The Federal Court of Appeal yesterday faulted the National Energy Board as “confused” and wrong in law when it failed to order hearings on a pipeline application. The Board was successfully challenged by a British Columbia contractor: "It’s the obligation of citizens to hold their feet to the fire."
The Federal Court of Appeal has ordered a human rights investigation on whether a bank properly pulled a mortgage from a marijuana user. The judgment is the latest on far-reaching impacts of legal cannabis on property law, zoning and insurance: "The Bank does not allow marijuana in their communities."
Federal research shows nearly half of young Canadians surveyed, 47 percent, used electronic cigarettes at least occasionally. The number of tobacco users nationwide is 18 percent. A first-ever bill to regulate vaping is pending in the Commons: "It is cool or trendy."
The Federal Court says it destroyed audio tapes of hearings in apparent breach of Federal Court Rules. The digital recordings were of courthouse conferences on Blacklock’s claims against Crown agencies for breach of the Copyright Act. Administrators earlier admitted an unidentified person used a courthouse computer to edit Blacklock’s Wikipedia page: “It would be inappropriate for the Attorney General to comment.”
The Department of Finance spent $59,331 on focus group interviews that asked Canadians, “What keeps you up at night?” Respondents said they worried about losing their job, and Donald Trump: "Finance Canada wanted to get a clear and current sense of the evolution of the public mood."
The Department of Natural Resources is investing in a gaming program complete with prizes to “engage Canadians” on fuel conservation as they face a national carbon tax. One MP described the project as a money-wasting scheme: "A potential game would need to be fun."
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce yesterday in a report urged Parliament to spend more on roads and other basic infrastructure. Researchers cited data that Canada’s three largest cities suffer gridlock that has sent average commute times up to an hour-and-a-half: 'They are really strangling themselves.'
A federal judge has faulted Transport Canada for revoking a longtime employee’s security clearance on innuendo and a flawed RCMP report. The Federal Court ruled the department went too far in punishing a nine-year employee with a spotless record: 'To put it bluntly, we don't know why.'
A Senate committee chair says the public expects Health Canada to honour its promise to restrict junk food advertising to children. A department Access To Information memo indicates staff proposed to defer regulations for fear of industry lawsuits: "What is Health Canada's position?"
An Alberta company has filed a federal lawsuit against the Government of Canada and three provinces for mass expropriation of copyright data. Geophysical Service Inc. identified Crown agencies that gave away millions’ worth of company work, or sold it for as little as $759: "It is unbelievable."
Restaurateurs are condemning the federal Competition Bureau for an unsolicited proposal to boost food trucks. The industry says it was neither consulted nor advised of the agency’s report: 'I find this a little hard to swallow.'
The Federal Court of Appeal in a far-reaching judgment has ruled workplace health and safety enforcement may apply off an employer’s property. The rare split decision followed an appeal by mail carriers: "The fact there was a dissent does raise the ante."
Environmental groups have won a Federal Court ruling against Health Canada and four chemical companies over pesticide safety. The Court rejected the department’s bid to dismiss without trial a claim that regulators unlawfully licensed pesticides: "It's a big victory."
Cabinet is expanding post-secondary grants to students by $138.6 million a year after citing rising defaults under its repayable Canada Student Loan program. Write-offs of unpaid loans cost $354.4 million in the past two years: "I hope we’re not going to see the write-offs increase as we expand the grant system."
Transport Canada in a climate change forecast predicts severe damage to northern roads and airfields, fewer snow days in Québec and more wildfires and drought on the Prairies. Average temperatures have increased 1.5° since 1950: 'Disruptions could become more frequent in the future.'
