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By JIM FOX
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 4, 2001
Vancouver was ready when earthquake hit
City officials in Vancouver found that their emergency planning paid off when an earthquake hit the West Coast.
The 6.8-magnitude quake, centered to the south in Washington on Wednesday, caused minor damage in Canada and occurred just as emergency planners were meeting to discuss earthquake preparedness.
Seismologists have warned that British Columbians should be prepared for earthquakes. The region is highly susceptible as it is located where several of the Earth's plates converge.
"It's a good reminder that these very large earthquakes do happen in and around where we live," said seismologist John Cassidy of the Pacific Geoscience Center.
Some buildings were evacuated from Vancouver to Victoria, to Kelowna in the interior, and as far east as Trail in southeastern British Columbia.
The quake felt like a gentle shaking in downtown Vancouver but was a more forceful rattle in the suburbs, where some residents were without power and water lines broke.
Talks are being held to determine if the Conservative party might unite with the fledgling Canadian Alliance.
Discussions have been under way between Alliance members and Conservatives without the blessing of the party leaders.
Conservative leader Joe Clark ruled out any alliance with the Canadian Alliance before last year's election.
He said he wasn't consulted in advance about a meeting between Alliance campaign co-chairman Peter White and Jacques Leger, Conservative party president.
Alliance chief Stockwell Day was not informed about a private meeting between members of the Alliance and Conservative caucuses.
Day said he has encouraged his party members to meet informally with Conservatives.
Doctors continue to treat a 1-year-old Edmonton girl who was found frozen in a back yard last weekend. Leyla Nordby said her daughter, Erika, who is making a remarkable recovery, is being treated for a minor fever. It isn't known yet whether she will lose her severely frostbitten hands and feet. Erika wandered outside late at night in sub-zero temperatures.
Ice wine, a super-sweet Canadian treat, will soon be available in Europe. The European Union has agreed to open its borders to the dessert wine. It's made from grapes left on the vine to freeze before being harvested and is extremely popular in Japan.
Canada's dollar took a beating as the central bank appears ready to slash the key interest rate by about one-half percent
The dollar ended the week at 64.74 cents U.S. while the American dollar returned $1.5447 Canadian, before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada interest rate is 5.75 percent while the prime lending rate is 7.25 percent.
Mortgage rates are falling again, with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce cutting by up to a fifth of a percent, making the one-year rate 7.05 percent.
Stock markets were lower, with the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 Index at 8,006 points Friday while the Canadian Venture Exchange index was 3,091 points.
Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 6, 9, 17, 18, 20 and 39; bonus 27. (Feb. 24) 5, 12, 25, 34, 35 and 45; bonus 36.
The New Brunswick government has called a special session of the Legislature this weekend to order 2,000 striking hospital workers back to their jobs. Premier Bernard Lord said he expects the law to be in place by midweek. The maintenance and clerical staff, registered nursing assistants and lab assistants left their jobs Friday and are demanding higher pay.