Blacklock's Reporter

Cabinet billed taxpayers $600,000 to subsidize 10 days’ worth of stand-up comedy in Montréal, accounts show. Federal managers had refused to disclose the cost when first contacted by Blacklock’s July 10: “I am proud.”

Parks Canada managers four years ago said fire risks at Jasper National Park were a “big concern.” The agency yesterday would not explain why it failed to take all measures needed to save the Town of Jasper from a July 24 wildfire that destroyed 358 buildings: “What is the fire emergency plan?”

Fewer Canadians say they’d buy an electric car despite billions in federal aid for the industry, says in-house research by the Department of Natural Resources. Drivers complained electrics are still too costly and unreliable in winter: “I would only buy or lease a zero emission vehicle if the price were about the same as an equivalent gas or diesel powered vehicle.”

Canadians are unsure of continued aid for Ukraine, says in-house Privy Council research. Federal focus groups said they no longer closely followed news from Ukraine and questioned the point of billions in aid: ‘There is declining interest.’

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday said it was “simply not true” that Parks Canada mismanaged fire preparedness at Jasper, Alta. However documents show the agency from 2015 halved the number of controlled burns needed to create firebreaks at Jasper and other parks: “There is still much work to do.”

Privy Council Office managers used the n-word on the job and subjected Black employees to “tokenism” and “harassment,” says an Access To Information document disclosed yesterday by union executives. Crude bigotry was detailed in staff interviews after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised reforms amid Black Lives Matter protests: “We are just checking off the boxes.”

A hundred percent of people questioned in Privy Council focus group research say cabinet is “headed in the wrong direction” on immigration, records show. Researchers acknowledged universal opposition to record-high immigration levels: “All believed it was headed in the wrong direction.”

Draft regulations on a first-ever federal ban on food ads targeting children have again been deferred. Advertisers warn the ban would cost a billion a year: “Industry is critical of the government advancing regulations.”

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu’s department redefined “short term” to show progress in eliminating “long term” boiled water advisories on First Nations, records show. A Department of Indigenous Services report yesterday acknowledged even with the redefinition many First Nations will have undrinkable tap water into 2025 and beyond: “We can simply change the definition.”

Parks Canada managers two years ago acknowledged they failed to take full precautions to save Jasper, Alta. from wildfires, documents show. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was told Park managers failed to carry out controlled burns of dead pine trees that posed an obvious fire risk: “My heart is broken.”

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson’s department in focus group research says Canadians do not see “a clear path forward” on climate programs, question the point of federal regulations and are wary of the cost. There was “too much money spent too soon and too many risks taken,” said a report.

New federal data confirm Canadians are becoming more sharply divided over record high immigration quotas. Worries range from housing shortages to foreigners “causing Canada to change in ways they don’t like.”

Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory has finally installed X-ray scanners six years after suspected Chinese spies were found working at the Winnipeg facility, says a Department of Health briefing note. Other measures include a new rule prohibiting visitors from wandering the halls without a security escort: “See how easy it was.”

Home equity savers typically pay it forward to make their children homebuyers, says a Bank of Canada study. Researchers said the incidence of parents co-signing mortgages tripled in a decade: “How important are parents?”