A federal regulator has rejected a claim for lost wages by an airline passenger who suffered a three-day flight delay. The Canadian Transportation Agency said the onus is on travelers to prove actual damages until Parliament enacts a passenger rights bill: ‘Regulations would be binding; that’s the distinction.’
Boys convicted of crimes are more likely to be jailed for subsequent offences in adulthood, says research by the Department of Public Safety. Career criminals typically cost taxpayers $1.4 million by age 30, by official estimate: “Getting convicted tends to be followed by an increase in offending.”
Transport Canada is the target of another lawsuit over the last federally-subsidized marine shipper in the country. Access To Information records disclosed in 2017 Court proceedings estimated subsidies to ferry vehicles by Marine Atlantic Inc. cost taxpayers millions: “Crown corporations are expected to function without preferential treatment.”
Union executives and MPs yesterday said a significant rewrite is needed to a federal workplace harassment bill. Witnesses testifying at the Commons human resources committee complained the bill does not define harassment: ‘It is critical you actually have it in the law.’
The Canada Revenue Agency has won a $54,895 judgment against a student borrower who went eight years without making payment on a federal loan. Write-offs of unpaid loans cost taxpayers nearly $3 billion: “This is a case that is appropriate for summary judgment.”
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Canada Co. has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a federal investigation into misleading advertising. The agreement with the Competition Bureau is the latest in a probe of car rental agencies dating back seven years: ‘Consumers will now be able to trust the prices they see advertised.’
Statistics Canada is testing sewage to gauge the country’s marijuana consumption before and after legalization. The agency yesterday acknowledged the survey of trace cannabis flushed through municipal wastewater systems is uncertain: “StatsCan is using non-traditional methods to acquire as much information as possible.”
Governor General Julie Payette tripled the budget of her predecessor for swearing-in ceremonies last October 2, according to financial records. Payette’s investiture cost nearly $650,000. The Governor General appealed for an end to poverty: ‘It’s our duty to diminish inequity here.’
MPs yesterday expressed dismay over data that 1 in 5 federal public service executives are harassed at work. Members of the Commons human resources committee said reforms are needed: “That statistic is very worrying.”
School boards nationwide are suing for millions in refunds from copyright owners over fees paid to photocopy textbooks. The Federal Court case is the first since a key ruling last July that educators cannot indiscriminately copy works free of charge: “This will get interesting.”
Cabinet yesterday abolished interest on loans to refugees charged under a program for nearly 70 years. The Department of Immigration acknowledged most groups it consulted opposed the measure as unfair to immigrants who already made payments: ‘It will give refugees more time to focus.’
Federal inspectors report 59 percent of farmers’ market producers surveyed nationwide are in breach of pesticide regulations. Spot inspections by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency found numerous violations including use of unregistered chemicals: “This is an area of concern.”
Cabinet will not establish a federal gasoline price monitor, says Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr. In an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons, Carr said higher fuel prices help consumers by encouraging conservation: “Prices can have a positive impact.”
Unacceptably high reports of harassment in the federal workplace warrant further investigation, says a professional association. Nineteen percent of senior federal managers surveyed said they were verbally harassed or tormented at work: “That’s unforgivable.”
Federal departments and agencies spent 14 percent more on taxis last year even as cabinet urged Canadians to “be part of the solution” by taking public transit. Two departments spent the equivalent of more than $7,000 a day on Ottawa cabs, according to accounts: “Invest where it counts: public transit.”
