Canada
column for Sunday, Dec. 22/13
THE CANADIAN REPORT
(c) By
Jim Fox
Workers in the “world’s oldest profession” have won an historic victory
as the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country's prostitution laws.
The landmark unanimous ruling Friday by the six men and three women
judges dealt with prostitution-related prohibitions against brothels, living “off
the avails of prostitution” and street soliciting.
Canada’s social landscape has changed since the laws were last upheld by
the court in 1990, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin said.
The
issue is “not about whether prostitution should be legal or not,” she added,
but whether the laws are constitutional – and the judges concluded they are
not.
It
upholds the case of sex-trade workers who are seeking safer working conditions.
The court has given the Canadian government one year to produce new
legislation while the existing laws remain in effect.
The
judges agreed with an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that said outlawing
brothels exposes sex workers to added danger by forcing them onto the streets.
The Supreme Court appeared to acknowledge the case of Robert Pickton
convicted of killing prostitutes in British Columbia.
“A
law that prevents street prostitutes from resorting to a safe haven such as
grandma's house while a suspected serial killer prowls the streets, is a law
that has lost sight of its purpose,” the ruling said.
(For more Canadian news of the week, click "Read more")
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Canada’s stable core inflation rate likely means historically low interest
rates should continue for another two years or so, analysts believe.
The national inflation rate rose last month for the first time in four
month by two-tenths of a point to 0.9 percent, but there were only modest
increases in key areas such as food, energy and shelter.
The Bank of Canada has indicated that the lack of pressure on prices
keeping the inflation rate well within its target of two percent means continued
low-interest stimulus is needed to boost the economy.
---
News in brief:
- The bombshell announcement that Canada Post
will phase out door-to-door mail delivery in urban areas within five years will
cut costs and help “keep pace with an evolving marketplace,” said Deepak
Chopra, president and ceo. Concerns of seniors and those with special needs in
getting their mail from street group boxes will be given a “thoughtful and
careful transition,” he said. Single stamps for Canadian addresses will rise to
$1, or 85 cents if bought in a booklet, from 63 cents in March.
-
Some $3 million in customer deposits are in question as the company operating
as Sears Home Services has gone into bankruptcy protection. SHS Services
Management Inc. said it has liabilities of $17 million. The receivership has
put 643 people across Canada out of work at the company that provides in-home
repairs and services such as installing carpeting and roofing.
---
Facts and figures:
Canada’s dollar is at a three-year low at 93.69 cents U.S. while the U.S.
dollar is valued at $1.0673 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.
The Bank of Canada’s trendsetting interest rate is steady at 1 percent
while the prime-lending rate remains at 3 percent.
Stock
markets are higher, with the Toronto exchange index at 13,456 points and the TSX
Venture index 889 points.
Lotto 6-49: (Dec. 18) 2, 4, 16, 20, 25 and 46; bonus 23. (Dec. 14) 13,
18, 19, 20, 35 and 40; bonus 14. Lotto Max: (Dec. 13) 6, 16, 24, 32, 36, 45 and
47; bonus 25.
---
Regional briefs:
-
There were fewer murders in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan last
year as Statistics Canada said the 543 homicides across the country were the
lowest since 1977. The number of murders dropped 55 from a year earlier, with
shootings accounting for a third of all killings and 31 percent involved
stabbings. Eighty-four percent of the victims were killed by an acquaintance or
a family member.
-
Freight trains are again moving through Lac-Megantic, Quebec for the first time
since an oil-tanker car derailment killed 47 people in July and devastated the
downtown. Business owners say rail service is vital to the area but for now no
dangerous substances will be transported. The tracks are still owned by
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway that declared insolvency after the
disaster.
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Jim Fox can be reached at canadareport@hotmail.com
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