Aggressive” bank lenders signed off on nearly $73 billion worth of new loans to mainly big business borrowers in the first half of 2013, new data show. Figures indicate larger corporations had few troubles qualifying for new credit, while most small start-ups borrowed from family and friends.
The Conference Board of Canada is urging deregulation of one of the most tightly-controlled sectors of the nation’s transportation system: taxis. Analysts concluded the $2.2 billion cab industry has left larger cities with car shortages, such as Winnipeg where the number of taxi licenses has been capped since 1947.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture is endorsing an omnibus farm bill that ratifies a treaty on patents for plant breeders. The federation said it found no fault with Bill C-18 though critics among other groups have branded it a sell-out to multinational seed companies.
A private company hired by two banks to field customer complaints is applying for federal approval to sanction its mediation service amid consumer protests. Unhappy bank customers in Canada must turn to different ombudsmen, representing different banks, operating under different regulations: “No decisions have been made.”
Sat down
to fix my flashlight.
I unscrew the head,
examine the light bulb,
slide out the old batteries
and insert fresh ones.
I then re-screw the head
and press down the button
for testing.
My cat watches me,
silently.
I turn to the TV.
The Federal Ethics Commissioner
investigates potential conflict of interest
when money was paid to Senator Duffy.
The Senate Ethics Officer
looks whether Duffy broke any Senate rules
when agreeing to receive the gift.
In the mix
are the Auditor General,
the media,
the opposition,
the RCMP,
all trying to figure out
who knew what,
when,
and who gave the order
behind closed doors.
I watch the news,
silently.
(Editor’s note: the author is an Israeli-born biologist and weekly contributor to Blacklock’s published each and every Sunday). 
Germany’s national mail and freighting corporation is trademarking its postal banking service in Ottawa as beleaguered Canada Post faces demands to rethink its own service reforms.
Deutsche Post World Net applied to Industry Canada to trademark its financial services, including safety deposit boxes and currency exchange: “More competition would be a good thing.”
Canada Revenue Agency is pointing to “red flags” at charity wine actions, accusing appraisers of grossly inflating values to boost tax credits. An agency directive claims unnamed appraisers overprice wines at three to five times the market value for buyers claiming a 29% charity credit: ‘They know full well a bottle they receipt for $1000 will sell for $200’.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency proposes to study actual benefits of fertilizer deregulation months after it repealed rules in the name of red-tape reduction. The agency will contract a study of the impact of regulations eliminated last April 26: “The pendulum is shifting away from proper federal oversight”.
Canada’s best-paid executives have been “remarkably resilient” in protecting pay packages that now average $7.96 million a pop, says an advocacy group. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives calculated the combined annual pay and perks of the nation’s Top 100 CEOs equals the deficits in five provinces: “The numbers are obviously pretty large.”
Canada Revenue has lost millions of dollars to tax evasion by a “multitude of fraudsters” egged on by an internet conspiracy theory, documents show. Adherents cite Scripture and old English law in claiming they don’t have to pay income tax: “The number of participants is growing quickly.”
Natural Resources Canada is commissioning a $12,000-a day test of radioactive sensors over the Nevada desert under a Nuclear Emergency Plan. No atom or H-bomb was ever tested in Canada, though the National Research Council once checked 30,000 baby teeth for traces of radioactive fallout.
Canada Border Services Agency has won a Federal Court lawsuit against the buyer of a California car suspected of under-reporting its full value at customs. A federal judge dismissed an appeal by an Alberta bargain hunter who had his BMW seized at the border: “The law applies equally to all.”
CMHC is hiring realtors for “expert advice” on housing policy. The federal insurer proposes to pay the Canadian Real Estate Association a retainer to provide data and suggestions on the market nationwide. The association has already cautioned MPs that maintaining house prices “is a crucial pillar of a strong economy”.
A tax board that dropped two commas and a zero from a municipal assessment has lost a court battle for a review of the error. The typo turned a routine tax assessment for $7,790,000 into $779000 – a clerical blunder that cost more than half a million dollars in tax: “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
A drunk driver has lost a fight over a lifetime license suspension using a federal provision of the old Young Offenders Act. The driver appealed a three-strike ban after claiming his first conviction at age 17 was to have been expunged: “Young drivers who drink pose a real threat to public safety.”
