Canada’s North faces “catastrophic” damage to roads and utilities due to climate change, says a Standards Council of Canada report. The document proposing new standards on municipal drainage systems follows earlier studies that warned of building collapse and crumbling airfields related to global warming: "The costs would add up very quickly".
The budget for a signature war memorial project has been cut 10 percent on warnings that money is tight. The funding for a new visitor centre at Vimy, France was announced with fanfare two years ago: "Funding is limited".
Parliament should appoint a federal advertising commissioner to monitor millions in spending on government promotions, say Liberal MPs. The caucus estimated federal ads have cost nearly $750 million since 2006: 'There are images of happy people'.
The federal Business Development Bank has been ridiculed for dubious use of funds after unwittingly granting a six-figure loan to a drug front. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation yesterday cited the bank for public waste, first disclosed by Blacklock’s: "The government managed to invest in a business which actually turned out to be profitable".
Northern telecom rates costing up to seven times the price of internet service for southern subscribers have been ordered reduced by broadcast regulators. Northwestel, a subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises Inc., must lower rates by 10 to 30 percent: "The CRTC is actually living up to its promise".
The government predicts a ‘soft adjustment’ in housing prices but is wary of high costs in select cities and record levels of household debt, says the federal mortgage insurer. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp. wrote the forecast in a confidential memo to the Department of Finance: 'We are concerned'.
Attorneys in Alberta are appealing a court judgment upholding contentious roadside suspensions of accused drunk drivers. The RCMP and federal Department of Justice are already the subject of a Federal Court lawsuit alleging the practice is arbitrary and unfair to innocent motorists: 'People may plead guilty simply to regain their license more quickly'.
Appointment of a new federal advisor on mining ethics is largely pointless and fails to address larger issues of corporate responsibility, critics say. The position of Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor had been vacant for more than a year: 'It's like having a judge with no powers'.
The government may seek contractors’ cost guarantees on a mammoth renovation of Parliament after running millions over budget on similar refits to heritage buildings. Public Works Canada expressed wariness over the estimated $1 billion budgeted to renovate the iconic Centre Block: 'It's on budget -- so far'.
Federal regulators face a “make or break” dilemma over internet TV exempt from controls under federal law, says a secret cabinet memo. The memo marked CONFIDENTIAL cautions that Netflix and other internet broadcasters are challenging Canada’s decades-old system of regulating electronic media: 'It's a turning point for Canadian TV'.
Repealing a threat of jail time for Canadians who submit false information to statisticians appears likely with speedy passage of a Conservative bill. The penalty under the Statistics Act has never been used: "Let's just get rid of it".
Another multi-million fraud has unravelled in Tax Court with disclosures on two former registered charities cited as receipt mills. Earlier charity scams prompted Canada Revenue Agency to propose a registry of every paid tax preparer in the country: "Those bank statements were fabricated".
Claims of a “cold rush” in Arctic shipping are unfounded with climate change unlikely to attract commercial traffic, experts have told an Ottawa conference. Authorities said insurance costs remain so prohibitive the North will remain largely untraveled despite forecasts of ice-free passage in summer: "All we have done is talk about it".
Canadian producers are challenged by “overcrowded” media markets due to the impact of Netflix and YouTube, says an industry report. The Canadian Media Production Association warned of increased cost pressures from unregulated media: "We don't have a homegrown juggernaut like Netflix".
Public Works Canada is privatizing a national historic site opened by John A. Macdonald in 1890. Local authorities warn of a difficult sale: 'It's hard to put a total dollar value on that'.
