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Americans can expect to see many more Canadian snowbirds this winter as the high-flying dollar makes escapes to the sun more affordable.
With the Canadian dollar at a 15-year high, nearing 85 U.S. cents, trips over the border are increasing. Many shoppers are heading south as they did in big numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Canadian retailers aren't as worried these days about lost sales as they say the market has changed and forced them to become more competitive in prices and selection.
At its height, the cross-border shopping frenzy drained billions of dollars from Canadian store tills - including about $1-billion a year from British Columbia, according to its Retail Merchants' Association.
Now many of the retailers sought out by Canadian shoppers are in Canada. These include retail giants Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Best Buy, Banana Republic, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and other big-box retailers.
Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham, Wash., an hour's drive from Vancouver, was built in 1988 primarily for Canadians. It began seeing more Canadians last year when the dollar hit 70 U.S. cents and even more are shopping now, said marketing manager Cara Buckingham.
In Grand Forks, N.D., a two-hour drive from Winnipeg, the Columbia Mall is once again filling up with Manitoba visitors.
Plattsburgh, N.Y., about 50 miles south of Montreal, Detroit and Buffalo, N.Y., across from Ontario, are also seeing many more Canadians.
Canadians worldwide paused Thursday on Remembrance Day to honor the dead of four wars and countless peacekeeping missions. Agatha Dyer, whose son was one of four Canadians killed by "friendly" U.S. gunfire in Afghanistan, stood in for the mothers of about 100,000 Canadian war dead as she placed a wreath at the National War Memorial.
Police say foul play isn't suspected in a farmhouse fire that killed a pregnant mother and her seven children near St. Catharines, Ontario. Monika Woerlen, 39, and her children - Susanna, 11; Elena, 10; Marcus, 8; Samuel, 7; Paul, 5; Nathan, 3; and Debora, 19 months - were overcome by smoke. Her husband, Marc, was out of town at the time. Fire officials are trying to determine the cause and whether there were functioning smoke detectors.
Facts and figuresEconomists predict Canada's dollar could reach 90 cents U.S. in a few months because of the country's resources economy, bolstered by high metals and energy prices worldwide, and rising interest rates.
The dollar was 83.74 cents U.S. Friday, while a U.S. dollar returned $1.1941 Canadian before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada's key interest rate is steady at 2.5 percent while the prime lending rate is 4.25 percent.
Canadian stock markets are higher, with Toronto's composite index at 8,918 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange 1,648 points.
Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 2, 9, 19, 33, 35 and 45; bonus 12. (Nov. 6) 1, 6, 16, 34, 37 and 41; bonus 12.
Regional briefsAn out-of-control car rammed into pedestrians at a busy Montreal intersection Friday, killing one person and injuring eight others. The incident occurred outside a subway station in the Cote-des-Neiges neighborhood. The driver and two passengers were not seriously injured.
Critics say the Conservatives in Alberta Premier Ralph Klein's government are "sleepwalking" through the election campaign. Making few promises and not discussing health care controversies, they "are not running a campaign," said political scientist Keith Brownsey of Calgary's Mount Royal College. The Conservatives have ruled Alberta for the past 33 years, with Klein seeking his fourth term on Nov. 22.
Finance Minister Ralph Goodale began talks Friday with government officials from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia on a deal to share offshore oil and gas revenues. Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams stormed out of a first ministers meeting last month, accusing Prime Minister Paul Martin of reneging on a promise to give his province 100 percent of its resource revenues.
Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com