Vaccine screening at the airport and punctual inflation: in the news of October 15

Canadian carriers this week received three consultation documents from Transport Canada asking for comments on the establishment of an agency in charge of the vaccine proof validation process, according to three sources who requested anonymity because they did not were not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), the crown corporation that oversees the screening of passengers and baggage at airports, would take on this additional role in just two weeks if the plan goes ahead. industry feedback.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that as of October 30, all air, train and boat travelers aged 12 or older must be fully immunized and have documents to prove it.

But a veil of uncertainty remains over how this requirement will play out, with carriers demanding answers across the patchwork of provincial systems and who will take care of the verification once a national proof of vaccination platform and code. QR will come into effect, the timing of which is also unknown.

Airlines have been pushing for CATSA to take the reins of vaccine checks at airports, which would amount to a change from the current health protocol where carriers are responsible for verifying the results of COVID-19 tests of passengers.

–

Also this …

OTTAWA – Bank of Canada director warns that the faster pace of price increases could persist longer than expected and slow the pace of economic recovery in Canada, as global supply chain issues weigh on the market. national economy.

Annual inflation rates have exceeded the comfort zone of the Bank of Canada since April, reaching 4.1% in August. The central bank expects readings above its 2% target for the rest of the year.

Governor Tiff Macklem said bottlenecks in the international flow of goods and oil are not easing as quickly as he and his counterparts around the world had predicted.

Still, he believes the hiccups will only cause one-off price increases, rather than continued inflation.

What has happened globally is a sharp rebound in consumer spending, especially for goods to be shipped through supply chains that have been damaged by a sharp drop in demand. last year, as well as the COVID-19 outbreaks and ongoing public health measures.

All of this affects the inventory of in-demand consumer products and the delivery of parts needed to build things like cars, and increases transportation costs that are passed on to consumers.

And at the same time, shipping delays mean that households cannot get the goods as quickly as they want, meaning their spending is delayed, slowing the pace of growth.

“We are still waiting for a good rebound. It may not be as fast as we had made it “in the July forecast, Macklem said in a video conference with reporters Thursday night.

–

What we are watching in the United States …

WASHINGTON – A spokesperson for Bill Clinton said the former US president was being treated at a southern California hospital for an infection unrelated to COVID.

Angel Ureña said Clinton was admitted to University of California Irvine Medical Center on Tuesday evening.

She says Clinton “is on the mend, in good spirits and is incredibly grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff who provide her with excellent care.”

Clinton’s doctors say he is “responding well to antibiotics”, adding: “We hope he will return home soon.”

–

Also this …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – NASA is on an asteroid roll as it prepares to launch a series of spacecraft to tour and even crush some of the solar system’s most attractive rocks.

A robot pioneer named Lucy is due to take off on Saturday for a 12-year cruise to unexplored swarms of asteroids near Jupiter. Lucy will pass a record eight asteroids for scientific study.

Then, in November, NASA will launch another spacecraft at a double asteroid closer to home. But this craft will deliberately crash into the smaller moon of the main asteroid to change its orbit. The test could one day save Earth from an incoming rock.

Next summer, a spaceship will be launched into a world of rare metals – a nickel and iron asteroid that could be the exposed core of an ancient planet. A pair of smaller companion craft – the size of a suitcase – will detach towards another set of double asteroids.

And in 2023, a space capsule will be parachuted into the Utah desert with the first NASA asteroid samples, collected last year by the Osiris-Rex excavator robot. The samples come from Bennu, a rock strewn with rubble and boulders that could endanger Earth in a few centuries.

“Each of these asteroids that we visit tells our story… the story of us, the story of the solar system,” said NASA Chief Science Officer Thomas Zurbuchen.

–

What we watch in the rest of the world …

KONGSBERG, Norway – Authorities on Thursday said the unleashing of bows and arrows by a man who killed five people in a small town appeared to be an act of terrorism, as witnesses recalled how their quiet neighborhood of wooden houses and birch trees was transformed into a scene of terrifying screams and turmoil a day earlier.

“The screams were so intense and horrible that there was no doubt something very serious was going on,” said Kurt Einar Voldseth. “I can only describe it as a ‘cry of death’, and it stuck on my mind.”

Police identified the assailant as Espen Andersen Braathen, a 37-year-old Danish citizen, who was arrested on Wednesday evening. They said he randomly targeted people in a supermarket and other places in Kongsberg, a town of about 26,000 people where he lived, before being arrested.

They did not immediately give a reason but believe he acted alone.

Regional Police Chief Ole B. Saeverud described the man as a Muslim convert and said that “there had previously been concerns about the radicalization of the man”, but he did not explained or explained why it had already been reported or what authorities had done in response.

Norwegian media reported that the suspect was convicted of burglary and drug possession, and last year a court granted him an order not to approach his parents for six months after threatening to kill him. one of them.

Voldseth said he recognized the assailant, adding that he lived nearby and “usually marked with his head down and headphones on”.

Massacres are rare in low-crime Norway, and the attack was reminiscent of the country’s worst peacetime massacre a decade ago, when a right-wing national extremist killed 77 people with a bomb, gun and a gun. Commemorations were held in July on the 10th anniversary of these murders.

–

On this day in 1954 …

Hurricane Hazel struck central and eastern Canada, killing 82 people in the Toronto area alone. The hurricane made its worst in Ontario, causing more than $ 24 million in damage during its two days of rampage. Hazel was blowing south of the border when a cold front from the north reactivated her over Lake Ontario.

–

In entertainment …

TORONTO – Neil Young and Crazy Horse are releasing “Barn” on December 10, a new studio album featuring 10 tracks that the legendary singer-songwriter says were written and recorded in the past year.

Young released his debut single, “Song of the Seasons,” on Wednesday on his website Neil Young Archives.

He says the track, which also opens on the album, is the “oldest song on the record, written around this time last year” while in Canada.

“Song of the Seasons” directly addresses the pandemic with lyrics that recognize physical distance through clear vinyl windows and face masks.

Young told his fans last month that he wanted “Barn” to be available already, but delays in the vinyl pressing plant have caused its release to be postponed.

“There are songs that are part of that era,” he wrote on his website in September.

“Barn” marks the return of Young’s Crazy Horse backup group, which includes drummer Ralph Molina, bassist Billy Talbot and guitarist Nils Lofgren.

–

ICYMI …

OTTAWA – A new report says the world needs to be much more ambitious to reduce energy use, but Canadians are among its biggest consumers.

The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook released Wednesday shows that Canadians used more than 300 gigajoules of energy per person last year, nearly double the global average and among the highest in the world.

It takes about 25 gigajoules to power an average Canadian home over 12 months, but total energy use per person includes all energy used, including transportation, industry, heating and cooling.

The agency’s report predicts that as a result of policies to make homes more efficient, remove fossil fuels from the electricity grid and put more electric cars on the roads, Canada’s electricity demand will fall below. 300 gigajoules per person by 2030.

But it will still be among the most energy-consuming in the world, and while demand for energy is expected to increase in India, China and the Middle East, Canada’s consumption is expected to remain nearly three times the global average. .

Isabelle Turcotte, director of federal policy at the Pembina Institute, said many people attribute Canada’s high energy use to its size and climate, as well as an economy that depends on the production of natural resources. energy intensive.

“But it doesn’t have to be that way,” she said. “It doesn’t need to translate into high energy requirements. We can see other countries that have similar climates being more energy efficient. ”

–

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 15, 2021

The Canadian Press