Visit New York, Canadians told

Canadians are being encouraged to visit New York City next weekend.

A "Canada Loves New York" event will include a rally Saturday at the Roseland Ballroom to be attended by New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Gov. George Pataki.

The mayor is expected to declare it Canada Loves New York Day.

"I love New York," Prime Minister Jean Chretien said as he got behind the wheel of a Greyhound bus on Parliament Hill to urge Canadians to travel to the Big Apple for the event.

Sen. Jerry Grafstein said there is an economic importance in all this.

"We've got to snap things back to normal," he said, noting that 85 percent of Canada's trade is with its U.S. neighbors.

Grafstein predicts Canadians will turn out in large numbers to mingle with celebrities including hockey great Wayne Gretzky and to see a performance by Montreal's Cirque du Soleil.

Airlines, bus companies and hotels -- in particular the Starwood's Westin and Sheraton -- have slashed rates for Canadian visitors.

Postal workers feared anthrax

Three postal workers were suspended after they refused to work in a Halifax sorting plant fearing it could have been exposed to anthrax in letters from the United States.

Canada Post imposed one-day suspensions on the two men and a woman who said they've repeatedly asked for testing of the warehouse for the deadly spores.

The workers also want to make sure the 12 U.S. sites that sort mail destined for Canada have been tested and show no exposure to anthrax.

The government agency said there is no need to test the Halifax facility because there is no indication it has been exposed.

News in brief

Ontario is considering allowing U.S. customs officers working in the province to carry guns. Trade Minister Bob Runciman said federal gun rules don't allow U.S. officers working in Canada to be armed and that limits opportunities for pre-clearance of low-risk goods and people over the border. About 1.5-million jobs in Ontario and 48 percent of the economy depend on cross-border trade.

Left-wing New Democrats are looking to establish a breakaway socialist party, which they say is not intended to undermine leader Alexa McDonough. Svend Robinson, one of the members of Parliament involved, said it's an opportunity to "build a new progressive party in Canada, a green party, a radical party, a democratic party."

Via Rail has found many people who normally travel by air switching to the passenger rail service. After the terrorist attacks in the United States, demand has soared, with many trains sold out on the key Windsor to Quebec City corridor, and more passengers on the transcontinental runs

A Nova Scotia man convicted of assault for shoving a pie in Prime Minister Jean Chretien's face is appealing his 30-day sentence. The Court of Appeal reserved its decision in the case of Evan Brown, 24, of Lower Sackville. He was convicted in May of assault in the incident last August in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Facts and figures

Canada's inflation rate last month dropped to 1.9 percent from 2.6 percent a month earlier, largely because of falling gasoline costs, Statistics Canada reported.

There's speculation the Bank of Canada will make its ninth interest rate cut this year on Tuesday to boost economic growth. Expected is a half-percent drop and probably a one-quarter percent cut in January.

The central bank's key interest rate is 2.75 percent, while the prime lending rate is 4.5 percent.

Canada's dollar is worth 62.50 cents U.S. The U.S. greenback returns $1.60 Canadian, before bank exchange fees.

Stock markets advanced, with the Toronto 300 Index at 7,382 points and the Canadian Venture Exchange at 3,076 points.

Lotto 6-49: (Wednesday) 2, 8, 12, 18, 24 and 35; bonus 43. (Nov. 17) 4, 15, 21, 31, 41 and 49; bonus 43.

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