A federal agency the National Capital Commission is hiring a consultant to aid employees in coping with “difficult” change amid warnings on government-wide austerity in the next budget. The commission saw 16% of its staff reassigned last year: “Change can be difficult".
The Bank of Canada is cautioning consumers to make “informed choices” on bitcoin amid praise for the pseudo-currency as an alternative to actual money. The central bank warned it considers the electronic fad merely an unregulated payment scheme: "It's all speculative."
Short line railways may face ruin under a Canadian Transportation Agency review of liability insurance, says a rail executive. Anticipated hikes in insurance requirements follow the Lac-Mégantic wreck that saw damage more than ten-times the value of third-party coverage: 'All of us deeply regret the tragedies'.
Canada’s privacy commissioner is expanding a probe of advertisers’ online creeping after citing Google Inc. for violating federal law. It follows a complaint by a lone Google user who looked up search terms for sleep disorders, then was dogged by online ads for medical devices: "If Google does not comply..."
A federal judge has sunk the last of a mammoth Canada Revenue Agency tax scheme that saw investors claim millions in losses on a phantom yacht fleet appropriately named Fantaseas. The ruling marked the close of a 28-year tax probe of the Ponzi scheme: "The expenses were a fiction!"
The trade department is invoking national security in refusing to divulge the text of a European pact. Authorities dismissed a request by the Council of Canadians for contents of the agreement signed by the Prime Minister last October 18: "Canadians are being denied information."
Canadian insurers are eyeing investments in public works as municipalities lament an infrastructure "deficit". The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association yesterday described the projects as an “attractive” buy though they can take years to complete: 'They will pay 20, 30, 50 years in the future'.
Agriculture Canada is speeding privatization of the Canadian Wheat Board ahead of a 2016 cabinet deadline. The department is hiring independent accountants to review the Crown agency’s books for its impending sale. Assets total $3.4 billion including freighters, rail cars and the board's Winnipeg office: "We are finalizing our privatization plan".
Refitting obsolete tank cars like those involved in the Lac-Mégantic disaster would cost some $1 billion, according to industry experts. An Ottawa transport conference was told the alternative will see tens of thousands of obsolete cars remain in service for another twenty years.
Industry Canada, after seeing billions of dollars in federal trade pacts signed and sealed, is appealing for “expert advice” on best negotiating tactics. It's offering six-figure fees to consultants for "insights" on the impact of trade deals especially on auto, truck and transit vehicle manufacturers: "The timing is frankly shocking."
Citizenship & Immigration Canada is digitizing a warehouse-load of old immigration records in a program one privacy advocate warns will create a searchable electronic file on millions of people. Authorities said only giant data management firms like IBM or General Dynamics will be considered for the job: "Everything about this raises red flags."
A federal judge has rebuked Citizenship Canada for mishandling the case of a Serbian who appealed against deportation for fear of anti-Semitic reprisals, only to wait years as authorities appeared to misplace his file. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander did not comment: "It is quite extraordinary."
New wireless auctions will likely have little impact on prices Canadians pay for mobile telecom service, analysts tell Blacklock’s. The bandwidth bidding, including today’s auction of new 700MHz spectrum, to date have drawn no interest from large, international price-cutting competitors: "There was a lot of excitement and that's gone."
Transportation Safety Board investigators are questioning whether glare of sunlight from an office window caused a near-disaster at Montréal’s Trudeau Airport. The finding came in the case of a momentary lapse by a Sky Regional flight crew that nearly resulted in collision with a second aircraft: "They came very close."
The Canadian Transportation Agency citing a 1912 contract has ordered CN to lift its ban on switching cars by a rival carrier. The railway had refused to switch grain cars contracted by multinational James Richardson & Sons Ltd. near Winnipeg: "I don't think it's a duopoly, it's a dual monopoly".
