A labour arbitration board has awarded junior firefighters in one Canadian city a retroactive pay increase to nearly $100,000 a year, one of the highest rates in the country. Municipal salaries for firefighters and police are unsustainable, said a business group: “Excessive and unreasonable costs have been imposed upon the taxpayers.”
An Immigration Canada program to charge visitors from abroad for a $7 electronic visa breached regulations, say Access To Information documents. The scheme was proposed in 2012 but saw numerous problems: ‘A Canadian dual citizen will face serious delays at airports and could be denied boarding.’
The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority is ordering security screeners to act nicer. The Access To Information directive follows complaints of long lineups at X-ray scanners for travelers nationwide: “Behave in a friendly, pleasant manner.”
Engineers Canada in a submission to the Commons transport committee says investment in railways is crucial to meeting climate change targets. Railways anticipate nearly $400 million a year in new fuel fees under a national carbon tax: “Those tracks are a lifeline.”
The national carbon tax will cost farmers up to $3,705 more per year on average, affecting food prices yet accomplishing little to lower emissions, say Access To Information memos. The Department of Agriculture is the first to disclose the cash impact of the tax on Canadian households: “This result is for a typical or average farm.”
A Crown corporation stung by hurtful social media chatter is hiring a consultant to protect its reputation, it says. Farm Credit Canada yesterday said it needs expertise to deal with “fake news” and Facebook comments that criticize the agency: ‘It is part of the landscape.’
The Revenue Agency paid a pollster $60,000 to ask Canadians why they don’t pay taxes on time. It’s because they don’t have the money, concluded a 29-page report: ‘CRA is not going to get first blood.’
The Commons transport committee should hold railways to account for better service, says the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. The submission to MPs follows a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that railways have no duty to make promised deliveries for shippers without a signed contract: “It’s a chronic problem.”
Canada Post in Access To Information memos is again predicting record losses despite earning profits in the last three years. Further rate hikes are out of the question, wrote staff: “Canada Post projects losses increasing from $100 million to $700 million by 2026.”
The National Film Board has less appeal than Netflix or YouTube, says in-house research. Pollsters hired by the Board found 30 percent of Canadians never heard of the NFB though it’s been in business since 1939: “These are all interesting trends for the NFB.”
Information gaps in lobbyist registries nationwide deny Canadians full data on the scope of government lobbying, says a watchdog group. The Shareholder Association for Research and Education cited numerous loopholes in reporting of confidential contacts with public office holders: “Legislation isn’t clear enough.”
Clean-up of a single barge adrift off the British Columbia cost taxpayers more than $131,000, according to Federal Court records. Transport Canada has budgeted just $1.1 million a year for a national program to clear all harbours of derelict vessels: ‘This is so far off the mark.’
The Department of Public Works spent $19 million to save $17 million under a failed scheme to abolish paper cheques, say Access To Information records. Costs included $189,000 to produce videos urging Canadians to hand over their bank information: “The federal government is no longer committed to making direct deposit mandatory.”
The Canadian Automobile Association says a proposed federal bill of rights for air passengers must spell out clear obligations for airlines. MPs open hearings on the legislation next week: ‘We want to flag just how important it is to get this right.’
The finance department says children’s tax credits that cost taxpayers $245 million a year were ineffective and pointless. The subsidies to enroll kids in sports and arts programs were phased out this year: ‘They had many shortcomings.’
