Canada Revenue Agency has won another court case involving a charity fraud that helped inspire proposed new regulations on tax preparers. A federal judge dismissed a claim by a couple who claimed to donate $44,464 to a man they knew only as Oscar, and another man named Dave: “Not credible”.
The purchase of farmland by outside investors should be seen as a financial opportunity and not a threat, says the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. The group told a farm economics conference that corporate investors “bring badly needed capital into the industry”.
Half of Canadians surveyed have not heard of cabinet’s signature trade agreement with the European Union. A survey commissioned by UPS Canada Inc., a supporter of the treaty, found 47 percent were unaware a deal was signed four months ago: “It was surprising”.
MPs are preparing to pass a “flawed” anti-counterfeiting bill that industry executives rate as costly and ineffectual. Opposition parties pledged support for Bill C-8 but only due to a lack of any alternative, MPs said: ““You better take what you can get”.
Health Canada must monitor doctors’ off-label drug prescriptions, warns a Senate committee. And lawmakers urged a crackdown on the illegal promotion of off-label uses by pharmaceutical sales reps: “We think it’s inexcusable”.
A Conservative bill to observe Pope John Paul II Day has encountered unexpected resistance in the Senate. Lawmakers urged pause for thought on issues of church and state, including the Vatican’s refusal to ordain women priests: “It is a bill that deserves a lot of discussion”.
An extraordinary 1 in 4 employees at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have sought psychological counselling, authorities say. The agency acknowledged heavy use of its Employee Assistance Program by anxious workers: “Whenever something goes wrong they get called on the rug”.
Farmers must not be “done in by public pressure” from the Sierra Club over bee-killing pesticides, says a Conservative senator. Nicole Eaton, member of a Senate committee reviewing neonicotinoid chemicals, said growers should resist environmental petitions or face vilification like the Alberta oil industry: “I take that as a compliment”.
The Supreme Court has upheld the firing of a Canada Border Services Agency guard who mused about initiating a wildcat strike in a website commentary. A panel of justices dismissed an appeal of the firing: “I’m not surprised the employer would react strongly”.
They used to call Toronto
New York run by the Swiss.
Decades later,
its charm
and cosmopolitan vibrancy
are still running strong,
even though the Swiss
may have been replaced
by the Sicilians.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday) 
MPs have voted to proceed with hearings on a bill that would speed decertification of unions nationwide. The Commons voted 149 to 133 for Second Reading of Bill C-525, though a similar Saskatchewan measure is about to undergo a constitutional test at the Supreme Court: “This is red meat”.
Health Canada has won a court ruling that it cannot be sued for acting to protect the public, even if it’s mistaken. A federal judge struck a $102.4 million lawsuit by a now-defunct natural product company that claimed it was ruined by Health Canada’s unwarranted recall of its bestselling product: “They make mistakes”.
A privacy bill deemed “adversarial” by Industry Canada has been killed by MPs. The Commons voted 150 to 133 to defeat the private measure that mandated half-million dollar fines for corporate breaches of individuals’ privacy: “This perhaps will awaken the debate”.
Money Mart, one of the nation’s largest payday loan operators, has lost a bid to steer angry customers to arbitration instead of a courtroom. The Supreme Court cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit for usery: “It’s now becoming a pretty tough row to hoe”.
Canada Post’s plans to be “sensitive” with service cuts smack of a bid to postpone the worst till after the next election, critics charge. The Crown agency refused comment on how it aims to eliminate doorstep mail delivery for 5 million people: “There is no plan”.
