charge against a 16-year-old in Windsor, Ontario, after agreeing with a defense argument that no Canadian laws ban the possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana. The federal government is appealing.

Now other lawyers are planning to ask judges to toss out their clients' pot-possession charges based on the ruling.

WTO to hear more on softwood debate

The World Trade Organization has agreed to have another panel hear Canadian complaints against antidumping softwood lumber duties imposed by the United States.

This will be the fourth such panel in the dispute that threatens the future of Canada's $10-billion annual softwood exports to the United States.

The panel will hear Canada's challenge of duties that average 8.43 percent imposed by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Since last spring, most Canadian lumber exports to the United States have been subject to an average 27 percent in combined countervailing and antidumping duties.

U.S. lumber producers claim the Canadian government unfairly subsidizes softwood products so companies are able to sell at below production costs. Canadian legislators deny the accusations.

In brief

-- It appears Prime Minister Jean Chretien intends to go through with an attempt to ban political donations from companies and unions. There has been strong opposition to the plan from within his Liberal Party. The legislation would be the final key piece of Chretien's promised parliamentary ethics package designed to clean up the government's image.

-- The Canadian government has hired Raymond Hession, a former senior bureaucrat, to find ways to fix the troubled national firearms registry. Justice Minister Martin Cauchon said Hession would head a review aimed at "streamlining" the registration process and improving its efficiency. Despite mounting pressure from provincial governments and other opponents, Cauchon said the government wouldn't abandon the registry or suspend its operations.

-- Canadians reined in their travel plans for business and pleasure in the third quarter of last year, Statistics Canada reports. Foreign visitors spent more but domestic tourism was down. Spending fell 1 percent after two quarters of growth. The drop was blamed on a "general tightening of the purse strings by Canadian consumers."

Facts and figures

Canada's dollar has regained some strength, rising to 64.04 U.S. cents while the U.S. dollar returns $1.5615 Canadian before bank exchange fees.

The Bank of Canada key interest rate is steady at 2.75 percent while the prime lending rate is 4.5 percent.

Canadian stock exchanges were higher, with the Toronto index at 6,723 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange 1,104 points.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 1, 2, 12, 16, 28, 41; bonus 11. (Jan. 4) 5, 13, 21, 30, 37, 46; bonus 18.

Regional briefs

-- The Nova Scotia government had a New Year's surprise for the province's smokers -- a $5 per carton increase in cigarette taxes. Critics say the tax hike is to pay for a promised income tax cut before the next election. Rodney MacDonald, minister of Health Promotion, said it is part of a $1.5-million strategy to reduce smoking among Nova Scotians.

-- This winter has been long on warm temperatures and short on snow in the Western Prairie provinces. From Whitehorse in the Yukon to Winnipeg, Manitoba, temperatures have been as much as 50 degrees above seasonal norms. Last Tuesday was in the 60s in Calgary and in Regina, where golfers were on the links. Forecasters say El Nino weather system has been keeping things dry and warm in the west. Temperatures then retreated to the 10s and 20s but were warming again this weekend.

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