Blacklock's Reporter

Exasperated Health Canada scientists blame “controversial” internet sites and inaccurate media reports for public alarm over wireless devices. Researchers in private memos and correspondence insist no health risk is posed by cellphones, radio towers, Wi-Fi, baby monitors or Smart Meters. The memos were released through Access To Information: ‘As a father I understand concerns. However as a scientist…”

In-house research by Finance Canada shows only 1 in 4 Canadians expect the economy to pick up. The department conducted the polling as it prepared to slash its forecast of a 2015 budget surplus: “Worse is yet to come”.

Federal limits on indoor exposure to nitrogen dioxide are to be reduced under a Health Canada proposal. The gas is produced by wood-burning stoves and heaters. Regulators haven’t adjusted the safety limit since 1987: ‘It’s been a long time’.

Canada’s largest book retailer, Indigo Books & Music Inc., faces a Federal Court application to disclose records over an alleged private meeting with publishers on the pricing of e-books. Court documents allege Indigo executives proposed to meet secretly with “key publishers” in 2011 to discuss e-book retailing. One publisher balked at a joint meeting, fearing that anti-trust investigators “would be all over that”. The competition commissioner said the court application did not target Indigo, but was aimed at other “market participants”.

A Liberal legislator claims the Senate banking committee is stalling a bill to drastically cut merchants’ credit card fees. The Department of Finance has urged Visa and MasterCard Canada to voluntarily lower charges on retailers and restaurateurs; the two companies account for 90 percent of credit card transactions: “The government does not want the legislation to move”.

Cabinet initiatives to improve rail service fail to address “high-level” challenges that threaten the export trade, says one of the country’s largest private grain shippers. Parrish & Heimbecker Ltd. of Winnipeg made the appeal after winning a federal court judgment on rail regulation: “How can we bridge that gap between the interests of shippers and railway shareholders?”

Opposition New Democrats are signaling support for a private Conservative bill mandating prominent health labels on cellphones and other wireless devices. The bill follows Health Canada assurances that radiofrequency levels are acceptable: ‘If there is no risk, why is the industry burying the warnings?’

Cabinet is at a loss to explain the state of legislation following a landmark Supreme Court judgment permitting the RCMP’s 23,700 members to unionize. Parliament earlier passed a bill sanctioning the demotion and firing of police deemed “troublemakers”, in the words of one MP: “This is where the hard work begins”.

Inside research by Natural Resources Canada confirms Canadians remain wary of pipeline megaprojects even as cabinet okayed the Northern Gateway venture. A 2014 department study shows Canadians surveyed were also suspicious of claims that pipeline construction will benefit the country: “Outside of Calgary, very few people thought it was personally relevant”.

The future of two species of Atlantic whales is under review by the Department of Fisheries amid fears they’ll be impacted by increased tanker traffic. Authorities asked for expert opinion on whether to list bowhead and killer whales as a “special concern” under the Species At Risk Act, meaning they “may become threatened or endangered”.

The Supreme Court is leaving marijuana insurance disputes up to industry and policyholders. The court would not consider an appeal redefining the insurance value of cannabis. The dismissal came as Health Canada forecasts the number of medical marijuana users nationwide will rise to 400,000 within a decade: ‘This was a high-value asset in the home’.

Climate change poses a “profound risk” to Northern airports that are vital links to remote communities, says Transport Canada. The department is commissioning a $160,000 study of three airfields in Manitoba, Nunavut and Northwest Territories affected by thawing permafrost: “Airports are the only lifelines to these communities”.

Canadian Pacific Rail has lost a court challenge of interswitching rules that allowed an Alberta customer to ship grain at a quarter the cost of CP freight rates. The ruling follows cabinet attempts to promote more competition in rail freight by expanding interswitching across the Prairies: “That is a great boon to shippers”.

New federal restrictions on installation of computer software are so complex they may trap unwitting businesses, say executives. Regulators prohibited any installation of software on computers, cellphones, tablets and other devices without the consent of owners: “It does leave some lingering questions”.