The defence department is issuing 203 pages of specifications for new sleeping bags for the troops. The exhaustive contract notice surpasses an earlier record of 167 pages of specs for mukluks: “The soldier should be able to understand the function of the system.”
About a third of Canadians remain indifferent to official bilingualism though it has been an Act of Parliament since 1969, says newly-released research. The Department of Canadian Heritage survey found 39 percent were indifferent when asked if they’re keen to “know more about Francophone communities.”
One major airport leads the nation in wait times for travelers to clear customs, according to Access To Information records. Vancouver International more than doubled other airports with the number of times travelers stood in line for up to an hour: ‘A 20-minute wait is not always possible.’
VIA Rail for the second time in a month is being faulted by regulators for poor customer service. The latest complaint involved a passenger who claimed staff were “rude and aggressive” when she asked for help in boarding a train: “Service providers have a duty.”
The Federal Court confirms an unidentified employee used a courthouse computer to edit Blacklock’s Wikipedia page. The edits occurred the same day a judge issued a $65,000 cost award against Blacklock’s for attempting to halt unauthorized distribution of copyright works by federal employees. The Attorney General’s department admits it leaked the $65,000 decision to a blogger and Globe & Mail columnist.
Andrew Baumberg, counsel for the Federal Court, said that “assuming the integrity of the revision logs kept by Wikipedia”, an unnamed staffer used a Court Administration Services IP address to alter the page on December 21. “Employees are not prevented from using Wikipedia,” said Baumberg.
“It is the IP address for the Courts Administration Services firewall which provides a single IP address for all internet traffic related to over 620 Administration Services employees and to members of the four Courts served by the Administration,” he said.
“Employees are allowed limited personal use of federal networks and devices,” said Baumberg. He would not name the person who altered the Blacklock’s entry, or comment when asked if it was proper for Court staff to edit a plaintiff’s Wikipedia page.
‘65,000 Lumps Of Coal’
The Wikipedia edits came the same day Justice Robert Barnes issued a $65,000 cost award against Blacklock’s in an unsuccessful lawsuit against the Department of Finance. Blacklock’s sued for $17,817 after it caught Finance staff copying its works without payment or permission.
Finance staff cut and paste news stories into emails beginning October 10, 2013, five weeks after the department on September 11 asked Blacklock’s for the cost of a licensing agreement and was quoted the $17,817 figure. Employees who copied the stories included Stephanie Rubec, currently a spokesperson for Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Rubec had requested Blacklock’s licensing rates on September 11, 2013.
In his ruling, Justice Robert Barnes described Blacklock’s as “self-serving”; said the copyright claim had no “legal merit”; denied the case “raised ‘strong public interest considerations’”; and concluded the lawsuit “should never have been commenced let alone carried to trial.”
The December 21 decision was privately emailed by a Court clerk to lawyers in the case. The Court’s Baumberg said he was not involved in any leaks of the document. “I myself have not received any such request,” he said. In a timeline of the December 21 release:
Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould’s department told Blacklock’s that staff leaked the decision to the blogger and Globe columnist. The department did not explain its motive. Wilson-Raybould in a 2015 Ministerial Mandate letter committed to “set a higher bar for openness and transparency”; “avoid escalating conflicts unnecessarily”; and regard media as “professionals who, by asking necessary questions, contribute in an important way to the democratic process. Your professionalism and engagement with them is essential.”
Blacklock’s is appealing the $65,000 cost award. The company is also proceeding this month with litigation against the Department of the Environment and Health Canada for unauthorized distribution of its copyright works without permission or a licensing agreement.
By Staff 
British Airways is ordered to pay thousands in compensation to Canadian travelers whose tickets were cancelled. The order by the Transportation Agency follows a federal report critical of a complaints-based system that requires air passengers to take individual cases to the tribunal: ‘It is producing suboptimal, piecemeal outcomes for industry, consumers and the regulator alike.’
A federal agency mandated to track down war criminals is deporting more suspects than its prosecuting, data show. The justice department unit said it has deported 17 accused war criminals: “Are we living up to our international obligations?”
Library & Archives Canada is investigating ways to publicly release its mammoth sound and film collection now stored in warehouses. Staff contacted Google Canada Inc. to post archival material on the web: “The movie collection is out of this world.”
We wish you a happy New Year. Blacklock’s pauses this week for our annual holiday break and will return January 3 — The Editor
Warmest wishes to our growing community of friends and subscribers for a safe and happy holiday. Blacklock’s reporters, contributors and shareholders bid you the best of the Christmas season — The Editor
Cabinet in a rare Christmas dismissal has ousted the president of a Crown corporation. One staffer yesterday said employees were celebrating the termination of the $175,000-a year CEO: ‘I was brought in to clean up the mess.’
Provincial liquor board monopolies have a right to charge markups, a Court of Appeal has ruled. One small distiller challenged a 140 percent markup on whiskey as an unconstitutional tax: “It just doesn’t make sense.”
An obscure and uninhabited Atlantic island deserves federal protection, says a senior Liberal MP. Cabinet is being petitioned to have a scenic Nova Scotia island declared Canada’s 55th National Wildlife Area: “It’s a Canadian treasure, completely original.”
Legislators desperately need accurate data on the rising cost of crime and courts, says a Department of Public Safety report. Costs in Canada are estimated among the highest in the industrialized world outside the U.S.: ‘Concerns about sustainability of Canadian justice system programs and services have emerged.’
Federal agencies need better information on youth unemployment, says a cabinet-appointed panel. The complaint echoes a 2014 recommendation from the Commons finance committee for improved labour market information for young job-seekers: “Young people often don’t know where or even how to find work.”
