There is no evidence of price gouging by gas retailers amid slumping oil prices, says the Department of Finance. A staff memo released through Access To Information did not explain anomalies between low oil costs and high retail prices for consumers: “The entire benefit of lower gasoline prices has been passed on fully”.
Canadians eat too much sugar, says a senior health department official. Staff did not comment on lobbying by grocers to delay new sugar labeling requirements on processed foods: ‘We obviously have concerns about obesity’.
Cabinet will not disclose documents justifying an unannounced repeal of hiring caps on migrant workers benefiting seasonal employers. The labour minister told a Commons committee that restrictions were “not sensitive enough” in addressing labour shortages: “This flies in the face of the commitment that we heard”.
A Conservative bill promising $1 billion in new charitable tax credits could offset federal social spending, says an advocate. MPs yesterday opened debate on the private bill that would see charity credits raised to the same level as political contributions: “Is it good economics? Absolutely”.
Anti-trust investigators are expanding a probe of two of the nation’s largest retailers for alleged breach of the Competition Act. Federal lawyers want to question current and former employees at Sears Canada and Hudson’s Bay Co. over sales practices: ‘The strategy is known as high-low pricing’.
A federal board faces a second lawsuit from an offshore oil company over release of records through Access To Information. A judge earlier upheld the ability of the Canada-Newfoundland & Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board to disclose contested documents to the public: “The law is clear”.
Federal courts for the second time in three months have dismissed dubious claims of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome by government employees. The latest judgment came in the case of a Mountie who complained of stress after being reprimanded for drinking: ‘The RCMP is not prevented from applying discipline’.
The go-ahead for a class action lawsuit will determine the legality of millions paid by Canadians for courier brokerage fees, say consumer advocates. United Parcel Service Canada Ltd. challenged the lawsuit against mandatory fees for eBay buyers and others who ship goods from the U.S.: “We get calls every day”.
The public works department has quietly shelved a three-year program to abolish paper cheques. Staff confirmed a scheme to force all Canadians owed tax refunds, pensions or benefits to submit their bank account data to the government is ended: “They put it in there when no one was looking”.
Industry is seeking answers from Finance Canada over promised tariff breaks for food processors and manufacturers. The department has withheld details of the cross-border tax cuts pledged in the March 22 budget: “A careful analysis would be necessary”.
Telecom companies are not necessarily subject to human rights complaints from customers, judges have concluded. The Supreme Court declined to hear any further appeal in the case involving a blind Winnipeg subscriber who complained of discrimination: “Back to the drawing board”.
A retiree who claimed disastrous penny stock investments as business losses has seen his write-offs dismissed by Tax Court. A federal judge cautioned against throwing “good money after bad” in the stock market: “The business plan was to act on tips”.
Foreign investors from China, the U.S. and other countries own 10% of condominiums in downtown Toronto and 7.5 percent in Vancouver, says CMHC. Claims of even lower rates of foreign ownership in suburbs are contradicted by earlier research from a federal anti-money laundering agency: “We are facing housing supply issues”.
The Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a longtime RCMP officer denied promotion over malicious gossip. A federal judge earlier criticized the RCMP Commissioner for acting on rumours in the case: “The Commissioner is king”.
The Canada Revenue Agency is suing the nation’s largest bank over a $15,500 tax claim. The cost of the federal lawsuit is expected to exceed any court award. The action follows a 2014 internal report that concluded the tax department is “good at simple things”.
