The judge in a $3.5 million bid-rigging trial yesterday questioned evidence of alleged wrongdoing by Library & Archives Canada staff. Lawyers began closing arguments in the trial at Ontario Superior Court: “It strikes me that almost anything anybody does in a certain context could create an opportunity for somebody else to defraud.”
A parliamentary committee is citing Environment Canada and other agencies for repeatedly breaching a federal law to protect threatened fish and wildlife. The finding follows a 2014 Federal Court ruling that regulators took extraordinary delays — up to 11 years — in enforcing their own Species At Risk Act: “It is not an aspirational goal; it’s a binding legal requirement.”
Parks Canada skewed a six-figure survey in claiming 95 percent of Canadians enjoyed visiting national parks last year. Data show the survey disproportionately targeted retirees in Alberta and British Columbia who liked to visit parks, anyway. The Agency yesterday did not comment: “If the respondents qualified, they were interviewed.”
Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier is appealing a Court judgment that cited tax auditors for abusive practice and malicious prosecution of a family-run restaurant. The Agency’s pursuit of a British Columbia couple falsely accused of tax evasion is now in its 13th year: ‘It may indicate an unfortunate culture within the Canada Revenue Agency.’
Federal spending on science and technology will decline 6 percent this year, by Statistics Canada estimate. The forecast comes a year after cabinet launched an Innovation And Skills Plan to “make Canada a world-leading centre for innovation.”
A 2014 bill granting the Canada Border Services Agency new powers to seize counterfeit goods has resulted in just two successful prosecutions in the past two years, say Access To Information records. The disclosures follow warnings by the Senate trade committee the bill appeared weak: “It’s pretty tough to amend legislation.”
The Department of National Defence, known for microscopic contracting specifications, has issued 11 pages of guidelines for soup. The military previously set a minimum diameter of cookies, and once issued specifications on how to lace a pair of boots: “Generally, soups are classified into two groups.”
A judge has ruled Customs officers may rightfully seize undeclared collector coins even if they’re worth less than reporting limits under federal law. Under the Proceeds Of Crime And Terrorist Financing Act cross-border travelers must report cash of $10,000 or more: “Collector coins are both currency and goods.”
Transport Canada paid $500,000 for a plywood shack valued at less than a tenth the price, records show. Staff yesterday did not comment on the cost of acquiring a small lot in Windsor, Ont. to make way for construction of a Customs plaza: “This information is commercially sensitive.”
The national carbon tax may cost industrial jobs, the Senate energy committee yesterday predicted. The report echoed an Access To Information memo from the Department of Natural Resources that the tax could undermine competitiveness: “How much of our welfare are we willing to risk to meet our climate change commitments?”
The number of federal managers with six-figure salaries has increased nearly 60 percent in seven years, according to newly-released records. Parliament does not mandate a so-called “sunshine list” compelling actual disclosure of individual salaries over $100,000 a year: “Canadians would be astonished.”
Mandating energy refits of existing buildings could cost owners of older homes a lifetime worth of equity, realtors have told the Senate energy committee. The Department of Natural Resources is drafting a little-known 2022 code requiring that all homes meet updated energy efficiency targets prior to resale: ‘We have to make sure homeowners don’t lose all the equity they’ve built over time.’
A federal copyright lawsuit alleges Bell Media Inc. republished a celebrity photographer’s work without payment or permission. Large media corporations including the CBC have been repeatedly cited for using photos in breach of the Copyright Act: “These licensing fees are how photographers make their livelihood.”
A retired judge hired under a ten-month, $548,750 contract to speak with former Residential School students says expenses include numerous services and subcontractors’ fees. Terms of the contract awarded without competitive bidding were obtained through Access To Information: “What I charge would be the same hourly rate as a relatively junior lawyer would get.”
A majority of Canadians, 70 percent, expect drug-impaired driving to rise with legal cannabis, says in-house research by the Department of Public Safety. Only 38 percent were aware of a cabinet bill to prohibit driving under the influence of marijuana: “Canadians are very unsure.”
