An insurance broker who didn’t sell a customer enough coverage has been ordered to pay nearly a quarter-million in compensation. Brokers have a duty to determine clients' needs, said Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench: "An insurance professional should not rely on the goodness of human nature."
Money laundering by drug dealers nationwide is worth more than half a billion dollars a year, says a federal agency. The Access To Information disclosure follows a Commons health committee report recommending Parliament decriminalize simple possession of narcotics: "Traffickers deposit cash into their chequing and savings accounts to pay bills."
A national press ombudsman in the first ruling on election campaign coverage yesterday dismissed complaints of biased reporting by a British Columbia weekly. Readers complained of snide treatment of a Pentecostal church that planned an October 10 all-candidates’ debate: "I'm getting tired of it."
Legal Aid clients have no right to privacy over disclosure of how much their case cost taxpayers, a St. John’s judge has ruled. The decision came in an Access To Information request for ten years’ worth of payments to Legal Aid law firms: 'It is not an unreasonable invasion of privacy.'
The Department of Immigration is budgeting $52,000 on special counseling for fifty-seven overseas employees suspected of “compassion fatigue”. The condition has been cited in other research involving paramedics and emergency room medical teams: "Compassion fatigue is real."
The Department of Canadian Heritage in an Access To Information memo confirms a steady decline in CBC ad revenues since the loss of Hockey Night In Canada profits. It contradicts earlier CBC claims that loss of hockey licensing cost the network only a “few dollars”.
The national pay equity gap has narrowed to 87¢ with men and women in one province at parity on hourly wage income, Statistics Canada said yesterday. Women achieved higher pay and better education in the past twenty years but typically still earn less than men: "I was a victim."
The chair of the Senate budget committee has resigned as director of Telus Communications, a federal contractor. Senate rules allow public office holders to serve on the boards of federally-regulated corporations: "A senator may own securities."
A Conservative Party proposal to eliminate admission fees at national museums would cost $20 million next year, says the Parliamentary Budget Office. Similar free admission at national parks cost Parks Canada $53.8 million but boosted attendance by nearly half a million people: "We try to think of what is a responsible amount."
A Crown bank has introduced a generous Incentive Pay Program that sees eligible employees get bonuses nine years out of ten, according to Access To Information records. Export Development Canada would not disclose how much it paid to senior staff: "It's ridiculous."
Federal regulators will not release a scientific report expected to prove one of Canada’s longest-running renewable energy projects is harmful to the environment. Access To Information records indicate cabinet ordered a report eighteen months ago into the Annapolis Tidal Plant: "Concerns have been raised."
The Canadian Press has filed a $50,000 federal lawsuit against a realtor for alleged copying of news photographs without payment or permission. One federal survey found copyright theft is now so common more than one in four Canadians admit to illegally downloading material off the internet: "In a business environment without penalties, everyone would steal cars."
A Canada Revenue Agency employee fired for claiming sick days when he wasn’t sick has been ordered re-hired with back pay and benefits. The offence was relatively “trivial”, said the Public Sector Labour Relations & Employment Board: 'He expressed some remorse.'
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “There is water on planet k2-18b, 110 light-years away in the Leo constellation. A year is short, only 33 days…”
Conservative Party organizers yesterday declined questions on their use of a photo depicting Chicago commuters to criticize federal infrastructure spending. The photo was altered to remove an American reference: "Our position is very clear."
