Blacklock's Reporter

A federal judge has upheld the constitutionality of Canada’s ethanol and biodiesel regulations, rejecting a challenge by one of the country’s largest oil companies. Syncrude Canada Ltd. tried and failed to seek a federal review of rules that it must add 2% renewable fuel to millions of litres of diesel burned by its corporate truck and equipment fleet in Alberta’s oil sands: “Syncrude takes a myopic view”.

Record-high stamp prices have driven Canada Post to unexpected profits, prompting suspicions the Crown corporation concocted deficit forecasts to justify deep service cuts. The post office yesterday reported a $68 million profit in the first half of the year due mainly to a 35% increase in stamp rates: ‘They panicked’.

A federal trademarks board armed with the Oxford Dictionary has dismissed farmers’ objections to use of the word “milk” to describe a product unrelated to cows. The Dairy Farmers of Canada filed the protest after U.S. manufacturer Cytosport Inc. trademarked its Monster Milk nutrition supplements for athletes: “Consumers are accustomed to encountering the word”.

The Senate has become too “politicized” and abandoned effective committee work, says a longtime senior lobbyist. Carole Presseault, for 13 years the vice-president of regulatory affairs for the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, questioned Senators’ contributions to bills and regulations: “That’s unfortunate”.

Environment Canada has quietly compiled a list of nearly a thousand chemicals, toxins and additives used by shale gas drillers nationwide. The department would not disclose the list, but states in a confidential memo it was compiled through “North American sources”. The memo was released through Access to Information: “Canadians have expressed concern”.

Atlantic Canada has eclipsed Québec as a “hotbed” of the most aggrieved people in the nation, according to a confidential report for the Privy Council Office. The research concluded two-thirds of Atlantic residents are disaffected, the highest rate in the country: “We got shafted”.

A year after documenting shortfalls in safe shipping of petroleum, members of the Senate energy committee say Transport Canada has yet to adopt a “safety culture” in regulating railways: “You only get punished if something happens”.

Research shows a continued decline in the rate of new business start-ups in Canada, a trend dating from the 1980s. Statistics Canada concluded the trend mirrors similar declines in the U.S. and other countries: ‘It’s a maturing of the economy’.

Vancouver has a 30% chance of seeing a destructive earthquake within 50 years, says the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. Ottawa and Montreal face a 15% risk. The confidential report warned local authorities should expect little help from cabinet: “There are concerns about the preparedness of the federal government”.

More than a third of Canadians want cuts to immigration, according to confidential polling data by Citizenship Canada. The research shows people are more likely to advocate cuts when they’re told how many immigrants Canada takes each year: ‘The purpose was to measure attitudes’.

MPs returning from summer recess September 15 will see a new private bill proposing a modified carbon tax with “dividend”. The Green Party said it will introduce legislation creating a fixed fee on pollution-generating fuels: “Is it going to cost us money? Absolutely”.

MPs will consider legislation to curb an “urban heat island” phenomenon identified by scientists. The private bill would see federal regulators act to curb punishing heat waves with promotion of urban parks and mass transit: “Save as much as 20% on energy”.

Canada Revenue Agency has tried and failed to use forensic science in a Tax Court dispute one attorney likened to a TV crime drama. Auditors cited chemical ink analysis in claiming a B.C. trucking executive backdated a document to avoid $477,546 in payments: “It is not proper when so much is at stake to rely on unreliable, highly questionable techniques”.

The Department of Fisheries is detailing first-ever regulations sanctioning the use of pesticides and other chemicals in fish habitat. The proposal follows appeals from the aquaculture industry for exemptions from a chemical ban in the Fisheries Act: “We have to be able to manage pests”.

The Public Prosecution Service will not say how much time and money it’s spent pursuing Canada’s multi-billion dollar trade in counterfeit goods. Prosecutors noted unspecified “economic crimes” took up 10% of the budget last year: “Counterfeiting is huge but I don’t think people are actually seeing it as a problem”.