Housing department staff in an Access To Information memo to Minister Gregor Robertson complained of the trouble and expense in opening a new office in Toronto or Vancouver. Rents were too high, they said: "There is a 3 to 4 year wait time." READ MORE
The Canadian Armed Forces spent tens of thousands on a “gender equity” analysis of housing while failing a federal audit as a bad landlord, records show. The hiring of a “social inclusion advisor” was among contracts approved by the military’s Housing Agency: "Are you a business or organization looking to build your awareness on equity?" READ MORE
Canada has a 160-year supply of natural gas that will be worth a fortune in a tightening global market, says the Department of Natural Resources. The forecast came as senators were urged to endorse a clause in cabinet’s omnibus budget bill that would permit 50-year liquefied gas export permits: "The 1,100,000,000,000,000 cubic feet is just representative of what is in the West." READ MORE
Taxpayers out of pocket for bad advice from the Canada Revenue Agency should file a complaint under the Taxpayer Bill Of Rights, say managers. Federal judges previously ruled the document is not a bill and does not convey any rights: "It would probably be better if the document were given a different name." READ MORE
Parks Canada spent more than $131 million renovating Charlottetown’s Province House, records show. The home of the Prince Edward Island legislature has been closed for 10 years: "It’s like everything else in life. They left the big repairs until they needed doing." READ MORE
Poet Jeff Blackman writes: "We would love to take credit for the fact we all share but then we wouldn't, now would we? We would love to take credit for the indelible likeness of Marilyn Monroe and be to blame for all bad things..." READ MORE
In the days before television, newsreel producers each year assigned cameras to film three visually rich, set-piece spectacles that represented Canada to theatre audiences nationwide: the opening of Parliament, the Calgary Stampede and the Eaton’s Santa Claus parade. One of these is gone. A Mile Of Make Believe recounts with warmth and nostalgia the Christmas extravaganza sponsored by a family-owned corporation once the largest retailer in the country. This is not a dry municipal history. Eaton’s in its heyday sponsored Santa parades from Edmonton to Montréal. Author Steve Penfold, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, has crafted a smart and funny account of a lost piece of Canadiana. READ MORE
When I think of my father Chung Fan Siu, I recall his constant struggle with nicotine addiction. He smoked for over 70 years. It is Dad’s life, and his eventual death, that I recall when I speak of the dangers of cigarette smoking. We could have had Dad with us a lot longer than we did, if not for the cigarettes. My mother grew to hate cigarettes. She banned smoking in our home, and Dad would huddle outside to have a cigarette. I remember it was an ongoing battle.
