Cabinet yesterday abolished interest on loans to refugees charged under a program for nearly 70 years. The Department of Immigration acknowledged most groups it consulted opposed the measure as unfair to immigrants who already made payments: ‘It will give refugees more time to focus.’
Federal inspectors report 59 percent of farmers’ market producers surveyed nationwide are in breach of pesticide regulations. Spot inspections by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency found numerous violations including use of unregistered chemicals: “This is an area of concern.”
Cabinet will not establish a federal gasoline price monitor, says Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr. In an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons, Carr said higher fuel prices help consumers by encouraging conservation: “Prices can have a positive impact.”
Unacceptably high reports of harassment in the federal workplace warrant further investigation, says a professional association. Nineteen percent of senior federal managers surveyed said they were verbally harassed or tormented at work: “That’s unforgivable.”
Federal departments and agencies spent 14 percent more on taxis last year even as cabinet urged Canadians to “be part of the solution” by taking public transit. Two departments spent the equivalent of more than $7,000 a day on Ottawa cabs, according to accounts: “Invest where it counts: public transit.”
The Government of Canada cut 25 percent fewer cheques last year but still mailed millions of payments after suspending a mandatory direct deposit program. The Department of Public Works had hoped to save 69¢ in paper and processing costs for every cheque it mails: “I don’t trust it.”
A national carbon tax would put jobs at risk and undermine Canada’s economic competitiveness, says an Access To Information staff note from the Department of Natural Resources. The note was written a year before cabinet announced its carbon tax: “That is out of step with our largest trading partner, the United States.”
The military proposes to install wind farms on army bases and encourage staff to bicycle to work under a climate change program. The Department of National Defence noted it is the biggest energy user in the federal government, and the largest emitter of greenhouse gases: “We have a responsibility to show leadership.”
The Border Services Agency has no data on the amount of counterfeit goods transshipped through Canada to the U.S., according to Access To Information records. The disclosure follows confirmation that federal prosecutors went a full year without opening a single new piracy case: “Counterfeiters are not stupid; they know Canada doesn’t deal with these goods.”
The Department of Natural Resources says it will detail a first-ever energy retrofit code for millions of existing homes and commercial buildings this year. The little-known initiative would compel property owners to pay thousands for renovations: “Right now, there is no national model energy code that applies to existing buildings.”
Elite environmentalists have hurt Canadian workers, says a Liberal-appointed senator. The Senate energy committee was told “religious self-righteousness” of activists is off-putting: “You have these multimillionaires with their private jets telling us we shouldn’t use oil.”
A former Health Canada consultant says drug impairment limits set by cabinet in its legal cannabis program are completely random. The remarks follow RCMP testimony at the Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee that there is no scientific rationale for regulations that would see marijuana users charged with impaired driving: “It was plucked from thin air by a single activist.”
Canada’s longest-running federal youth program must fight misperceptions to stem a membership decline, says in-house research at the Department of National Defence. Army, sea and air cadet programs now have lower enrollment than Girl Guides: ‘There are negative views of militaristic aspects like the uniform, being seen as child soldiers, etcetera.’
Cabinet’s climate plan will see electricity rates in coal-burning provinces rise by up to 12 percent. The Department of Environment warned of large upfront capital costs to meet emission targets: “Phasing out coal is good news for our climate.”
B.C. worries about the
Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
New regulations are in the works.
Alberta retaliates,
bans B.C. wines,
suspends talks
on the purchase of electricity.
They may soon prevent B.C.
from getting gasoline and diesel.
If that doesn’t work,
they could build a wall and
force B.C. to pay for it.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
