Christmas tree sales are dropping sharply amid cheap imports of fake trees and aggressive sales by U.S. growers. Federal figures show that sales of real, grown-in-Canada Christmas trees have declined by almost a quarter since 2006.
Commercial greenhouse growers say they are intrigued, and troubled, by a federal proposal to privatize marijuana production for medical use. Health Canada projects 40 percent-a year growth in the sale of medical marijuana, and a 70 percent rise in wholesale prices, under a scheme to privatize production in 2014.
A federal effort to tax, license and regulate one of the nation’s largest fish farming systems remains unfinished into its third year after the Department of Fisheries announced by “error” it was finally consulting with industry on new fees.
A senator campaigning to regulate storekeepers’ credit fees urged lawmakers to lead the nation by example in avoiding card purchases this Christmas. “Do not use credit cards during our break,” said Senator Pierrette Ringuette, who introduced a bill to reduce Visa and MasterCard contractors’ fees by at least half.
Detecting deadly pathogens in food within minutes could be the next breakthrough in Canadian food science, researchers say. Scientists aim for a test that would detect bacterium in an hour or less. It follows food scares that prompted the closure of two separate Alberta meatpackers in the past two months.
Federal regulators warn of a shortage of telephone numbers in two regions of the country. “We were very surprised,” said an official directed to ensure numbers meet demand in southern Ontario and Alberta, where shortages are predicted as early as 2017.
A business group is trademarking a day of the week in a campaign to attract trade. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business filed the application with Industry Canada to trademark the date, along with descriptive noun and adjective, in a bid to lure consumers from big box retailers.
Phone calls can be expensive — especially for one Montreal retailer, charged $12,000 apiece for unwanted calls made by its telemarketers in violation of the National Do Not Call List. Regulators noted the fines could have been steeper under federal law.
A Northwest Territories miner has patented a new amphibious vehicle to maneuver risky winter roads and manage the “life-threatening danger” of thin ice due to global warming: “There is an immediate market for this.”
Officials anticipate a court fight over a federal bill requiring that union organizers detail their pay, activities, health benefits and other personal data for publication on a government website. The bill’s co-sponsor, asked if the measure was constitutional, replied: “Courts will determine that.” But one senior Conservative is already describing the bill’s passage in the House as “a great day for Canada.”
The post office says it received “zero representations — zero,” over its latest proposal to increase mail rates. Cabinet just approved the increase, which raises the cost of a domestic letter to a record-high 63¢.
Federal tax collectors are seeking a court order to seize records of some of the nation’s largest cheque-cashing companies in a probe of mysterious third-party invoicing by clients. One federal auditor said the investigation focused on “accommodation invoicing,” a scheme in which shell companies manufactured invoices to claim tax refunds.
Canada’s railways are citing excess regulation over a long-promised bill that subjects them to federal arbitration and six-figure fines on service commitments to commercial customers. “A lot of hard work went into this,” said one farm group that pressed for the reforms for years.
An old-age pensioner has won a Federal Court case against cabinet after losing $5,000 in benefits over an honest mistake on an application form. A judge found “no apparent rationale” for refusing benefits to an eligible pensioner over a paperwork error. “There are broad implications here,” said the advocacy lawyer who won the case.
Warmer weather may extend the shipping season on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The system’s traditional Christmas closure is now proposed for extension into January: “If it makes commercial sense and if there is enough cargo, we would be open to that.”
