Canada report

By JIM FOX

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 2, 2001

Near disaster prompts airline safety concern

Charter airline Air Transat has been ordered to revamp safety and maintenance procedures after a harrowing emergency landing in the Azores.

The demand by Transport Canada raises questions about the response of the crew -- with pilot Robert Piche and First Officer Dirk DeJager hailed as heroes -- for putting the out-of-fuel jetliner down on the tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean.

The powerless Airbus A330 with 291 passengers and 13 crew glided for 15 minutes to a landing in the Azores off Portugal. Several people were hurt in the landing.

The government agency said the airline must begin special training of its long-range flight crews and review "fuel management procedures." It must also stick to routes no more than an hour from the nearest airport while a special audit is under way.

An investigation showed a fuel line ruptured after rubbing against a hydraulic line on an engine that had been replaced five days earlier. It is believed the crew transferred fuel from the left main tank to the leaking right engine instead of shutting it down. As a result, the plane ran out of fuel.

Forestry workers protest

Forestry workers who have lost their jobs because of the U.S. tariff on softwood lumber protested at the U.S. Consulate in Vancouver.

British Columbia Forests Minister Mike De Jong told the 500 protesters the tariff isn't about Canadian subsidies, but about a small group of American industrialists who want a bigger piece of its domestic market.

The U.S. lumber industry claims Canadian softwood is unfairly subsidized.

The 19.3 percent tariff imposed three weeks ago has cost thousands of jobs and caused dozens of mills to close.

Canadian and U.S. negotiators are meeting over the issue while Canada is asking for a ruling from the World Trade Organization.

Names in the news

Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray, 70, of Windsor, Ontario, is recovering from heart surgery in an Ottawa hospital. The three-hour procedure to repair a leaky valve was performed by heart specialist Dr. Wilbert Keon, a Conservative senator.

Phil Fontaine, former leader of Canada's largest native advocacy group, has been chosen chief commissioner of the Indian Claims Commission by Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Facts and figures

Investors were shaken after the Bank of Canada replaced its optimistic forecast with a much bleaker one while lowering its key interest rate by a quarter point to 4.25 percent. The prime lending rate fell to 5.75 percent.

A stronger U.S. dollar pushed Canada's currency lower Friday to 64.48 U.S. cents while the American greenback returned $1.5508 Canadian before bank exchange fees.

Stock markets were lower, with the Toronto 300 Index at 7,399 points while the Canadian Venture index was 3,020 points.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 7, 9, 22, 23, 37 and 42; bonus 36. (Aug. 25) 1, 7, 18, 23, 29 and 43; bonus 4.

Regional briefs

Four by-elections to fill vacancies in the Quebec Legislature will be held Oct. 1. Premier Bernard Landry set the date for the contests that will help him gauge the popularity of his independence-seeking Parti Quebecois government. The ruling party is favored to win all four elections.

Federal Fisheries officers have seized more lobster traps in waters off the Burnt Church reserve in New Brunswick as the battle over fishing rights threatens to erupt again. Eighty-six traps were taken from waters the government considers to be outside the reserve's legal fishing zone. Officers hold 4,000 traps and nine boats from last year's raids.

A loss of long distance telephone revenue blamed on the economic slump has resulted in Teleglobe Inc. laying off 170 employees in Montreal and 280 outside Canada. The jobs represent 20 percent of the work force at the company, a unit of BCE Inc.

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