Blacklock's Reporter

Canadian banks face daily electronic threats from organized crime and “Putin’s nephews in Russia”, says a senior security officer with one of the country’s largest financial institutions. The executive said all employees now change internet passwords monthly: “There are things that are scary”.

A federal regulators’ proposal to allow corporate tracking of Canadians’ TV habits is drawing concerns from privacy advocates. The CRTC proposes to convene an industry “working group” on monitoring subscribers: “This is distasteful”.

Cabinet must regulate electronic cigarette sales, says the Commons health committee. MPs of all parties also advocated a ban on e-cigarette advertising and the use of flavours targeted to youth: “We need to figure this out”.

Plunging oil prices are bad for the country despite “more money in the pockets” for motorists and transport companies, says the Bank of Canada. Oil’s fall is expected to cost the federal treasury almost $5 billion this year, prompting a delay in the budget till April: “Most of the negative effects will appear in the first half of this year”.

Legacy media including local TV stations and daily newspapers will vanish within a decade, the Senate communications committee has been told. The forecast of a media upheaval by 2025 came as senators ended hearings on the future of the CBC: “There will be no local-broadcast TV stations in Canada”.

Federal regulators should mandate electronic monitors in all interprovincial trucking to target scofflaws who flout rules on drivers’ work hours, says the Commons transport committee. MPs yesterday recommended that Transport Canada abolish drivers’ paper logbooks, a reform urged by trucking and union executives for ten years: “Paper systems are easier to fudge”.

MPs have quietly ended 148 years of parliamentary tradition by agreeing to permit Canadians to submit mass internet petitions to the Commons. The reform will have a far-reaching impact on lawmakers, predicted one committee chair: “This is a huge shift”.

British Columbia leads the nation in undrinkable tap water, according to a Council of Canadians survey. Researchers noted the data is skewed by uneven reporting from other provinces, citing by example Prince Edward Island that does not publicly announce drinking water advisories: “We need more information”.

Most telecom companies rate poorly on safeguarding subscribers’ personal information and alerting customers when government agencies seek their data, says a University of Toronto report. Researchers proposed amendments to federal law to protect customers’ privacy: “It would be better if this was a requirement”.

Hiring of low-skilled foreign workers appeared to be the first choice for many Canadians employers seeking entry-level employees, says the Parliamentary Budget Office. Researchers noted the share of migrants in the national labour force tripled between 2002 and 2012: “It should be the second choice”.

Aquaculture lobbyists are responsible for a rewrite of the Fisheries Act that fails to provide a “fair balance” on environmental protection, says a Conservative senator. The remarks came as the Department of Fisheries acknowledged public protest has prompted rewording of regulations favouring aquaculture companies: “There is a tremendous public outcry”.

The Treasury Board faces scrutiny over whether its workplace policy violates human rights law. A federal judge ordered the Canadian Human Rights Commission to investigate claims of discrimination against employees unable to work due to disability: “This is not an isolated incident”.

Cabinet is enacting new regulations targeting unwanted migrant workers and the Canadian companies that hire them. The amendments precede an April 1 deadline that would see the expulsion of thousands of temporary foreign workers: “Canada is serious”.

Transport Canada has been unable to hire enough rail inspectors to keep pace with shipments of dangerous goods, the Commons transport committee has been told. The warning comes ahead of today’s release of a long-awaited committee report on rail safety: “The department has been going full-tilt on recruitment”.