Canada report

By JIM FOX

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 22, 2001

Chretien: We don't have a drop to spare

Canada hasn't a drop of water to spare, Prime Minister Jean Chretien is telling U.S. President George Bush this weekend.

Canadian authorities were advised that Bush wanted to discuss water exports with Chretien when they meet during the Group of Eight summit.

This is the first time a U.S. president has made such a request, said Anne Mitchell of the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy. She said it's impossible to predict the consequences of water exports on ecosystems because the research has not been done.

The answer is that Canada's water is not for sale and there's a policy of not exporting water, Environment Minister David Anderson said.

"It's something that we negotiated under the NAFTA (North American Free Trade) agreement to be excluded -- it's something that we've indicated time and again that we are against," said Chretien spokesman Duncan Fulton.

Meanwhile, Newfoundland Premier Roger Grimes still wants to export 13-billion gallons of water annually from Gisborne Lake.

Day quiet on strategy

Embattled Alliance Leader Stockwell Day refuses to say whether he'll run again for the leadership of the party or how he will deal with mutinous members.

In a surprise move, Day called for a leadership race and announced his intention to resign three months before the vote, which could be held as early as October or as late as next July.

This is to deal with dissidents who have publicly called for Day's resignation as they're not pleased with his style of leadership.

Day said he wants to spend the next several months rebuilding the fledgling right-wing party, the official Opposition in Parliament, which might not survive another internal battle.

News in brief

Canada's native leaders say they will blockade traffic across the country and stage other protests if the federal government doesn't compromise in conditions to overhaul the Indian Act. "We'll block the highway from Prince Edward Island to Vancouver," said Lawrence Paul, chief of the Millbrook First Nation near Truro, Nova Scotia. The Assembly of First Nations chiefs want action on self-government, aboriginal and treaty rights, and pressing social and economic needs.

The national crime rate in Canada dropped for the ninth straight year in 2000 mainly because of a strong economy, Statistics Canada said. The rate was 7,655 incidents for every 100,000 Canadians, a 1 percent drop from 1999. Saskatchewan is highest at 12,830 incidents for every 100,000 people while Newfoundland is lowest at 5,711.

Facts and figures

Canada's dollar was still lower at 64.80 U.S. cents Friday while the U.S dollar was worth $1.5432 Canadian before bank exchange fees.

The Bank of Canada key interest rate was lowered by 0.25 percent to 4.5 percent while the prime lending rate dropped to 6 percent.

Stocks markets are lower, with the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 Index at 7,648 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange index at 3,101 points.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 5, 10, 13, 19, 22 and 47; bonus 30. (July 14) 8, 21, 25, 35, 40 and 41; bonus 5.

Regional briefs

Farmers are battling extreme drought in a wide area from Alberta to Saskatchewan, with some municipalities being declared disaster areas. Federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief toured the area, accompanied by leaders of farm groups, to see the damage caused by the lack of rain. He had no announcements of emergency aid.

British Columbia medical technicians are planning to start an illegal strike Monday after contract talks broke down again. The action by the 14,000-member Health Sciences Association would be in violation of an order by the new Liberal government setting a 60-day "cooling-off period" in the dispute.

A Toronto police detective who was drinking in a bar when his partner was stabbed to death will lose 12 days' pay as a penalty. Constable Larry Smith was found guilty of misconduct and drinking on duty. Smith said he was on call not on duty Aug. 4, 1998, when Bill Hancox was stabbed by two women trying to steal his van in a nearby parking lot.

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