Research shows reported hate crimes in Canada typically involve mischief and teenage vandalism, with more than a fifth of police-noted incidents never confirmed as actual Criminal Code offences: “You’ve got a lot of graffiti artists out there.”
Regulators have rejected another bid by Bell Media Inc. to broadcast more American programming on a specialty channel, this time amid complaints of low ratings. The ruling comes as the CRTC proposes a complete review of television policy in Canada.
The Canadian Transportation Agency has denied compensation to an Air Canada passenger who had her ticket cancelled for late check-in, though the airline made her late in the first place: “This unfortunate decision underscores the need for legislation.”
A bill to end a 172-year tradition of notifying Canadians of changes to federal regulations will perish with expected prorogation of Parliament this summer. No government member would take Blacklock’s questions on S-12, the bill to alter a disclosure practice that pre-dates Confederation. “S-12, what’s that?” said the bill’s sponsor in the Commons.
One of the largest lawyers’ groups in the country has trademarked a motivational slogan to counter a “negative picture” of barristers and solicitors. “It shows lawyers are people,” said a Hamilton, Ont. litigator who promoted the campaign to “humanize” the profession.
Small business advocates are endorsing a Competition Bureau ruling on changes at Interac though higher fees will result. Interac won approval to raise penny and nickel fees charged retailers: “If Interac succeeds, small businesses will continue to have some competition.”
Telecom commissioners have denied a bid to double payphone charges from 50¢ to a dollar. Advocacy groups cheered the decision by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecom Commission on behalf of users of the nation’s 167,000 payphones: “Denying the rate increase was a good thing.”
A cross-boundary dispute over a fish dubbed a nuisance species is ending after nearly two decades. Advocates question whether the resolution comes too late for one of Canada’s heritage waterways, the St. Croix: “It is a river that has so many challenges.”
Front-line guards with the Canada Border Services Agency have no electronic method of instantaneously flagging “armed and dangerous” travellers at U.S. crossings, according to court testimony. A federal judge noted computerized background checks would slow cross-border traffic to a crawl.
Canada Post inspectors have seized loads of contraband from drugs to guns, including hundreds of kilograms of marijuana, cocaine, hashish and khat, and 356 bottles of vodka: “It’s unfortunately a reality.”
Newly-appointed Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq took office as an advocacy group warned federal policies imperil the national parks system. It follows enactment of a bill to permit oil and gas exploration in one national park, and a proposal to drill within metres of another.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sacked one-fifth of his cabinet, in the largest shakeup of its kind since the 2011 election. The Prime Minister today dismissed eight ministers, including fisheries minister Keith Ashfield who is undergoing cancer treatments. Harper in appointing new advisers also expanded the total size of cabinet from 36 to 38 ministers.
A businessman who was once the king of grey market TV has lost a bid to take Canada Revenue Agency to the Supreme Court for purported bullying. The former Saskatchewan TV dealer alleged he was threatened with prosecution if he didn’t plead guilty to tax offences dating back 15 years — yet was never charged.
Newly-released Health Canada records document incidents of what’s become an urban legend: exploding cookware. The Department of Health documented at least 21 complaints over a ten-year period from Canadians who reported they were injured by flying glass from cookware, including consumers so badly hurt they required medical attention.
The National Energy Board has been hit with protests after proposing regulations that would prohibit farmers from wheeling grain carts over buried pipelines. Among the board’s suggestions — that landowners call each time they wanted to cross the right of way: “The whole purpose was to solicit feedback.”
