A Nova Scotia accountant has lost a bid for a Supreme Court pleading he was “scared to death” by the Canada Revenue Agency. Judges declined to hear further testimony in the case of the businessman who "felt lost" when confronted with a $261,000 tax bill: "I'm not surprised."
The Department of Fisheries is allowing reallocation of unclaimed cod quotas in southern Newfoundland in a test project welcomed by local fishing communities. More than half the quota is unclaimed due to low prices, 50¢ a pound: "There is no value in cod fish at the moment."
A Canada Revenue audit of a fund used to support Canada’s top-ranked women’s tennis player gave Tax Court a glimpse into money and sport. The father of tennis pro Eugénie Bouchard has been ordered to pay $81,143 in disallowed claims from an “in and out scheme” used to finance her career: “I’m not going to find investors for everyone else’s kids.”
New research is disputing a long-held claim that speedier drug approvals inevitably lead to increased health and safety warnings by regulators. A study concludes there is no proof haste makes waste in drug regulation: "Safety warnings are safety warnings."
Independent manufacturers and an ex-hockey pro who served in Parliament say they welcome a federal anti-trust inquiry into retailing of hockey gear. It follows Blacklock’s disclosure that the Competition Bureau is seeking Federal Court orders to further its probe of Canadian Tire Corp.’s takeover of a rival sporting goods chain: "Should they allow the acquisition? No."
Health Canada is being urged to examine the safety of a line of glass cookware following a $1.15 million jury award to a man left permanently injured by a Dutch oven. The incident followed numerous complaints to the department from consumers who used glass cookware: "This is real."
The Department of Foreign Affairs spent $200,000 on a turn-out-the-vote campaign in Zimbabwe’s fraud-ridden elections. A department official, asked if the money was well spent, replied: “The project was vital.” The grant was paid to a Harare group, according to financial accounts: "This was a crooked election."
Federal trust-busters have interviewed executives of the nation’s largest hockey manufacturers in a probe of sporting goods retailing. The Competition Bureau’s secret investigation targets a bid by Canadian Tire to buy rival Pro Hockey Life, finalized this week. “At this point we can confirm the Competition Bureau is reviewing the proposed acquisition,” an official told Blacklock's.
An omnibus budget bill that amended dozens of federal laws may end in the Supreme Court amid its latest legal contest, says a constitutional lawyer. Parts of the 452-page bill face new challenges before a federal judge: "This is the kind of case that can go to the Supreme Court."
The Department of Fisheries has expanded its ban on the wild Pacific salmon catch in two famed British Columbia waterways amid alarmingly low fish populations: "We confirmed those numbers and they are real."
The Department of Natural Resources faces a federal lawsuit over the constitutionality of limits on its licensing hearings. A Vancouver-based group is asking a judge to halt the vetting of witnesses by the National Energy Board: "This is a last resort."
The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster is prompting a review of all train operators’ insurance requirements to account for “catastrophic events”, says the Canadian Transportation Agency. It noted the July 5 wreck marked the first time a federally-regulated railway faced claims that exceeded its coverage.
Broadcasters face stringent requirements on correcting even casual errors in news coverage under a ruling by regulators. The Canada Broadcast Standards Council said TV networks must issue on-air corrections for minor garbling in their reports: "This creates a precedent."
Canada’s privacy commissioner is expressing unease over the findings of an internet audit that identified large gaps in consumer protection measures. Two in 10 websites and apps had incoherent policies: "It's lame."
A Department of Finance “test case” of the retail impact of tariff cuts is limited in scope and may not get the answers the government is after, says an industry group. The Retail Council of Canada questioned whether the federal study will “capture the full effect of the tariff changes”, an executive said.
