VIA Rail in a report is praising itself for “warm, friendly” accommodation of disabled passengers. The Crown railway made no mention of a 2017 ruling by federal regulators that faulted VIA on its treatment of the disabled: “They still get it wrong.”
Federal managers are hiring a private investigator to probe alleged misconduct by Crown attorneys. The Public Prosecution Service confirmed the unusual investigation of Human Rights Act complaints at one of its largest offices: “The Law Society is aware of the allegations.”
An Ontario college has registered “Cannabis 101” under the Trademarks Act and launched the nation’s first post-secondary program on marijuana growing. The eight-month, $10,000 course opens weeks ahead of cabinet’s October 17 deadline to legalize recreational cannabis: “We are responding to market demand.”
Air Canada is challenging a compensation order to pay $1,812 for misplacing a passenger’s luggage for nearly a month. A Belgian traveler said his visit to Canada was spoiled by the incident: “I emailed them many, many times.”
Court records show a federal agency had staff pose as visitors and buy tour boat tickets to monitor industry practices. A judge ruled the practice by the Transportation Safety Board is legal, and does not breach privacy: “Investigators bought tickets for tours.”
You told me
your friend lives nearby.
You meant
eight hours away on gravel roads
through forests and jagged peaks,
crossing creeks and rugged canyons
on narrow wooden bridges,
encountering a grizzly or two
and next service 366 km.
Welcome to the Yukon!
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
The Department of National Defence polled Canadians on whether they consider the U.S. or its president as security threats, records show. Donald Trump was rated a bigger threat to the nation than North Korea or natural disasters: ‘It’s to understand the views, perceptions and opinions of Canadians.’
Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould yesterday said cabinet does not plan legislative changes to the jury system despite an appeal by the Commons justice committee. Witnesses told MPs low pay, lack of support and one provision of the Criminal Code compromise jurors who attend gruesome criminal trials: “I had no way to fully comprehend how bad it would be.”
The Senate social affairs committee yesterday demanded a federal apology to unwed mothers pressured into surrendering infants for adoption in postwar years. Senators stopped short of advocating compensation: “That’s not something we got into.”
Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor yesterday rejected a parliamentary proposal to appoint a federal advisor on the perils of antimicrobial resistance. The health department has no data on the number of Canadians who die from superbug infections that cannot be treated with antibiotics: “There is significantly more work to be done.”
A federal judge has ruled Health Canada breached its own drug safety law. A former Conservative MP who sponsored the 2014 legislation yesterday described the department’s misconduct as shameful: “They were in Federal Court fighting against transparency; they still don’t get it at Health Canada.”
The Department of Public Safety in an Access To Information memo says it has a critical need for data on organized crime in Canada. The Prime Minister yesterday appointed a new Minister Responsible for Organized Crime Reduction, former Toronto police chief Bill Blair: “There is no higher responsibility for a government.”
The Parliamentary Budget Office yesterday forecast interest charges on the national debt will eat 16¢ of every $1 collected in income tax by 2024. Parliament has not balanced a budget in eleven years, and has fixed no deadline to bring in a surplus: “Debt charges for the federal government will increase.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs unfairly dismissed a widow’s appeal for benefits based on inaccurate assumptions, a federal judge has ruled. The decision followed six years of appeals: “In my view this is an unsatisfactory situation.”
Canada’s 60,000 federally-registered charities may engage in non-partisan political activities under a sweeping Ontario Superior Court ruling. A judge yesterday struck down Canada Revenue Agency guidelines on advocacy as an illegal curb on free speech: “The impact of this case is huge.”
