The partial privatization of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is unlikely to change the Crown agency’s corporate direction anytime soon, says a senior executive. Cabinet has said it will “shortly” privatize operations at AECL’s labs in Chalk River, Ont.
The feds forecast a golden age of Canadian agriculture following historic high farm incomes and exports in 2012. “Not bad while the global recession is still on,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told a Commons committee.
Canada’s Mental Health Commission and partners are drafting a national standard to promote mental health in the workplace, much like existing accident prevention programs. Mental health issues account for some 30 percent of short-term disability claims, analysts estimate: “Companies have really resisted dealing with this.”
Federal regulators propose more increases in user fees, this time on pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers. That follows proposed hikes in fees on park visits, grain inspection, and piloting of freighters through the Great Lakes.
A new report is fueling fresh debate over Alberta’s oilsands, suggesting development must be re-evaluated to maximize benefits: “This is an industry that is headed into major turbulence.” An oil price plunge to $27 per barrel in 1986 froze oilsands development, and drove Alberta into its worst budget crisis since the 1930s.
Regulators are cautioning Canadian insurers to plan for “catastrophic losses from exposure to earthquakes,” but could not explain the timing of their report. The nation has had five fatal earthquakes in the past 400 years, according to the Geological Survey of Canada, with a majority of deaths due to drowning and heart attacks.
Canada’s outgoing Commissioner of the Environment, in his final testimony before a Senate committee, said regulators are outnumbered in monitoring the long-term safety of resource development: “We cannot cover everything.”
A ceasefire in neighbourhood wars over cellphone towers is being touted by wireless providers and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Cities complain of taking flak over 15-metre towers that are actually regulated by the federal Department of Industry.
Regulators have told Canada’s largest airline to immediately comply with federal law that forbids discrimination against blind passengers. The ruling came in favour of an Ottawa woman who missed a flight after being issued unreadable documents.
MPs last night rejected a motion for long-term public works funding as critics invoked a range of complications from the federal deficit to elections in Italy. “This motion is completely useless,” said Transport Minister Denis Lebel; “Our record speaks for itself.”
New federal legislation on financial literacy is no remedy for weak regulation, says a national advocacy group. The Senate passed a bill to appoint a “Financial Literacy Leader,” though Ottawa already has a Financial Consumer Agency commissioner.
A federal agency charged taxpayers $11,000 to fund a study program called “Understanding Canada” at the University of Michigan, a 40 kilometre drive from Canada. The program was intended to “develop greater knowledge and understanding of Canada,” located a short drive down Interstate 96.
Federal regulators are being petitioned against giving Air Canada another break on funding of its multi-billion dollar pension deficit. Competitors oppose any ad hoc regulation to favour the carrier that’s been struggling with pension liabilities since its 2003 bankruptcy.
The nation’s twin national railways propose a combined $3 billion in spending this year on new equipment and upgrades. Canadian National is allocating $1.9 billion in spending; Canadian Pacific $1.1 billion, figures show.
A defence agency raced through a multi-million dollar computer contract evaluation in 9 business days in an apparent outbreak of “March Madness.” It is the annual springtime burn of unspent funds before the expiry of the federal fiscal year at midnight on March 31.
