Blacklock's Reporter

Federal anti-trust investigators working without warrants filed scores of requests for confidential data from internet service providers in the weeks before the Supreme Court banned the practice, records show. Canadians who had their information surrendered to agents were never told of the incidents. The disclosures came as the Commissioner of Competition pledged “transparency” was his watchword: “This is the guiding vision for the bureau”.

MPs have given second reading to a bill promising new enforcement on illegal fishing. The legislation follows cuts to surveillance of unlicensed trawlers by the Department of Fisheries & Oceans: “We have to have the clout”.

Canada’s telecom firms report compliance with a consumers’ Wireless Code albeit with “delays” by the largest service providers, say regulators. The CRTC issued its first compliance report since enacting the code last December: ‘They had months to get their act together’.

Provinces caution they’ll expect compensation for lost revenue if cabinet honours an old election promise to lower taxes for wealthier single-income families. The Ontario finance ministry said it would not agree to any tax losses as a consequence of a so-called “income splitting” plan proposed for 2015: “Governments are broke”.

Canada Post has shuttered more than 90% of offices it targeted for service cuts despite a commitment to ‘consult’ with affected customers, data show. Records indicate of 72 post offices slated for closure or relocation by management since 2010, all but six were shut down as intended: “It is deceptive”.

Senators are demanding answers from Health Canada over disclosures that toxic pesticides suspected of environmental damage have been licensed for decades without risk assessments. The Senate agriculture committee learned regulators allowed the sale of 35 chemicals linked to bee deaths from as early as 1995 without requiring that manufacturers submit scientific data on their toxicity: “This is shocking”.

The National Research Council is being cited for creating a “knowledge management” website so convoluted its own scientists can’t manage it. An internet consultant hired by the government reports the website is “cluttered”; “difficult to search”; “slow” and “cumbersome”: ‘The article is in English but the link leads to a page in German’.

Another federal report confirms commuter tolls are no certain fix to finance new roads and bridges. The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported tolls needed to recover costs of refitting a federal bridge in Montréal are so high, thousands of commuters would avoid payment by taking alternate routes: ‘It will be catastrophic’.

Federal inspectors acknowledge “lots of questions” from processors over long-awaited revisions to regulations on food safety. Industry analysts expressed wariness that cabinet will rush changes in anticipation of a 2015 election: “We haven’t yet seen a shift in thinking”.

Canada Revenue Agency is launching a secret surveillance system to spy on employees and managers suspected of “fraudulent activities”. The agency stresses the network will rely on anonymous tips from inside informants, and must operate outside the Access To Information Act. Two-thirds of the tax department’s 40,000 employees have electronic access to tax files, by official estimate: “Fraud and integrity lapses pose a serious threat”.

The group Farmers of North America is bidding for majority ownership of the Canadian Wheat Board as a ‘once in a lifetime’ investment. The board will be privatized under cabinet order by 2017: ‘It’s a rare opportunity’.

The latest federal report on the Privacy Act finds little consultation between government departments on personal information requests. Of 81 applications from Canadians for their own files and documents from government agencies, most were redirected to other departments: “Where are they?”

Transport Canada proposes a new fatigue management plan for civilian flight crews, mandating that flyers get at least 12 hours off for proper rest. It’s the first revision to rules on flight times since 1996: “Kudos”.

An Alberta company litigating the largest copyright dispute in the country is citing a win for “the little guy” in Court. Geophysical Service Incorporated won dismissal of a claim that it put up thousands of dollars as a condition of proceeding with a copyright case against a Halifax-based oil and gas company: “It’s very difficult in Canada to protect your interests”.