bridge

Wednesday June 29, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday June 29, 2016 Trudeau looks for reset with Mexico, leadership role with Americas The official state visit by Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto in Ottawa today is a chance for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to not only reset the bilateral relationship, but also for Canada to show it can play a leadership role in the Americas. Trudeau's meeting with Pena Nieto comes ahead of Wednesday's North American Leaders Summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, a gathering also known as the Three Amigos. In the lead-up to this week's meetings, Trudeau's government has been relaying a clear message to Canada's allies in the Americas. "It is absolutely the case that we are living in a time of a tremendous wave of populist protectionism and anti-immigrant sentiment around the world," International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said in an interview with CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Monday. Freeland said the Pacific Alliance countries are "important and valuable allies" who are worried about rising anti-immigration and protectionist sentiments from abroad. "When they hear people talking about building walls, that concerns them deeply and rightly," Freeland said without naming Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate whose proposal for a wall along the Mexican-U.S. border has been a controversial part of his campaign. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-enrique-pena-nieto-ottawa-state-visit-1.3637234 Canada, USA, Mexico, amigos, bridge, Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau,ÊEnrique Pena Nieto, fire

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 29, 2016

Trudeau looks for reset with Mexico, leadership role with Americas

The official state visit by Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto in Ottawa today is a chance for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to not only reset the bilateral relationship, but also for Canada to show it can play a leadership role in the Americas.

March 23, 2005: Martin, Fox, Bush

Trudeau’s meeting with Pena Nieto comes ahead of Wednesday’s North American Leaders Summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, a gathering also known as the Three Amigos.

In the lead-up to this week’s meetings, Trudeau’s government has been relaying a clear message to Canada’s allies in the Americas.

“It is absolutely the case that we are living in a time of a tremendous wave of populist protectionism and anti-immigrant sentiment around the world,” International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said in an interview with CBC News Network’s Power & Politics on Monday.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday February 10, 2016 Poll: Trump, Sanders lead ahead of New Hampshire's vote Donald Trump continues to lead the Republican race in New Hampshire on the eve of the vote, the final CNN/WMUR tracking poll finds. On the Democratic side of the race, it remains Bernie Sanders' primary to lose, with the Vermont senator holding a 26-point lead over Hillary Clinton. The field of candidates vying for a second place finish behind him is finally beginning to separate, according to the survey. Trump holds 31%, down two points from the February 3-6 release, but within the poll's margin of sampling error. READ: The full CNN/WMUR tracking poll results Behind him, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio earned 17% support -- within the margin of sampling error of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 14%, but significantly ahead of the fourth and fifth place candidates in the poll, Ohio Gov. John Kasich at 10% and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 7%. Behind Bush, Carly Fiorina stands at 5%, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 4% and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 3%. Aside from Trump, none of the Republican candidates moved more than 1 point in either direction compared with the previous CNN/WMUR tracking poll. About three-quarters of the interviews conducted for this poll were completed before the Republican candidates debated Saturday night, their final such match-up before Tuesday's election. Although the post-debate sample size is too small to produce a separate estimate of the vote, interviews conducted Sunday and Monday found no drop in support for Rubio, and actually showed a slimmer margin between Trump and Rubio. There has been little movement in the last two days in the other metrics tested in the survey, with about two-thirds still saying they expect to see Trump win on Tuesday (64%), and about a third saying they would never vote for Trump (32%). (Source: CNN) http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/08/politics/donald-trump-bernie-sa

February 10, 2016

Freeland said the Pacific Alliance countries are “important and valuable allies” who are worried about rising anti-immigration and protectionist sentiments from abroad.

“When they hear people talking about building walls, that concerns them deeply and rightly,” Freeland said without naming Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate whose proposal for a wall along the Mexican-U.S. border has been a controversial part of his campaign. (Source: CBC News)


 

 

Thursday January, 14, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday January, 14, 2016 Canadian dollar will drop to 59 cents US in 2016, Macquarie forecasts A day after the loonie slipped below the 70-cent US level for the first time since 2003, a forecaster at investment bank Macquarie says he expects the loonie to lose another 10 cents to reach an all-time low of 59 cents by the end of 2016. David Doyle of Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. lowered his Canadian dollar forecast to 59 cents US on Tuesday. That would eclipse the all-time low for the loonie, set on Jan. 21, 2002, at 61.79 cents US. Doyle knows of what he speaks. Last February, when the Canadian dollar was valued at just over 80 cents, he Ñ correctly, as it turns out Ñ predicted the loonie would hit 69 cents US at some point in the next 12 months. It did so Tuesday. "Once [the loonie] reaches this level," Doyle said, "it should remain subdued through [the end of] 2018 and potentially even longer." Doyle's new forecast doesn't see the loonie above 65 cents US at any time between the end of 2016 and the two years that follow. The loonie has been whipsawed of late by oil and the U.S. dollar. Oil prices can't find a bottom, with a barrel of the North America crude oil benchmark dipping below $30 a barrel for the first time in 13 years on Tuesday. That's dragging the loonie down with it, as Canada's dollar is widely considered to be a play on oil prices. But strength in the U.S. dollar is making the loonie look even worse. Economic uncertainty makes investors flock to assets perceived as safe, and for the most part none are perceived to be safer than the U.S. dollar. That drives up the greenback's value. So while the Canadian dollar is sliding lower compared to most currencies, it looks especially cheap compared to the U.S. buck. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/macquarie-loonie-forecast-1.3401644 Canada, USA, dollar, loonie, currency, George Washington, bridge, cross, borde

