A federal judge has upheld the right of good workers to compensation if they're fired on a bad day. The Canada Labour Code ruling came in the case of a trucker dismissed by a manager in an expletive-laced argument over a wayward fax: "You f-----g moron".
The Department of Finance denies it’s given preferential tax treatment to BlackBerry Ltd. in a move analysts described as unusual. Cabinet allowed BlackBerry to alter its tax year to qualify for an early refund: "Why?"
The National Energy Board is drawing fresh protests from farmers over rules to protect buried pipelines. Landowners complain they'd have to contact the Calgary-based board for permission to drive on their own property: 'Take your junk with you'.
Transport Canada is proposing new tank car safety rules already used by railways. Regulators had no comment on why 78,000 obsolete cars, the kind involved in the fatal Lac-Mégantic wreck, are still permitted to carry explosive fuels: 'The government's in a reactive mode'.
Canada Post faces complaints it's charging some homeowners $200 for community mailboxes, and others nothing at all, depending on where they live. The protest follows Crown plans to abolish doorstep mail delivery for 5 million homeowners who will be required to use community boxes: "We are vehemently opposed to any such fee on any homeowners".
A small business has won a federal ruling against billion-dollar Home Hardware Stores Ltd. in a trademark dispute over a noun and a logo. Van Dolder's Home Team, an Owen Sound, Ont. contractor, was challenged by Home Hardware after registering its trademark with Industry Canada: "I find they are more different than alike."
The Department of Public Works is contracting a “fairness monitor” to counter cronyism in the construction of a $5 billion bridge with private investors in Montréal. The watchdog will assure Parliament and taxpayers the Champlain Bridge job is free of bias, favouritism or influence, authorities said: "How do I know I'm being treated fairly?"
The rise and fall of oil prices has little actual impact on food costs, argues a research paper published by the Bank of Canada. Analysts said they can find no proof that volatile oil markets directly affect food prices, despite popular claims to the contrary: "There is no evidence".
The longest accounting liability case in Canada has ended at the Supreme Court. Justices declined to hear further appeals in the collapse of Castor Holdings Inc. The Montréal-based investment firm in its heyday reported $1.87 billion in assets with the Chrysler Canada pension fund among its investors. Lawsuits took so long the lead plaintiff died: "I was not surprised".
Canada’s Official Languages Commissioner is pressing for fluently bilingual services at all national airports in a campaign the industry called impractical. Commissioner Graham Fraser said services including auto rentals and restaurants must welcome guests with bilingual greetings: 'That's unrealistic'.
The Department of National Defence is appealing for help in preserving its famed bearskin hats, though experts warn that care of genuine bear fur is a vanishing art. The army served notice of a two-year contract to any furrier to repair and maintain its stock of more than 600 bearskin caps, a ceremonial fixture since 1831: "Fur wears out."
The federal Competition Bureau will review two major takeovers within the trucking industry, but it’s not likely to hear many complaints from shippers about the buy-ups. The deals leave a single firm, TransForce Inc. of Montréal, with a leading share of the $30 billion-a year industry: "The takeovers aren't an immediate concern."
Canada must gauge the impact of a landmark U.S. study proposing major engineering changes in the Great Lakes area to stem the spread of Asian carp. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting hearings on its plans, including one scheme to electrocute fish: "They are very aggressive".
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is promising to try harder after visiting U.S. officials cited select processors for rusty pipes, unclean equipment and mistreatment of cattle. The audit followed the shutdown of XL Foods Inc., the nation’s biggest beef processor found to have distributed E.coli-tainted meat.
Winter is not in fact the bleakest season for Canadians, according to a year-round log of calls for counselling by federal employees. Help calls by anxious workers at the Government of Canada, the biggest employer in the country, typically decline in the coldest months but rise in spring and autumn: "There are seasonal changes".
