Blacklock's Reporter

Mr. S, a British Columbia pensioner, took his $325,000 in life savings and left it all with Union Securities of Vancouver. He was an “unsophisticated investor,” as the investment industry puts it. He believed what the salesman told him. By the time Union Securities was finished with Mr. S virtually all his savings were wiped out. Mr. S might have sued. Instead he complained to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments, a dispute resolution office created by banks and investment dealers. The ombudsman agreed Mr. S was badly treated and recommended compensation. Union Securities refused and that was it. Mr. S did not get his savings back. The ombudsman issued a news release. Alternative dispute resolution systems like the Ombudsman for Banking are growing ever popular. It is privatized justice promoted as quicker, more efficient and cheaper than public courts, writes Professor Trevor Farrow of Osgoode Hall. Lawsuits are undoubtedly expensive. Even an Ontario Superior Court judge once marveled that “excess appears to be the norm” in legal fees that run to as much as $1,000 per hour. READ MORE

MPs “will not be censored” in scrutinizing federal executives over management of immigration, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner (Calgary Nose Hill) said yesterday. Her remarks followed a formal protest from a deputy minister that criticism at committee hearings made it unsafe for managers to testify: "These clips fuel anger among members of the public who then target our officials." READ MORE

Cabinet last year approved an 84 percent increase in the number of federal managers paid more than $150,000 a year, records show. It coincided with public statements by the finance minister that “these are hard times for Canadians.” READ MORE

Managers at Shared Services Canada, the federal IT department, recommended cancelling coffee breaks for a month due to Ramadan, Access To Information records show. An estimated 100 of 9,393 employees self-identified as Muslim though not all were observant: "It’s important to be respectful of Muslim colleagues who may be fasting." READ MORE

Canada Post is seeking more emergency funding from cabinet, a Department of Public Works manager yesterday suggested. MPs have speculated the post office requires another $500 million after receiving a $1.034 billion line of credit last January 24: "Given their current projections, they will likely need to have some additional support on an ongoing basis." READ MORE

Municipal development charges pose “a significant constraint to housing affordability” in some cities, CMHC said yesterday. Analysts documented mandatory fees as high as six figures: "Development charges account for a significant part of the cost of a new housing unit." READ MORE

Prime Minister Mark Carney was director of a charity, the Rideau Hall Foundation, that agreed to create tax credits for corporations whose donations were used to pay federal contractors on public works, records show. Carney yesterday did not comment: 'It was issuing tax receipts.' READ MORE