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Former Olympic swimming champion to head Canadas Olympic program font size
Canada has named former Olympic swimming champion Alex Baumann as the head of its summer Olympic program, the Canadian Olympic Committee confirmed Wednesday.
Baumann, who brought home double Olympic gold medals for Canada in 1984, has returned home from Australia to take on the role of executive director of the Canadian Summer Olympic program called Road to Excellence, the committee said in Toronto.
I look forward to the challenge, Baumann said at a Wednesday news conference. I dont have any illusions. I think it will be a difficult job and it will take time to implement a sustainable system that will produce long-term results.
More : english.people.com.cn
David, convicted wife-beater, deported to Canada
A man who was convicted of beating his wife for years was deported earlier this month, officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Wednesday.
Victor David, 66, was returned to his native Canada on Sept. 15, four days after he said he would not fight efforts to deport him.
David was convicted in 2001 of brutally beating and imprisoning his wife Linda David for years on a filthy sailboat that was moored in Everett and Marysville. He served a five-year prison sentence and in August was turned over to customs officials where he began removal proceedings.
More : heraldnet.com
Pension gap widens between Canadas rich and poor
A new study suggests the gap has widened dramatically between Canadas richest and poorest when you look at retirement savings in the last 20 years.
A Statistics Canada report says families at the top of the earnings scale contributed more toward their pensions between 1986 in 2003, while this wasnt the case for lower-income families.
The growing inequality in retirement contributions was seen in two-parent families, one-parent families and single individuals.
More : ctv.ca
Canada slips in world competitiveness ranking
Canada has slipped three spots in a ranking of the worlds most competitive countries, with taxation and labour markets among the countrys weakest aspects, according to a report released Tuesday by the World Economic Forum.
Canadas tax rates and regulations were the two most problematic business factors, the survey found. Inefficient government bureaucracy and restrictive labour regulations were also cited.
Canadian economic competitiveness dropped to 16th place from last years 13th position, placing it between Israel and Austria in the latest report, issued from Geneva, Switzerland.
More : ctv.ca
Canada dollar ticks higher; bonds jump on surplus
The Canadian dollar ended modestly higher against the U.S. currency on Monday, supported by a weak U.S. housing report, a rebound in oil prices and acquisition activity.
Canadian bond prices posted gains on news that the Canadian governments budget surplus for 2005-06 came in at C$13.2 billion, all of which would be used to repay debt.
The Canadian dollar ended at C$1.1164 to the U.S. dollar, or 89.57 U.S. cents, up from C$1.1176, or 89.48 U.S. cents, at Fridays close. It traded within a narrow C$1.1142 to C$1.1180 band during the session.
Weve been pretty much tied to fairly tight ranges today, compared to some of the volatility we saw over the past week, said Stewart Hall, a market strategist with HSBC Canada in Toronto.
More : ca.today.reuters.com
Canada criticized for economic costs of strong labour laws
Canadas economy is paying a high price for labour laws in some of its jurisdictions that perpetuate coercive union power over employees, British economic adviser Len Shackleton says.
Heavily unionized provinces show lower levels of employment and slower rates of growth, Mr. Shackleton, dean of the Westminster Business School in London, said in an interview Monday.
Canada continues to favour union organization — often to the detriment of individual employees rights — to a degree that is out of step with other countries such as Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, Mr. Shackleton said.
More : theglobeandmail.com
Congress agrees to 90-day drug supply from Canada
House and Senate Republicans reached an agreement that would allow Americans to legally bring a 90-day supply of prescription medications back across the border from Canada.
Shopping for drugs in Canada has become popular with U.S. consumers. The cost of many popular brand-name prescription drugs can be 30 percent to 80 percent lower in Canada than in the United States because of government price controls, surveys have shown.
The agreement, reached Thursday as part of a Homeland Security spending bill that is moving through Congress, would prohibit U.S. Customs agents from seizing up to 90-day supplies of prescribed medicines being brought into the United States from Canada.
More : suntimes.com
Violinist Djokic gets to play rare instrument through national competition
Halifax violinist Marc Djokic is one of the violin winners in the Canada Councils national competition for the loan of musical instruments with a total value of over $18 million.
Created in 1985, the Musical Instrument Bank acquires through donations and loans fine stringed instruments to be loaned to gifted young Canadian musicians to help further their international solo or chamber music careers.
Winners of this years competition were awarded the use of their instruments for a three-year period. This was the largest-ever competition in the Instrument Banks history, with 11 instruments and a cello bow being awarded.
More : thechronicleherald.ca
Canada Dollar Reaches 2-Week High on Interest-Rate Speculation
Canadas dollar rose to a two-week high as investors speculated the nations expanding economy will keep the Bank of Canada from cutting interest rates.
The currency gained the most since June yesterday as a report showing retail sales in July set a record. In contrast, a report in the U.S. yesterday suggested manufacturing in Canadas biggest trading partner is weakening.
Domestic demand is still on fire in Canada said Michael Gregory, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto. There is a growing perception that the Federal Reserve will be easing more aggressively than the Bank of Canada going forward.
More : bloomberg.com
Canada set to toughen vehicle emission rules: report
Canadian auto makers will have to comply with mandatory vehicle-emission requirements that mirror tough rules being adopted in some U.S. states, as the government aims to improve air quality, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday.
According to the newspaper, the plan to reduce vehicle emissions will take effect in 2010, when a current deal signed by the previous Liberal government expires.
Citing unnamed sources, the newspaper said the Conservative government will focus more on fighting smog and improving air quality and less on reducing greenhouse gases.
More : ca.today.reuters.com
Harper boosts Canadas role on world stage with were back speech
The Conservative governments international agenda is laid before the world today as Prime Minister Stephen Harper addresses the United Nations General Assembly in his first appearance as prime minister at the international body.
