Municipalities cannot claim privacy in concealing details of government contracts or bid selections, says a Nova Scotia information commissioner. The ruling cited case law from Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island in concluding the expenditure of public funds is taxpayers’ business: “Nothing is more central to the goal of accountability.”
A rare cabinet veto of a CRTC ruling on program funding was prompted by 89 petitions from unions and associations. Heritage Minister Melanie Joly in a statement urged the broadcast regulator to “reconsider” a May 15 directive: “It was a bad decision.”
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland says cabinet wants to “cut red tape” in a regulatory dispute that prompted an outcry from Canadian food processors five years ago. MPs yesterday expressed unease with Freeland’s remarks at the Commons trade committee: “Fortunately our negotiators know what I’m talking about.”
A federal judge has ruled Canada Revenue Agency auditors cannot claim unlimited powers to interrogate taxpayers. The ruling came in a successful appeal by 25 executives with the nation’s largest uranium producer, Cameco Corporation: “Audit powers are broad but not unlimited.”
A campus newspaper faces a human rights hearing after rejecting free articles from a Sri Lankan-Canadian contributor. The University of Guelph’s Ontarion student weekly had appealed for volunteer writers to submit their work: ‘They lost interest when they saw me.’
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled ancient Indigenous trapping rights do not include exemption from the GST. The judgment is the second in two years that extended tax liabilities to First Nation suppliers conducting business off-reserve: ‘The obligation is to remit taxes collected from non-Indian customers.’
The Department of Public Safety says regulators should consider new restrictions on lawyers as “enablers” of white collar crime. Attorneys described the research paper as outrageous: “There is nothing in the report to support the truth of the claims.”
A federal agency says bank tellers should act on “hunch or intuition” in the lookout for suspicious cash deposits, even if amounts are trivial. The Financial Transactions And Reports Analysis Centre in a bankers’ guide said it sets “no monetary threshold” on deposits that must be reported to investigators: “It doesn’t really matter.”
Health Canada says even a judge cannot compel it to retrieve public records under the Access To Information Act. The claim in Federal Court documents follows a lawsuit by a retired researcher who alleges the department withheld data on the impact of wireless devices: “This has huge health implications.”
The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled tax collectors must pay interest on disputed funds collected in a reassessment. The Canada Revenue Agency was successfully challenged by an Alberta oilman ordered to settle a $12.75 million account: “The Agency is not a deposit-taking institution.”
Blacklock’s newsroom pauses next week for our annual August holiday. We bid all our friends and subscribers a happy summer break and safe journey on your travels. Blacklock’s returns Monday, August 14 — The Editor.
Only one-third of adults and 23 percent of children got the flu shot last winter despite a costly promotional campaign by the Public Health Agency of Canada, says in-house research. The Agency spent $3.5 million on vaccination awareness. Data show lingering public skepticism that vaccinations are ineffective or unsafe: “Vaccines do NOT cause sudden infant death syndrome.”
The Canada Revenue Agency says an experiment with delinquent taxpayers shows “soft” letters appealing to individuals’ conscience get better results. The Agency’s Collections Directorate tested various collection letters on thousands of taxpayers with small debts: ‘It’s persuading individuals to comply without use of punishment.’
An appeal court judge has dismissed a ruling that a failed law school student cannot act as counsel in a civil trial. The decision was written by the same Prince Edward Island judge who earlier faulted “disturbing” fees charged by licensed lawyers: “When a client asks his lawyer for the time of day he doesn’t need to be told how to build a watch.”
Environment Canada is spending $75,000 on research to find out why car buyers choose certain models. Most drivers prefer larger vehicles that can handle winter, said the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association: “Their purchase decision is generally determined by what they need and can afford.”
