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JMEagle pipes the states of Nevada, Virginia, Delaware, and Tennessee;
the California cities of San Diego, Sacramento, and San Jose; and the
Los Angeles Dept of Water and Power, as well as 39 other California
municipalities and water districts. (“Whistleblower Lawsuit Targets
JM Eagle,” 18 February)
In a press release, the law firm Phillips & Cohen said, “As a result [of
the substandard JM Eagle product] PVC pipes will have to be replaced
sooner than expected – a budget nightmare for cash-strapped states,
cities, and local agencies.”
In a telephone interview with Ms Goldsberry, a JM Eagle spokesman
said that the company denies these allegations and “stands 100%
behind their products.”
Borders
Higher US passport fees irk Canadians
and Americans alike
Since June 2009 the US State Department has required that its citizens
travelling to and from neighbouring Canada show a passport to cross
the border. Now, citing the high-tech screening features that are making
passports more expensive to produce, the agency is raising passport
fees by as much as 35%. An adult applicant can expect to pay $135, up
from $100. Passports for children under age 16 would go to $105, up
from $85, and other fees would also rise.
As noted by business reporter Madhavi Acharya-Tom Yew of the
Toronto Star, the higher fees that were to take effect in mid-March would
mean that US passports for a family of four would cost $480.
Not surprisingly, Canadian tourism industry officials in the busy border-
crossing area spanning the province of Ontario and upstate New York
are among those most unhappy about the new regulations. (“Higher US
Passport Fees Could Put a Damper on Local Tourism,” 28 February)
“It’s very difficult to get our American visitors across the border for so
many reasons right now,” Niagara Falls Tourism chair Wayne Thomson
told the Star. “This is certainly not good news for people in the US who
may not be able to afford a passport and it’s certainly not good news
for tourism destinations.”
Until fairly recently, visitors to Canada from the US plied an active
cross-border route. Because only some one-third of US citizens hold a
passport, the requirement to present one for entry to Canada has had
a dampening effect only intensified by the rising Canadian dollar (now
on a par with the US greenback) and the economic downturn in both
countries.
The huge boost Canada’s image has received from the Vancouver
Winter Olympics will no doubt help reverse the trend. In the meantime,
according to David Ogilvie, chair of Tourism Toronto, the increase in
passport fees is unlikely to deter American business travellers. “That’s
not going to stop them from coming to Canada or Toronto to get
business done,” he told the Star. “But it could deter leisure travellers.”
Dorothy Fabian, Features Editor (USA)