A federal agency on jobsite safety says the impact of legal marijuana is “unknown”. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety advised employers to hire a lawyer: "Will provinces have to rewrite policies and regulations on workplace safety?"
City Claims Naming Rights
Toronto has used an obscure provision of an Act of Parliament to permanently trademark itself as “Canada’s downtown”. MPs have debated repeal of the odd section of the Trademarks Act that allows public agencies to claim exclusive rights to ordinary words and phrases: "A lot of people are upset with this provision of the Act."
Tribunal Ruling Prompts Suit
The defence department has filed a lawsuit after being cited for mishandling a contract. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal on June 14 faulted the department for cancelling work it had already awarded to an Ottawa consultant: "It's a pain, but it's all part of doing business."
Blame Media For Crime Scare
Department of Justice research shows Canadian fear the crime rate’s higher than it really is. Department consultants blamed media: "You don't know what the truth is when you are seeing it in the media."
Waited 500 Days For Records
A federal employee denied access to personal records for nearly two years has filed a claim in Federal Court. Even a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada did no good, according to Court documents: "There are incredible delays."
Study Boosts Pollution Filters
Natural wetland filters may save Canadian waterways from toxic farm chemical runoff linked to algae bloom, says University of Waterloo research. Environment Canada has attempted to curb phosphorous runoff under a cross-border treaty with the U.S.: "We have to protect these wetlands."
MP Cited Under Elections Act
Former employment minister Pierre Poilievre is declining comment after being cited for breaching federal law. The Commissioner of Elections said the MP for Carleton, Ont. sought to gain advantage for the Conservative Party at public expense. “We will not be giving interviews at this time,” said a spokesperson for the MP.
A Poem: “Detective’s Work”
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: ” This rest area by the nature trail could use some clean-up. Spotting what people left behind, my mind reconstructs the narrative…”
39% Predict Climate Disaster
More than a third of Canadians, 39 percent, fear they will be personally affected by climate change disaster within their lifetime. The research was commissioned by Health Canada: "Do you think it is likely that a disaster caused by extreme weather will occur?"
Gov’t Regulator “Confused”
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."
No Mortgage With Marijuana
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."
More Vapers Than Smokers
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."
Copyright Records Disappear
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.”
Feds Survey On Jobs, Trump
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."
Put The Fun In Conservation
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."