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday January, 14, 2016

Canadian dollar will drop to 59 cents US in 2016, Macquarie forecasts

A day after the loonie slipped below the 70-cent US level for the first time since 2003, a forecaster at investment bank Macquarie says he expects the loonie to lose another 10 cents to reach an all-time low of 59 cents by the end of 2016.

Friday January 30, 2015David Doyle of Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. lowered his Canadian dollar forecast to 59 cents US on Tuesday. That would eclipse the all-time low for the loonie, set on Jan. 21, 2002, at 61.79 cents US.

Doyle knows of what he speaks. Last February, when the Canadian dollar was valued at just over 80 cents, he — correctly, as it turns out — predicted the loonie would hit 69 cents US at some point in the next 12 months.

It did so Tuesday.

“Once [the loonie] reaches this level,” Doyle said, “it should remain subdued through [the end of] 2018 and potentially even longer.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday October 15, 2009 Big problems in higher dollar There is a certain giddiness attached to a soaring Canadian dollar, with visions of cheaper trips to Florida or New York for those who canÊafford to travel. There is also a degree of smugness about us doing better than the Americans in managing the economy. We should dismiss such thoughts, however. The fact is that a higher-valued dollar is a disaster for Ontario's economy, based as it is onÊexports of manufactured goods into the U.S. market. Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) estimates that, for every hike of oneÊcent in the value of our dollar, 25,000 factory jobs are lost. And since the beginning of this year, the loonie has gone up 15 cents. Partly this is attributable to our better fiscal situation, in comparison to the tax-averse Americans. (The U.S. deficit Ð a staggering $1.6Êtrillion this year Ð is "unsustainable," according to the Congressional Budget Office.) And partly it can be traced to rising prices forÊcommodities, particularly oil, for the loonie is now a "petro-dollar." For manufacturers, this is a double whammy: the higher dollar makes their products less competitive in the American market, and higherÊoil prices drive up their costs. "Canadian manufacturers are really caught between a rock and a hard place," says CME President Jayson Myers. Prime Minister StephenÊHarper notes the "difficult effects" on the economy. (Source: Toronto Star) Canada, Dollar, loonie, strength, strong, imports, exports, fish, skeleton, bones, economy

The good old days

Doyle’s new forecast doesn’t see the loonie above 65 cents US at any time between the end of 2016 and the two years that follow.

The loonie has been whipsawed of late by oil and the U.S. dollar. Oil prices can’t find a bottom, with a barrel of the North America crude oil benchmark dipping below $30 a barrel for the first time in 13 years on Tuesday. That’s dragging the loonie down with it, as Canada’s dollar is widely considered to be a play on oil prices.

June 17, 1998But strength in the U.S. dollar is making the loonie look even worse.

Economic uncertainty makes investors flock to assets perceived as safe, and for the most part none are perceived to be safer than the U.S. dollar. That drives up the greenback’s value. So while the Canadian dollar is sliding lower compared to most currencies, it looks especially cheap compared to the U.S. buck. (Source: CBC News)

Thursday April 19, 2012

By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Thursday April 19, 2012

Burlington lift bridge raised for Hamilton-bound ships

The Burlington Canal Lift Bridge has been raised to allow freighters to get in and out of Hamilton Harbour.

Department of Public Works spokesperson Jeremy Link said Wednesday the bridge – which was stuck partway up after a cable broke Tuesday morning – was inched upwards during overnight to open harbour access.

The bridge is still closed to road traffic.

Engineers are still assessing the problem and the repair and no date has been set for re-opening the bridge.

Ships were beginning to stack up outside Hamilton Harbour before the bridge was raised. Two arrived after the bridge stuck Tuesday morning and three more are expected Wednesday.

The Hamilton Street Railway has set up detour routes around the bridge for routes which use Beach Boulevard.

The two freighters — a tanker and a cargo ship — were anchored in Lake Ontario off Burlington’s waterfront and not far from the canal as engineers investigated the possibility of safely lifting the bridge completely so the ships can pass.

The movable bridge’s opening sections became stuck partway up at 25 metres at 9:40 a.m. Tuesday after a cable broke and stopped the bridge from opening further. Ships could not pass, nor could road and pedestrian traffic use the bridge.

The lift bridge yearly allows about 6,500 ships, including about 700 cargo carrying ships, to pass through the canal and into Hamilton Harbour. An average 10,000 vehicles pass over it each day according to 2009 statistics. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)