Blacklock's Reporter

Alberta’s oil sands produce levels of air pollution comparable to a large city, says new Environment Canada research. Scientists said open-pit mining in northern Alberta emits up to 84 tonnes a day of secondary organic aerosols: “It stands to reason these particles may be a health issue”.

Cabinet will repeal another Conservative labour bill following a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the right to strike. The Treasury Board last evening said a 2013 Act of Parliament limiting public employees’ rights will be withdrawn: “They wanted to ratchet it up”.

Health Canada will not meet a targeted 30% cut in sodium consumption forecast to save billions in medicare costs. The department yesterday declined comment on the end of a nine-year program to have food processors voluntarily reduce their use of salt: “The voluntary approach does not work”.

Transport Canada says it has a “surplus” of deleted regulations and is in full compliance with a 2015 law mandating reduction of red tape. Department math includes a new rule on railway fires: ‘We have a surplus of five’.

Cabinet should deregulate media corporations under the Broadcasting Act to spur more competition, says a Calgary think tank. The Fraser Institute said rules mandating Canadian content must be repealed: “We are going to be left with nothing”.

The Department of Veterans Affairs should arrange home visits to every individual veteran claiming disability benefits, says an advocate. The proposal follows a 2014 audit that found veterans wait months, even years for applications to be processed: “How long are we going to talk about this?”

The employment department is using poor data in unfairly refusing to issue migrant labour permits, a federal judge has ruled. The case followed a court challenge by the largest shellfish processor in New Brunswick: “We are aware of the decision”.

Cabinet should “manage expectations” in an auto market that’s seen Canada lose manufacturing jobs to the U.S. and Mexico, says an industry department memo. The document obtained through Access To Information warned Canada should not get its hopes up in competing with low-wage rivals: “Success is not guaranteed”.

Regulators should offer cash rebates to promote recycling of throw-away electronics, says the Municipal Waste Management Association. A federal survey yesterday said tonnes of electronic items are landfilled each year: “That’s definitely creating an issue”.

A federal proposal that all seaplane passengers wear lifejackets – the first regulation of its kind – faces widespread opposition, says Transport Canada. The recommendation follows a fatal 2009 British Columbia accident in which six people drowned: “It’s a tough one”.

Transport Canada will not hold any public hearings on a far-reaching policy review, an official says. The department is considering recommendations to privatize airports; allow more foreign ownership of airlines; cut VIA Rail subsidies and eliminate the last regulated freight rates for railways: “I’m disappointed it won’t be open to Canadians because that’s what I understand it was”.

Mandatory labeling of engineered fish licensed for sale by Health Canada should be reviewed, say aquaculture operators. Regulators have declined to explain why they did not impose the requirement on the first genetically-modified species sold for human consumption: ‘It’s an important issue’.

The CBC draws only 1% of its revenues from website content though it has 1,150 staff in electronic programming, says the editor in chief. The disclosure follows a 2015 Senate report that CBC consider charging for free web content that competes with local newspapers: “We re-imagined everything”.

Telecom regulators have not released updated figures on how many Canadians subscribed to low-cost basic cable and satellite TV mandated by the CRTC. The Commission continues to cite data that only 66,000 of some 7 million cable customers signed up in the first weeks of the program: ‘They argued changes would lead to big savings’.