Canada Report: Bikers plan another 'freedom' rally in Ottawa, promise not to block streets
We’ve got ourselves another convoy, this time with hundreds of bikers in Canada’s capital city, Ottawa.
Earlier this year, hundreds of trucks and thousands of truckers brought the area around Parliament Hill and downtown to a standstill for more than a month.
Now, this weekend, it’s Rolling Thunder Ottawa, called “a peaceful celebration of freedom with hundreds of motorcycles and riders in town.
The trucker convoy, aimed at ending vaccine mandates, brought about a government order to ban such protests that cause civil disobedience and anarchy.
Organizers of the biker protest said they don’t condone blockades and harm to residents or property damage to make their point.
City and police officials say they will “not tolerate another occupation” and their response plan is to rebuild community trust.
They are asking the demonstrators to keep within a designated corridor around the Parliament buildings, where there is a rally planned, and downtown without disrupting life in the city.
Canada's population older than 85 is growing
Statistics Canada says the number of people aged 85 and older is growing rapidly.
The government agency’s research shows in 2016, there were 770,780 people aged 85 and older living in Canada.
That number represents 2.2% of the Canadian population overall and about 13% of the population aged 65 and older.
Those aged 85 and older grew by 19.4% in the period from 2011 to 2016, nearly four times the rate for the overall Canadian population.
The population of those 100 and older grew even faster – by 41.3% – to reach 8,230 people, making it the fastest-growing age group between those years.
Many municipalities with a high proportion of people aged 85 and older are located in British Columbia, the survey said.
Central bank says to expect more interest-rate hikes
In its quest to tackle ramping inflation, Canada’s central bank says Canadians should prepare for another round of interest-rate hikes this month.
A 0.5% jump is forecast by the Bank of Canada, following an increase of that amount in April. The bank raised its trendsetting-rate to 1% and suggests another similar increase will follow this month.
The increase has already resulted in higher rates for loans and variable-rate mortgages at commercial banks, where the prime-lending rate is 2.7%.
Bankers say the economy has been surging as pandemic-related restrictions ease, suggesting the bank is preparing to announce “another oversized rate hike” this month.
Facts and figures
• Canada’s dollar is lower at 78 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar returns $1.28 in Canadian funds, before exchange fees.
• The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate is unchanged at 1% while the prime lending rate at commercial banks is 2.7%.
• Canadian stock markets are down, with the Toronto index at 20,979 points while the TSX Venture index is 817 points.
• The average price for gas in Canada is higher at $1.80 a liter or $6.85 for a U.S. gallon in Canadian funds.
• Lotto Max: (April 26) 3, 10, 15, 31, 35, 38 and 42; bonus 22. (April 22) 13, 14, 23, 30, 34, 36 and 42; bonus 33.
• Lotto 6/49: (April 27) 6, 26, 29, 32, 33, and 41; bonus 2. (April 23) 17, 19, 27, 39, 44 and 49; bonus 2.
Regional briefs
• In a pre-election move, the Ontario Conservative Party’s budget, if re-elected in June, promises to help seniors by cutting income taxes for an average savings of about $300 a year. “Ontario continues to take every necessary action to stop the spread of the COVID‑19 virus while making record investments in the health care system,” Premier Doug Ford also said. The province will invest another $650 million in long‑term care in 2021-22, bringing the total resources invested since the beginning of the pandemic to more than $2 billion.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Canadian government on high alert as bikers plan 'freedom' rally
