Federal regulators yesterday disclosed the Bank of Montreal had paid $3.6 million in compensation after it was caught overcharging 101,091 depositors on discounted fees. Bank managers ignored hundreds of complaints from customers, said the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: 'They received over 500 complaints.' READ MORE
The Federal Court of Appeal has ordered a new hearing into a WestJet employee who questioned women co-workers about breastfeeding and puberty. Judges overturned a labour board finding that the workplace comments were not sexual harassment though admittedly “outside the normal boundaries." READ MORE
Health Minister Marjorie Michel’s department has sealed internal reports on vaccine and drug injuries for 15 years, records show. The documents run to “several million pages," it said. READ MORE
Farm Credit Canada confirms its $458,000-a year CEO in a speech to staff praised Fidel Castro as an impressive and visionary leader. The Crown bank had no comment on remarks by Justine Hendricks, who also praised Communist Party management of Cuba: "It’s Fidel Castro. There’s all sorts of aspects of Fidel Castro." READ MORE
A tenth of small businesses in Canada have vanished since the pandemic, new Department of Industry figures show. Data confirmed Canadian Federation of Independent Business research showing nationally, closures now outnumber start-ups: "We are bleeding businesses." READ MORE
Defence Minister David McGuinty has vetoed a recommendation by MPs that he freeze rents on military housing. Money was required to upgrade accommodation on military bases that failed a 2025 audit, he said: "The Government of Canada disagrees with this." READ MORE
A cabinet order blacklisting all plastic goods as toxic was “simply an enabling provision,” says the Federal Court of Appeal. Judges upheld the 2021 order by then-Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault but acknowledged more legal challenges are possible: "There was overwhelming scientific evidence." READ MORE
As a Sunni Muslim we learned we were on the correct path and everyone else was going to hell. Minorities were suspicious people who harboured questionable loyalties. I immigrated to Canada at 19. I went from being a member of a privileged majority to a visible minority. Sometimes it was a sideways glance or remark: “He’s a Muslim,” “He’s an Arab”. I’ve lived on both sides of prejudice. The insight it’s given me is invaluable. There is no substitute for empathy and courtesy.
