Internal memos warn of “significant barriers” to a federal plan to have more Canadians drive plug-in electric cars. Release of the files through Access To Information follow public announcements of an ambitious, multi-million dollar program to boost electric sales: ‘The objective is a culture shift.’
The Department of Environment is researching methods of paying polluters to limit fertilizer runoff into the Great Lakes. Access To Information records indicate staff also considered emission charges to “encourage innovation as a way for firms and individuals to reduce emissions”.
The Canada Revenue Agency says it is short $21.6 billion a year in unpaid tax. The Agency did not account for the estimate: “The Agency throws these numbers out there without any backup. Where are the convictions?”
Parks Canada is hiring industrial designers to replace “décor” at parks and national historic sites nationwide. Specifications for new picnic tables run to 35 pages: ‘They should be aesthetically pleasing, subtle, but clear.’
A United Nations agency has downgraded marks for federal conservation in Canada’s largest national park. A UNESCO advisory body said the outlook for Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park is one grade above critical: “We really don’t see a lot being done.”
Cabinet is calling for candidates as Commons Sergeant-at-Arms in the latest test of a federal program to promote hiring of veterans. The last ex-military member to fill the post, WWII tank commander David Currie, was appointed in 1960: “This is a very important initiative.”
The Department of Industry in an Access To Information memo says matching U.S. President Donald Trump’s corporate tax cuts would cost the Canadian treasury billions. Staff expressed worry over the impact of steep American reductions on Canadian contractors, retailers and transport companies: ‘To match that rate reduction, Canada would need to reduce its combined rate by about 7 points.’
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner for the second time in two years is suing to shut down a website that republishes court records. The latest target is an online index of deadbeat debtors who fail to pay civil judgments: ‘I am trying to motivate debtors to pay what they owe.’
There is no harm in calling municipal politicians liars, an Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled. The Court dismissed a defamation suit by two officials against a ratepayer who published Facebook comments critical of City Hall: ‘A politician being called a liar is common in our political discourse.’
More than 50 years after the Coast Guard repainted its fleet in famous red and white colours, most Canadians say they wouldn’t recognize a federal rescue vessel if they saw one. The findings are from an in-house Coast Guard survey on public perceptions of the service: “The Coast Guard is believed to be largely unknown.”
The Department of Agriculture in a 2017 Access To Information memo says it’s reviewing whether marijuana growers should qualify for farm subsidies. Statistics Canada is also questioning if it should include cannabis production in its annual reporting on farm incomes: “To date, Agriculture Canada has not funded marijuana-related projects.”
Government attorneys are in the Federal Court of Appeal seeking dismissal of an environmental lawsuit over pesticide licensing. A lower court ruled July 13 the case could proceed to trial to determine if regulators unlawfully licensed farm chemicals: “They can’t continue.”
The Bank of Canada is named in a federal lawsuit for alleged breach of the Official Languages Act. The claim was filed by a former Commons employee and French-language rights advocate who seeks damages and a formal apology: “I am not really willing to talk about this.”
Employment Canada yesterday said it will complete an automatic benefits enrollment scheme for pensioners by January 1. The initiative followed disclosures the treasury pocketed $1.02 billion a year in unclaimed benefits, including entitlements for low-income seniors who forgot to apply: “This money rightly belongs to people.”
CMHC in an Access To Information report proposes that cabinet consider a Hong Kong-style tax on real estate speculation to cool housing prices. The tax would be useful, staff wrote in a research paper requested by Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos: ‘While growth in prices has benefited homeowners, this is little comfort for those who aspire to own.’
