Canada report

Musicals break because of SARS

Tourism is in such a freefall in Toronto because of the second wave of SARS the hit musical Momma Mia! is being put on hiatus over the summer and The Lion King is ending its run in September.

The resurgence of severe acute respiratory syndrome has kept American tourists away in droves, said theater entrepreneur Ed Mirvish.

There was another setback Friday with news a medical resident at Mount Sinai Hospital came down with SARS just hours after helping deliver twins and being in contact with other babies. The families are in isolation.

The death toll has reached 32 with more than 60 probable cases but doctors believe the outbreak has peaked.

Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement is accusing the Canadian government of reneging on a promise to give the province financial relief.

The estimated cost of the outbreak in the city of 3.5-million people is $800-million, Clement said.

The federal government has announced $10-million to support local events and festivals. Another $7.5-million is for other parts of the country hurt by the SARS-related drop in tourism.

The remaining $3.5-million will be spent on preparing a site on the Toronto waterfront for a possible special concert by the Rolling Stones to try to attract people to the city.

Just after a deal was reached with pilots last weekend to avert the possible bankruptcy of Air Canada, air traffic controllers are threatening to go on strike.

Talks were continuing through the weekend to attempt to avert job action by the 2,300 workers against their employer, Nav Canada.

The members of the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association are demanding better work schedules and higher pay. They've been without a contract for two years and earn an average of $87,000 annually.

With Air Canada in bankruptcy protection, the nonprofit Nav Canada agency is owed $43-million by the national airline.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien paid tribute Friday to Canadian soldiers who fought and gave their lives during the D-day invasion of France. He spoke at the opening of the first major war memorial in Normandy commemorating their sacrifice. The Juno Beach Center was created by veterans led by Garth Webb, who crossed the beach as a young lieutenant. He spent years raising money to build the center.

Finance Minister John Manley is officially in the race to succeed Chretien, who retires next year. Frontrunner is Paul Martin, the former finance minister. Manley, the deputy prime minister, is being challenged by Heritage Minister Sheila Copps for the Liberal leadership job.

Allegations of bribery and organized crime links involving judges on the federal Immigration and Refugee Board don't warrant an overhaul of how the board operates, Immigration Minister Denis Coderre says. The board is working well despite reports that police suspect two judges of accepting bribes from criminals who gather cash from immigrants hoping to stay in the country.

The Canadian dollar fell back Friday from a six-year high after news that unemployment jumped to 7.8 percent in May.

The dollar ended the week at 73.71 U.S. cents while a U.S. dollar returned $1.3566 Canadian before bank exchange fees.

The key Bank of Canada interest rate remains at 3.25 percent while the prime-lending rate is 5 percent.

Canadian stock exchanges are higher, with the Toronto index at 7,046 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange, 1,100 points.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 18, 19, 29, 33, 40 and 47; bonus 43. (May 31) 14, 18, 22, 23, 31 and 45; bonus 32.

Continuing investigation into the discovery of mad cow disease in Alberta has turned up no further cases. Only one cow was found to have the disease that has cost thousands of jobs because of an import ban on Canadian beef by the United States and other countries.

Higher unemployment figures are bad news for New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord's final weekend of campaigning before the provincial election. Nine-thousand jobs were lost in New Brunswick in May, raising the provincial unemployment rate to 12 percent from 10.3 percent. It's the third highest in Canada after Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island.

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