Canada once more is rated poorly in an international study on innovation. A Conference Board report ranked Canada 9th out of 16 countries, only a slight improvement from previous years: “Businesses are not doing as well as they could”.
A federal department is buying Made In Canada flags in an apparent change of policy. The immigration department would not comment on its requirement that only Canadian suppliers may bid to supply a million souvenir flags for swearing-in ceremonies: ‘A flag is a keepsake of citizenship’.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a taxpayer denied retroactive Canada Pension Plan benefits. The judgment follows disclosures that more than a quarter-million eligible Canadians have not claimed payments they’re entitled to receive: “How fair is that?”
A legal challenge of $900 million federal cuts to sick leave provisions for employees will not be heard in court before the October 19 election. The federal lawsuit by a coalition of unions is scheduled for hearings ten days after the vote: “We are doing everything we can”.
In a case dubbed a “wake-up call” for business, Porter Airlines Inc. has paid a $150,000 fine for violating federal anti-spam rules. The company also agreed to submit annual reports to regulators detailing its compliance with rules that restrict sending unsolicited emails: “Porter admitted it did not have proof of consent”.
Loan payments and interest last year cost Canadian households the equivalent of more than triple the national defence budget, new data show. Statistics Canada calculated interest payments owed on credit cards, installment loans and other non-mortgage debt totaled $38.3 billion, with another $60 billion paid on principal: “What happens when there is no paycheque?”
Most young Canadians have never heard of a national consumers’ Wireless Code and few are aware of a federal agency mandated to take public complaints, says CRTC research. The Code was introduced in 2013 on a promise of improved service: “The CRTC needed reliable data”.
A grounded Canadian-based airline SkyGreece is pleading for time from federal regulators amid demands it immediately compensate stranded passengers. More than a thousand travellers were left without flights when the Montréal-staffed carrier halted operations last month: ‘It blatantly violated the rights of passengers’.
The federal Public Health Agency is spending nearly a million dollars on research to determine the spread of mosquito-borne West Nile Virus and other diseases in wildlife populations. The sweep follows a warning of increased risks due to climate change: “The purpose here is to find the clues in nature”.
Canada Post is refusing to disclose how many complaints it’s received over a national program to abolish home mail delivery. The number of complaints is “commercially sensitive” and deemed confidential, the Crown agency said: “Customers are freaking out!”
A majority of Health Canada employees who seek counselling say workplace conflict and other stress affects their ability to function. And 1 in 5 said they missed at least four days of work in the past month due to emotional problems: “I often found myself thinking about work at home”.
Canada has one of the poorest records of any industrialized county in combating urban “heat islands” blamed for micro-temperature gains in big cities, says a Québec analyst. Parliament last winter defeated a bill for a national program to control urban heat waves: ‘A couple of degrees makes a huge difference’.
Transport Canada faces more protest over a program to require installation of new safety equipment in every aircraft in the country. An industry group said the federal mandate would see thousands of pilots and owners install obsolete equipment at significant cost: “If the thing worked properly it would be a bargain”.
One in four Canadians expects the economy to further sink this year amid fears of lost savings and rising personal debt, according to pre-election polling by the Department of Finance. The in-house research found 23% fear the economy would get worse over six months; 42% fear a significant downturn within a year: “Wages have not kept pace”.
Federal regulators face an emergency request to aid passengers stranded by the closure of a Canadian-based airline, SkyGreece. The Canadian Transportation Agency received an application from an advocacy group Air Passenger Rights that it aid passengers and ensure SkyGreece assets are secured for payment of compensation claims: “This gives the Agency an opportunity to show where it stands on passenger issues”.
