Cabinet faces a court order on equity appointments at universities nationwide. The Canadian Human Rights Commission applied to Federal Court to enforce a 2006 mediation agreement to appoint more women and minorities to senior research positions: “They have not done anything”.
VIA Rail will face ongoing deficits for at least six years even if cabinet approves a multi-billion dollar refit of the Crown railway, says its CEO. Management said a final report on a $5.2 billion upgrade will go to Transport Canada by November 30: “Infrastructure investment the size of a railway does not produce a return within 12 months”.
Cabinet must amend or withdraw from at least three international treaties if it legalizes marijuana, says a federal report. It follows a Department of Public Safety study that regulators have little data on the impact of a cannabis bill: ‘The government is not even close to considering the ramifications’.
MPs are being petitioned for a 15 percent tax credit on home refits for radon poisoning. Nearly two-thirds of a million homes nationwide have excessive levels of the cancer-causing gas, says the Canadian Environmental Law Association: “People are reluctant to test”.
MPs last night endorsed in principle the nation’s first genetic anti-discrimination bill. Second Reading came as one MP was near tears in recounting constituents’ fears of becoming uninsurable over DNA: “This is not the country that we should live in”.
CBC claims it can absorb a 69 percent decline in TV ad sales with the loss of lucrative NHL licensing rights, but faces “enormous” competition from unregulated internet television. New data show most young Canadians now subscribe to Netflix: “They are the biggest game in town”.
Airlines must make reasonable accommodation for passengers with mental disabilities, the Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled. The order follows an appeal from a retired policeman suffering post-traumatic stress disorder: “I’m asking for the worst seat on the aircraft”.
Pilots are protesting a Transport Canada order exempting business aircraft from safety management audits. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the order was no different than lighter regulation of passenger cars compared to transit buses: “If you’re driving a bus for the city, there are stricter requirements”.
A federal judge in a rare request is asking that cabinet amend regulations to aid a survivor of the largest Arctic rescue mission in Royal Canadian Air Force history. “The circumstances giving rise to this appeal are nothing short of tragic,” wrote Justice Mary Gleason.
Children’s eyesight is getting weaker with many cases undiagnosed, says research by the Canadian National Institute of the Blind and the University of Waterloo. Authors of a new study said the cause could not be determined: “What if using computers or mobile devices is causing our eyes to get worse?”
The CBC faces trial on contempt of court charges after continuing to publish the name and photo of an Alberta schoolgirl killed in a violent attack last March 4. An Edmonton judge imposed a publication ban to protect the 14-year old’s identity: “CBC cannot argue that it is inconvenient for it to obey the law”.
Industry lobbyists for the first time will be excluded from writing the benchmark Canada Food Guide, says the Department of Health. The initiative follows a Senate committee report that faulted lobbyists for skewing the current Guide to boost sales of some foods: “We are very much aware of the perception”.
MPs may leave Conservative amendments to a water protection law in place despite objections from First Nations and environmental groups, says the chair of the Commons transport committee. Liberal legislators said they saw little need to repeal 2012 changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act: “We think there have been some benefits”.
Any carbon tax punishing the coal industry will result in higher electricity prices in 4 of 10 provinces, says a former Alberta treasurer. Cabinet will fix a price on carbon emissions of $10 per tonne beginning in 2018, rising to $50 by 2022: “Shouldn’t it have begun to take climate change seriously 30 years ago?”
MPs have signaled approval of a House motion mandating a national harbour clean-up of abandoned boats. The Liberal motion would see cabinet review measures to hold boat owners responsible for salvage and environmental costs: “Motions are great, but — “
