A Vietnamese-Canadian airline passenger broke federal law in failing to declare five cans of ready-to-eat haggis, a tribunal has ruled. The violation netted an $800 fine by the Canada Border Services Agency, earlier accused of racial profiling in targeting non-Caucasian air travelers: “Look at the names”.
Health Canada is considering gruesome new tobacco labels featuring “medical images” of tumours and diseased organs. The Canadian Cancer Society praised the proposal: “They reach every smoker, every day”.
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bankruptcy protection services.
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Meanwhile, on the radio,
Alberta’s new government
faces a problem:
a $7-billion hole
in the budget.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
A cabinet bid to save drug patents threatened by a Federal Court ruling is evidence Canada is stuck with a costly and time-wasting intellectual property regime, says a legal analyst. Cabinet proposes to revive 2006-era rules after federal judges narrowed the scope of patents: ‘Scrap the whole thing and start over’.
Federal regulators have the right to cancel licenses for oil and gas companies that fail to meet the terms of permits won at auction, judges have ruled. The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in the case, once hailed as evidence of a Maritime oil boom: ‘Thank you for choosing Nova Scotia’.
Harsh RCMP “gossip” that cost a policeman his promotion is beyond a judge’s scrutiny, the Federal Court of Appeal has ruled. The finding ends a two-year lawsuit that saw RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson earlier cited for unfair treatment of a 25-year employee over unproven allegations of wrongdoing: “Harshness is beside the point”.
Playing softball on the Plains of Abraham is no longer a federal crime. Cabinet further clarified new regulations that also decriminalized graffiti, skinny dipping and rollerblading at the site of the famed 1759 battle: “It is mostly dogs that are the problem”.
Bill C-377 faces expected legal challenges after the Senate on a 35 to 22 vote passed the measure compelling all unions to disclose confidential records. Even supporters of the bill said they anticipated the bill’s fate now rests with the courts: ‘Judges will decide if we were right or wrong’.
The Canada Border Services Agency should have independent oversight, says a Senate committee. Lawmakers also proposed an independent panel to review public complaints at the Agency, echoing a private bill sponsored by a Liberal senator: “This is now quite a very large police enterprise”.
Gangs account for only a small fraction of overall crime but a disproportionate number of violent offences, says confidential research by Public Safety Canada. In a report released through Access To Information, the department concluded organized crime remains largely confined to specific cities and certain “ethnic” groups: “Little research has been conducted”.
New regulations granting an oil licensing board the right to conduct environmental assessments is drawing protest. Rules will see the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board manage risk assessments on oil and gas drilling; the same board grants exploration licenses: “There is a question of conflict”.
The Senate is preparing for final votes on Bill C-377 on warnings it will be left to the Supreme Court to decide if unions can be legally compelled to disclose confidential data. Opponents privately said they were resigned to passage of the bill, first introduced in 2012: “The curtain is falling on the last act of the 41st Parliament”.
A six-figure fine on an airline for breaching federal anti-spam regulations is a “wake-up call” for industry, says a legal analyst. Porter Airlines was fined $150,000 for emailing prospective customers: “This really brings home the reality that the regulations are impacting everyday Canadian businesses”.
A longtime sportswriter who lost thousands of dollars publishing a free-to-read hockey blog has won a Tax Court judgment over the Canada Revenue Agency. The tax department had refused to credit the blogger’s losses incurred while travelling with the Toronto Maple Leafs as legitimate business expenses: “It is taking immense internal restraint to not comment on the ongoing Leafs ‘legacy’”.
Blacklock’s notes with sadness the passing of Paul Delahanty, 82, an original contributor and longtime reporter. Mr. Delahanty died Sunday of cancer.
Born the son of a Massachusetts accountant, Mr. Delahanty graduated from Boston College in 1955 and began his journalism career with a diocesan newspaper in Worcester, Mass. He subsequently worked for the Catholic press in Montréal in 1966, and was a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery for 30 years.
Mr. Delahanty was formerly managing editor of RNCC News Inc. and independent publisher of newsletters on technology and environmental law. He is survived by his wife Connie and four children.
Found among Mr. Delahanty’s personal effects at his Gallery desk was a prized copy of the Charter Of Rights & Freedoms, and a handwritten quotation from Thomas Jefferson: “All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.”
Blacklock’s directors join subscribers and friends in expressing deepest sympathies to Mr. Delahanty’s family, and in remembering Paul as a dedicated newsman and friend – The Editor.
