Cabinet faces a federal lawsuit over one of the last nationally-subsidized transport companies. Crown-owned Marine Atlantic Inc. is accused of using millions in taxpayer funding to undercut private shippers. Transport Minister Marc Garneau declined an interview. “It’s before the courts so I’m not going to comment,” he said.
It’s faster to visit an employment insurance claims office in person than call the government’s 1-800 number, says a federal survey. The research follows longstanding complaints of lost calls and lengthy wait times: “They would disconnect you, and you’d call back later.”
Cabinet has no choice but to write off a 42-year loan to Cuba, says the Treasury Board. The 1975 loan in its day was mired in controversy after an agency was accused of lying to MPs over its terms: “Who would decide to write that off?”
The middle class is now a minority of Canadian families, says a secret Department of Finance memo. The report defined middle-income families as those earning between $32,400 and $43,800 a year but noted, “There is no consensus definition of middle class, nor is there an official definition.”
The Canadian Transportation Agency is dismissing complaints over ceaseless clanging of locomotive bells on one of the country’s busiest urban rail routes. Residents must prove actual harm and not mere annoyance, said regulators: ‘It’s that clang, clang, clang.’
Cabinet plans new cybersecurity measures this spring following the shutdown of two federal websites over fears of hacking. An Access To Information memo details government worries over future cyberattacks: ‘It could impact the safety and security of Canadians.’
The Navy is dismantling two decommissioned vessels but says it’s still willing to offer surplus ships as artificial reefs for scuba divers. The 2015 scuttling of a toxic vessel in fish habitat in British Columbia triggered an environmental lawsuit: “If the Navy can fob a ship off on a local dive club and sink it, that saves a ton of money.”
The Department of Finance has expressed alarm over “rapidly increasing housing vulnerabilities” and pledged further action in 2017. The confidential memos were obtained through Access To Information: “Taxpayers have exposure to losses.”
A realtor who claimed a home was 12 percent bigger than the actual property size was sloppy but not nefarious, a Calgary judge has ruled. Alberta Provincial Court Justice Donald Higa noted homebuyers should be aware property listings may not be accurate: “You are taught how to measure a home.”
Wholesome team building and ergonomic chairs are key to reducing employees’ sick days, says the federal agency with the lowest absentee rate in the Government of Canada. The Military Police Complaints Commission also credited staff picnics with boosting attendance at work.
“The Commission prides itself on promotion of informal team building activities such as staff-initiated fitness classes, picnics, potlucks and other activities,” said spokesperson Michael Tansey. Many activities occurred off work, he said.
Employees at the Commission average 6.1 sick days a year, the lowest rate in the public service according to Access To Information records. The Copyright Board had the second-lowest absentee rate, 7.6 days a year per employee.
“Physical wellness is also important,” said Tansey. “This was a key consideration during recent renovations.” The Commission encourages employees to use “sit-stand stations wherever possible”, and avoids unnecessary staff meetings.
“The Commission also launched an Elephant In The Room anti-stigma campaign by placing blue elephants in various common areas to send the message that the Commission is a safe place to talk about mental illness,” he said; “It provides staff with important strategies to support a psychologically safe and healthy workplace.”
One obscure agency, the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat, reported the highest number of employee sick days – 18.4 a year per person, on average. The Secretariat did not comment.
Second-highest sick rates were reported by the Canada Border Services Agency, 15.3 days a year. “Most employees operate on a shift work schedule,” said spokesperson Nicholas Dorion. “Shift work environments typically have higher sick leave usage than those with a steady work schedule.”
Dorion noted federal employees are entitled to 15 cumulative sick days a year to cover short-term illness. Leave at other departments and agencies averaged 14 a year at Veterans Affairs Canada; 13 at the departments of employment, national defence and fisheries; and 12.5 at Library and Archives Canada.
Statistics Canada in a 2013 report Understanding Public-Private Sector Differences In Work Absences said while government workers took 6 more sick days a year on average compared to the private sector, data were skewed by demographics. Civil servants tend to be older, and are more typically women who “take on more family responsibilities”, the report said.
By Jason Unrau 
Cabinet is considering a pay raise for RCMP members for the first time in three years. The initiative follows Senate passage of a bill setting terms for a Mounties’ union: ‘We are seeing people leave the force.’
Canadians must economize on home heating or pay the price, says an Access To Information memo from Environment Canada. The memo detailed a “rationale for carbon pricing” for Environment Minister Catherine McKenna: “Encourage behavioural change.”
Cabinet will budget millions for a national harbour clean-up of derelict boats. A single wreck abandoned on the St. Lawrence River will cost taxpayers $34 million, said the Department of Fisheries: “Taxpayers are on the hook for a huge amount of money.”
Canada Post is being challenged over job cuts. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers in a Federal Court application said managers used faulty data to justify regional cuts, a position upheld by a labour arbitrator: “They are ruining the service.”
Farm fertilizer accounts for a higher rate of greenhouse gas emissions than originally estimated, says new University of Manitoba research. Release of nitrous oxide with spring thaws adds another 22 to 30 million tonnes of emissions each year, said researchers: “It is significant.”
