Contractors, cities and provincial governments face a longer wait as Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel ponders renewal terms of a promised new national public works program.
The current $33 billion program, Building Canada, expires in 2014. Consulting engineers, after lobbying on Parliament Hill, saw no indication of a quick response.
Significant changes to federal labour law have been inserted in a mammoth budget bill, including new rules on vacation pay and deadlines on wage complaints. “These specific amendments were not consulted on,” Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in an interview. The omnibus bill rewrites ten sections of the Canada Labour Code.
In a bid that’s drawn protest from Canada’s largest puck manufacturer, Industry Canada is reviewing an application from a Toronto business to trademark the phrase “hockey pucks” on a line of cookies.
Existing eco-building codes are inadequate, obsolete, and have “a long way to go” in achieving promised efficiencies, says a builder who likened the codes to antiquated aircraft: “I personally would not want to fly in a plane that was built the way most buildings are built today.”
Claims that genetically-modified corn may be hazardous to health will “take time” to counter with scientific review, says a leading Canadian researcher. A French study concluded a Monsanto corn variety was linked to tumors and organ damage in laboratory rats, prompting a temporary ban in Russia and demands for restrictions in France, South Africa and other jurisdictions.
Legislation to enshrine vintage mail subsidies and revise a 73-year old definition of media for library purposes is due to pass Parliament. MP Merv Tweed, chair of the Commons’ transport committee, introduced the bill four separate times with all-party support.
Canada Revenue has made few gains in curbing the underground economy despite years of publicity campaigns, regulations and punitive measures, figures reveal. New analysis shows that, in the 16 years following introduction of the GST, unreported cash dealing remained a $35 billion-a year business in retail, food services and home renovation trades.
Advocates have launched a national campaign against VIA Rail cuts amid railway claims that service is actually improving. Federal budget cutbacks of $41 million over three years have led VIA to reduce service on six routes, while railway managers propose “door-to-door seamless connections” on routes that remain.
Crown-owned CN Tower exceeds federal targets in energy efficiency despite the “extreme challenge” of the nation’s tallest structure. Managers cut energy use by more than 2 percent annually using technology available to any building owner.
