Natural Resources Canada tried to bill $34,500 to copy electronic records under the Access To Information Act. The department was cited for breach of federal law. Cabinet has ordered all agencies to halt the practice of levying fees to release public documents: ‘It was simply to obstruct’.
Canadians would see a $350 billion increase in electricity rates to meet cabinet’s greenhouse gas emission targets, says a utility lobbyist. The Canadian Electricity Association endorsed a carbon tax but only if the U.S. agrees: “It will not be an easy lift”.
Regulators must ensure “fair” access to internet bandwidth for rural customers, says the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance. The appeal followed a confidential federal report that concluded there is no business case to be made for universal high-speed access: ‘Why would we?’
The Royal Canadian Mint sold a celebrated electronic currency program for dimes on the dollar after financing its sale, new data show. Taxpayers and legislators who want a full accounting of losses on the program should file an Access To Information request, the Mint said: “I don’t believe that will be disclosed”.
Cabinet will closely monitor VIA Rail after the Crown service confirmed passenger trains now have a 30 percent chance of running late. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said on-time service should be corrected: “Passengers want to be on time”.
MPs are protesting an animal rights bill so far-reaching critics fear it would criminalize agricultural practices, transport of livestock, medical research and the Atlantic seal hunt. The bill’s Liberal sponsor appealed to the Commons to modernize animal cruelty laws: “It is wrong”.
Department of Fisheries staff are so stressed management is hiring a dedicated mental health professional for its British Columbia employees. Staff already have access to a 24-hour counselling service run by Health Canada: ‘Even good-natured ribbing may hurt’.
A federal plan to charge employees for parking has survived a labour board challenge. The defence department charged thousands of dollars a year to have Halifax dockyard employees drive to work: “There has been considerable discussion related to parking”.
Canada Post spent more than $76 million on a cancelled mailbox scheme. The reported expenses do not include legal costs to fend off an ongoing legal challenge of the program: “This was an absolute disaster”.
A bill mandating expanded French services in transportation should pass on its fourth attempt, says a Liberal senator. Airport managers have protested the bill is costly and complex: ‘It sounds like a difficult standard to meet’.
A quarter of the nation’s legacy co-operatives see no annual growth, according to new federal data. The industry department said co-ops remain a “democratic business model” though many are unable to expand: “There is a known problem”.
Canada Revenue Agency won’t explain why it took two decades to track down one of the nation’s last GST scofflaws. Auditors won a $71,000 court fine against an Ontario lawyer who had failed to file scores of quarterly sales tax returns since 1995: “Holy wow”.
Saccharine has been certified as a table-top sweetener forty years after the Canadian National Cancer Institute questioned its safety. New health department regulations should not encourage Canadians to eat it, said a Conservative senator: “Frankly I wouldn’t”.
32 killed in
Brussels’ terrorist attack.
The Peace Tower flag is at half-mast.
More than 80 killed by Boko Haram in northern
Nigeria; children burned alive.
More than 600 killed by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in
Ecuador; the deadliest to hit South America in 17 years.
The Peace Tower flag is flying high.
At the Prime Minister’s Office,
there must be a smartphone application
where they key-in the country’s name, the
number of casualties, and it tells them
how sympathetic we are
that day.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
Federal tax auditors are seeking a court order compelling the nation’s largest bank to divulge 40 years’ worth of records on offshore clients. The Canada Revenue Agency cited newspaper clippings on the Panama Papers scandal in their Federal Court application: “This speaks to management of the Agency”.
