Patent Delay An “Incentive” To Quit Canada: Industry

The nation's patent system is so slow it has become an "incentive" to leave Canada, an industry group has told MPs. The testimony came amid House committee hearings that have heard expert witnesses describe federal intellectual property management as costly, inefficient and dysfunctional.

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Ban On Toy Chemical Follows Years Of Research

A federal ban on a carcinogenic chemical additive in infants' foam products comes decades after concerns were first raised by researchers. Random testing by Health Canada found the chemical in 7 of 40 children's items, from pillows to toys.

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VIA Sees Blue Skies On Revenue, Dreams Of Profit

VIA Rail says it is close to breaking even on its busiest central route where subsidies average $12 per 100 hundred miles, a fraction of subsidies needed on other services in the crown-owned passenger rail system.

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Tax Court: “This Judgment Means A Lot”

A Saskatchewan case has redefined deductible medical expenses after a tax court judge ruled a husband could legally deduct thousands in travel bills to see his ill wife, though Canada Revenue argued the visits were not medically necessary.

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No, Not That PRK

An acronym trademarked by a Canadian public relations group resembles a shorthand term for Korean Communists, though the volunteer agency says the similarity is purely coincidental.

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A Fitness Tax Credit?

Weight Watchers Canada is lobbying Parliament for "consideration" in the next budget that Blacklock's sources indicate would include tax credits for diet programs and supplements. The government already offers a fitness tax credit for children's hockey and other sports. Federal data show Canada is the fourth fattest nation on earth.

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Parlez-vous? Not So Much

Nearly three quarters of federal guards on the Canada-US border speak English only, documents show. But managers in the transport industry call the unilingual trend an economic fact of life. “To ship across the border you must comprehend the national language of the United States – which is English,” said one trucking executive.

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Spot The Scofflaw

The Canadian Police Association is expressing interest in a device invented by two Alberta men that alerts highway patrol officers and passersby to any motorist who fails to comply with mandatory seatbelt laws.

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