A federal labour board has upheld the firing of a Muslim call centre employee at the Canada Revenue Agency over Tweets celebrating deaths of Allied troops in Afghanistan. The board called the social media posts disturbing: "We want revenge. NATO must pay the price."
A national panel yesterday cited a radio station for breaching ethics guidelines for on-air contests. Listeners were urged to contact the station for a chance to win a sun holiday after the draw was already made: "I'm excited!"
Life insurers may deny claims by policyholders who conceal marijuana use, says the British Columbia Supreme Court. Underwriters testified people who smoke even a fraction of the amount allowed by Parliament are uninsurable: "All insurance is based on risk."
A federal agency predicts severe labour shortages in Atlantic Canada though local jobless rates are double or triple the national average. Researchers blamed the departure of young people to other provinces, and wage rates ten percent below the rest of the country: "Further research is needed."
The Transportation Safety Board yesterday said it’s investigating a statistical spike in rail crossing accidents in winter months. The Board counted 151 casualties in the last three years including 61 motorists killed at level crossings: "These tragedies can be prevented."
A Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed allegations of racism by Tim Hortons customers and staff in Calgary. Investigators said they could find no evidence the restaurant discriminated against Indigenous people: "Excuse me, sir."
Taxpayers have spent $3.04 billion to date on Parliament Hill renovations with a further $1.26 billion budgeted and billions more in unknown costs, says the Department of Public Works. It is “difficult to forecast”, wrote staff.
The Department of Labour has indefinitely shelved a 2015 Liberal campaign promise to revive a fair wages program for federal contractors. “We are reflecting carefully,” wrote staff.
VIA Rail is running later, says the Crown railway. Only 7 in 10 trains arrived on time last year compared to 85 percent on-time performance in 2001: "Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent and they are no further ahead than they were years ago."
A proposed class action lawsuit on climate change has been dismissed by Québec Superior Court. A judge ruled forecasts of catastrophic impacts were not persuasive: "If some of the alleged infringements have not yet occurred but they could someday, there is a risk the debate is only theoretical."
Say “Canada” and most people in France think of wildlife, Céline Dion and maple syrup, says research by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Focus groups also cited darker perceptions of the country as a place where police take away Indigenous people to "make way for pipeline projects".
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc used a federal contractor’s private plane to attend medical check-ups. LeBlanc in a filing with the Commissioner of Ethics said he traveled with his wife, a New Brunswick judge, aboard a J.D. Irving Ltd. corporate jet: "I was accompanied by my spouse."
A mammoth privacy breach at one of the nation’s largest credit unions could happen anytime, anywhere, Desjardins Group CEO Guy Cormier yesterday told the Commons public safety committee. The leak of personal information on 2.7 million clients is blamed on a single employee: 'It could happen again.'
Taxpayers have lost millions in the privatization of a Crown corporation, data show. A Prince Rupert, B.C. coal terminal valued at nearly a half-billion dollars in 2018 was sold for $350 million to American investors: "It would not be prudent."
Actual jobs created under a new billion-dollar Industry Canada corporate loan program are a fraction of federal claims, according to Access To Information data. Records show the plan announced as “an investment in jobs” created about a tenth the number claimed by cabinet: "Recipients are not required to report on the number of jobs."
