Big Bank Job: Feds Pay $1.6 Million Due To A “Mistake”

The Bank of Canada is trying to recover a fortune in funds held in trust that it mistakenly paid out to an unnamed charity. The central bank declined to say if any employees had been fired. Authorities refused an interview but provided details to Blacklock's on condition that all questions and answers be exchanged in writing: "We can't address this publicly".

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Feds Quiet On Migrant Fees

Cabinet won't say how much it proposes to charge employers who abuse the Temporary Foreign Worker program. The Department of Employment would not disclose details of penalties proposed in an omnibus budget bill: "It is going to have to serve as a deterrent".

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Fed Rule Change “Sneaky”

Transport Canada is accused of a “sneaky” bid to conceal new rail regulations from municipalities and the public. Caucus members said they were never told of the repeal of a federal law requiring 90 days’ advance public notice of key regulatory changes: "It's sneaky".

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Court Spikes Benefits Claim

The Supreme Court in a 7-0 decision has ruled federal employees are subject to provincial law in workers' compensation claims. The judgment came in the case of a national park warden who argued he was unfairly denied benefits under narrow terms of Alberta law: 'Benefits will vary from province to province'.

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Top O’ The World, Ma!

Canadians today begin paying among the highest postal rates in the world with the price of a domestic letter stamp now double what it cost in 1994. The $200 million rate increase will sharply impact independent businesses and charities, critics said: 'We are not an unlimited pot of money'.

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The Biggest Deal In 20 Years

An amendment in a rail reform bill is being cited as the most far-reaching development in shipping since the privatization of Canadian National Railways. Bill C-30 would give shippers in one part of the country more options to choose between rival railways: "We believe in the marketplace".

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Anti-Graft Bill Likely To Die

MPs are expected to vote tomorrow to kill an anti-corruption bill compelling Canadian energy companies to disclose all payments to foreign governments. The private Liberal bill mirrors U.S. law: "I wish not to be discouraged but I am".

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Cabinet Will Boss Tribunals: Secret Plan Is ‘Unbelievable’

In a secretive move critics likened to a court-packing scheme, cabinet proposes to put every major federal tribunal under its direct supervision. The plan includes special measures to strip a federal labour board and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal of their autonomy: "Independence is now lost to cabinet's puppet".

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Bill Curbs “Unscrupulous” Big Pharma, Says Sponsor

The Commons is expressing all-party support for a bill to tighten recalls of prescription drugs amid the influence of Big Pharma lobbyists who “infest Parliament Hill”, says the legislation’s sponsor: "They have power and influence".

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Pot Privatized At Midnight

The first federally-licensed medical marijuana farms are in business effective midnight tonight under a Health Canada privatization scheme. The department warns patients with expiring permits to grow their own must destroy their plants or face police: "Health Canada is monitoring the market closely".

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Rail Safety Gets Public Gag

Canadians will no longer get advance public notice of new rail safety rules. Cabinet is quietly repealing a federal law that it give a heads-up on planned regulatory changes, including one implicated in the Lac-Mégantic disaster: "They were the victims of a corporate act of terror".

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Map Plots Energy

An information website aims to examine Canada’s power use and consumption by province, says its Senate sponsor. The lawmaker said the internet data is prompted by public difficulty in finding reliable information: "How do we use our energy?"

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‘Why believe your data?’

A Conservative senator is challenging chemical manufacturers to justify claims their products are environmentally safe amid Health Canada warnings on toxicity. JoAnne Buth, a former Canola Council president, pressed industry executives over pesticides: "You have a vested interest".

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Drug Memo Unexplained

Cabinet is at a loss to explain a federal memo instructing border guards to save time and money by ignoring shipping containers suspected of containing illegal drugs. The directive urged guards to focus on stolen cars instead: 'It is the Minister's responsibility to be on top of all smuggling'.

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No Oversight Here: Finance Likens Bitcoin To Coupons

The Department of Finance says bitcoin is not illegal in Canada and may not even require federal regulation. A senior official told the Senate banking committee that bitcoin, like a Canadian Tire coupon, is in the eye of the beholder: "We don't stand up and say they can't do that".

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