Refitting obsolete tank cars like those involved in the Lac-Mégantic disaster would cost some $1 billion, according to industry experts. An Ottawa transport conference was told the alternative will see tens of thousands of obsolete cars remain in service for another twenty years.
Industry Canada, after seeing billions of dollars in federal trade pacts signed and sealed, is appealing for “expert advice” on best negotiating tactics. It’s offering six-figure fees to consultants for “insights” on the impact of trade deals especially on auto, truck and transit vehicle manufacturers: “The timing is frankly shocking.”
Citizenship & Immigration Canada is digitizing a warehouse-load of old immigration records in a program one privacy advocate warns will create a searchable electronic file on millions of people. Authorities said only giant data management firms like IBM or General Dynamics will be considered for the job: “Everything about this raises red flags.”
A federal judge has rebuked Citizenship Canada for mishandling the case of a Serbian who appealed against deportation for fear of anti-Semitic reprisals, only to wait years as authorities appeared to misplace his file. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander did not comment: “It is quite extraordinary.”
New wireless auctions will likely have little impact on prices Canadians pay for mobile telecom service, analysts tell Blacklock’s. The bandwidth bidding, including today’s auction of new 700MHz spectrum, to date have drawn no interest from large, international price-cutting competitors: “There was a lot of excitement and that’s gone.”
Transportation Safety Board investigators are questioning whether glare of sunlight from an office window caused a near-disaster at Montréal’s Trudeau Airport. The finding came in the case of a momentary lapse by a Sky Regional flight crew that nearly resulted in collision with a second aircraft: “They came very close.”
The Canadian Transportation Agency citing a 1912 contract has ordered CN to lift its ban on switching cars by a rival carrier. The railway had refused to switch grain cars contracted by multinational James Richardson & Sons Ltd. near Winnipeg: “I don’t think it’s a duopoly, it’s a dual monopoly”.
A federal judge has upheld the right of good workers to compensation if they’re fired on a bad day. The Canada Labour Code ruling came in the case of a trucker dismissed by a manager in an expletive-laced argument over a wayward fax: “You f—–g moron”.
The Department of Finance denies it’s given preferential tax treatment to BlackBerry Ltd. in a move analysts described as unusual. Cabinet allowed BlackBerry to alter its tax year to qualify for an early refund: “Why?”
The National Energy Board is drawing fresh protests from farmers over rules to protect buried pipelines. Landowners complain they’d have to contact the Calgary-based board for permission to drive on their own property: ‘Take your junk with you’.
Transport Canada is proposing new tank car safety rules already used by railways. Regulators had no comment on why 78,000 obsolete cars, the kind involved in the fatal Lac-Mégantic wreck, are still permitted to carry explosive fuels: ‘The government’s in a reactive mode’.
Canada Post faces complaints it’s charging some homeowners $200 for community mailboxes, and others nothing at all, depending on where they live. The protest follows Crown plans to abolish doorstep mail delivery for 5 million homeowners who will be required to use community boxes: “We are vehemently opposed to any such fee on any homeowners”.
A small business has won a federal ruling against billion-dollar Home Hardware Stores Ltd. in a trademark dispute over a noun and a logo. Van Dolder’s Home Team, an Owen Sound, Ont. contractor, was challenged by Home Hardware after registering its trademark with Industry Canada: “I find they are more different than alike.”
The Department of Public Works is contracting a “fairness monitor” to counter cronyism in the construction of a $5 billion bridge with private investors in Montréal. The watchdog will assure Parliament and taxpayers the Champlain Bridge job is free of bias, favouritism or influence, authorities said: “How do I know I’m being treated fairly?”
The rise and fall of oil prices has little actual impact on food costs, argues a research paper published by the Bank of Canada. Analysts said they can find no proof that volatile oil markets directly affect food prices, despite popular claims to the contrary: “There is no evidence”.
