The Federal Court of Appeal has upheld denial of Employment Insurance benefits to a receptionist fired for drinking off-duty. The woman was employed by a British Columbia First Nation with an alcohol ban: 'It showed little tolerance.'
Dinners out with a spouse are not deductible, Tax Court has ruled. The judgment came in the case of a Halifax couple who claimed thousands in write-offs “eating by themselves” where they claimed to discuss a family business that never turned a profit: "My wife and I talked about the business so that it would be included for tax purposes."
One in five taxpayers, 20 percent, tell the Canada Revenue Agency it’s worth the risk to cheat on yearly returns, says in-house research. The Agency rated 13 percent of tax filers as “outlaws”, especially residents in two regions of the country: "I don't think of tax cheating as a real crime."
One federal department spent millions a year on new computers while it sold or scrapped near-new equipment at the same time. Auditors at the Department of Fisheries also cited management for pointlessly storing thousands of old hard drives for years, even decades: "Errors were found to be significant."
A federal judge yesterday approved payment of one of the largest legal bills in Canadian history, a total $62 million in an out-of-court settlement with former Indian Day School students. “This was always a risky case,” wrote Federal Court Justice Michael Phelan: 'Risk should be rewarded.'
Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien is months late in completing a promised review of federal plans to scoop bank records on some 1.5 million Canadians. Therrien’s office would not explain why it missed a June 21 deadline to report to the public: "Do you think there's a problem there?"
An Information Commissioner in the harshest verdict to date has cited a public agency for wholesale violations of Access To Information law. Nova Scotia Commissioner Catherine Tully faulted the province’s Department of Energy for overcharging fees, hiding records and stalling disclosure of documents for years at a time: “It has been unbelievable.”
Canadian drivers are suspicious of robot cars, says in-house research by the Department of Transportation. Only 33 percent of motorists surveyed said they would be comfortable as a passenger in a fully automated vehicle: "My driving is good."
A federally-regulated trucking company has been ordered to pay $7,000 in damages after a manager uttered a racial slur against an Indigenous driver. The incident was despicable, ruled the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal: "These types of racial insults are highly reprehensible."
A public employee in Alberta has lost a bid to divert union dues to a local charity. The Alberta Labour Relations Board ruled there was no evidence the applicant was sincere: "They said I was vexatious and just trying to stir up trouble."
The Canada Revenue Agency in an Offshore Compliance Audit Manual recommends auditors use Google and Facebook searches to find tax scofflaws. “The internet is a wonderful resource,” said the manual obtained through Access To Information: "Auditors should use their judgment."
Conservative MPs yesterday petitioned the Commons ethics committee to reopen televised hearings on SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. The committee’s Liberal majority last March 26 vetoed any investigation of complaints the Prime Minister and senior aides went to extraordinary lengths to quash a criminal prosecution of the company: "Canadians deserve fulsome answers."
More than a quarter of passengers surveyed are unaware airlines are obliged to pay for lost or damaged luggage. The research at airports nationwide was conducted by the Canadian Transportation Agency prior to the July introduction of a passenger rights’ code: "Did you know airlines can be held liable?"
A British Columbia judge has explained a seven-figure corporate fine for an offshore spill that breached three Acts of Parliament. The $2.9 million penalty over the sinking of the tug Nathan E. Stewart is equivalent to less than one percent of the operator's revenues: "The offence was not intentional."
Senior Liberals including the Prime Minister and aides arranged at least 49 separate meetings and phone calls to discuss SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. legal troubles, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion yesterday disclosed. The full extent of attempts to save the company from criminal prosecution is not known since officials concealed documents from investigators, wrote Dion: "The focus is on the Prime Minister."