Harper will take the podium after addressing business leaders Wednesday night at the Economic Club of New York, where he emphasized Canada should be regarded as an important player on the economic scene.
Canadas back, he said, although most of the figures he cited to illustrate the upward trend in the economy had begun emerging under the Liberals.
More : canada.com
Canada dlr rallies after retail data, bonds mixed
The Canadian dollar firmed against the greenback on Thursday as retail sales data topped expectations, while the U.S. dollar was still feeling pressure from a suggestion by the U.S. Federal Reserve that inflation risks were moderating.
Domestic bond prices were mixed as the upbeat sentiment offered by the domestic report coincided with slightly more bond friendly U.S. data that showed a jump in jobless claims last week.
At 9:30 a.m. (1330 GMT), the Canadian unit was at C$1.1200 to the U.S. dollar, or 89.29 U.S. cents, up from C$1.1287, or 88.60 U.S. cents, at Wednesdays close.
More : today.reuters.com
Chairman of Canadas public broadcaster resigns after making controversial comments
OTTAWA The chairman of Canadas public broadcaster resigned Tuesday after making controversial comments about bestiality and bowel movements.
Heritage Minister Bev Oda made the announcement about Canadian Broadcasting Corp. chairman Guy Fournier in the House of Commons.
Fournier, 75, became the target of anger and criticism in recent days after falsely claiming in a French-language gossip magazine column that Lebanon permits bestiality, and for granting a lengthy interview on the joys of bowel movements.
More : iht.com
Canada Wont Benefit From Trade Accord With Korea, Studies Say
Canada probably wouldnt benefit from a free trade agreement its negotiating with South Korea as part of a strategy to increase business with Asia, according to two studies posted on the Canadian trade ministrys Web site.
The studies focused on the automobile industry, which accounts for about a fifth of trade between the two countries, and found that a trade accord would have either a negligible or a negative impact on the Canadian economy. Still, the studies are more favorable than others released today by the Canadian Auto Workers Union, saying a pact may cost Canada 4,000 jobs.
Even with the most positive scenario, Canada breaks even - - no advantage shown by the governments own studies, Canadian Auto Workers President Buzz Hargrove told reporters today in Ottawa after meeting with Trade Minister David Emerson. Our studies show an incredibly negative impact.
More : bloomberg.com
Canada to play Hungary in soccer friendly
The Canadian mens soccer team will face Hungary in an international exhibition match, the Canadian Soccer Association announced Wednesday.
The contest is scheduled for Nov. 15 in the Hungarian capital of Budapest.
Hungary is ranked No. 59 in the current FIFA rankings. Canada is 71st.
Canada has won two in a row and is undefeated in its last four exhibition games and is coming off a 1-0 victory over Jamaica in Montreal on Sept. 3.
More : cbc.ca
Canada Post unveils permanent stamp that retains its value
Canada Post announced Wednesday the introduction of a non-denominated stamp that will retain its value despite future price increases.
The permanent stamp will sell for 51 cents, the current domestic rate for lettermail, and will become available on Nov. 16. The new stamps will continue to be accepted when Canada Post bumps up its rate to 52 cents on Jan. 15, 2007.
The permanent stamp will make doing business with Canada Post that much easier, Moya Greene, president and CEO of Canada Post, said in a release.
More : cbc.ca
Editorial: Canadas gun laws must be tougher
Kimveer Gill, who wrote about wanting to be the Angel of Death, never should have been licensed to own a restricted Beretta rifle and Glock pistol or a 12-gauge shotgun. He wrote on the Internet that anger and hatred simmers within me. He reviled police, posted pictures of himself pointing weapons and fantasized about going on a killing spree.
Friends knew he had a big problem with humanity in general long before he gunned down 20 people in a rampage last week at Dawson College in Montreal, then shot himself. Some neighbours said they feared him.
Yet Gill was licensed — and for that Montreal police owe an explanation. Was Gill properly screened before he was licensed to buy guns? Did police query his parents, employers, friends, neighbours? Or run a web check on him? How did he become one of the relatively few Canadians allowed to own a handgun? Do procedures need tightening up? Nearly 18,000 licences have been refused or revoked in the past decade. Why wasnt Gill one of them? An independent review may be needed.
More : thestar.com
ET Canada marks birthday with elegant portrait
ET Canada celebrates its first birthday this week – and only canada.com/entertainment can take you behind the scenes of the commemorative photo session.
A large crew descended on a studio at Global in Toronto last month to create a unique portrait of the ET Canada on-air personalities. The men – Rick Campanelli and Roz Weston – were outfitted in classic tuxedos from Freeman Formals. The women – Cheryl Hickey, Kim DEon and Rosey Edeh – wore evening gowns provided by Holt Renfrew and shoes from Zola.
More : canada.com
Veterans memorial traces military history
A 30-metre granite wall honouring Canadas military veterans was unveiled on the front lawn of the provincial legislature at Queens Park Sunday.
The $2 million memorial, which is etched with scenes commemorating Canadas military history, traces Canadas military involvement in times of war and peace, all the way back to Confederation.
The historical record begins in 1867 and traces key military milestones all the way up to Canadas current commitment in Afghanistan.
More : toronto.ctv.ca
Canada falls again in womens basketball
The Canadian national womens basketball team had to look at their latest world championship loss the same way they looked at their previous defeats: as a learning experience.
Despite another strong first-half performance, Canada fell 85-57 to Spain Sunday, likely eliminating them from quarter-final contention.
Canada lost to Argentina Saturday after holding leads in each of the first three quarters.
Head coach Allison McNeill says that the team has a tough time competing when its starters arent on the floor.
More : tsn.ca
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