A hi-tech federal system designed to speed border crossings for trucking companies has instead resulted in confusion and delays. Two months after its launch, the system has been plagued with snarls "beyond what could reasonably be attributed to learning-curve issues," said an industry group.
A Canadian farm group is seeking a half-penny toll on raspberries to promote domestic fruit amid an onslaught of imports from the United States, Chile and Mexico: "We first noticed the shift in 2006 and it has become a trend."
The Department of Justice has rung up nearly $3,000,000 worth of legal costs in defending money laundering regulations that courts have found unconstitutional, Blacklock's has learned: "Whether it's time well spent is another question."
A proposed $5 million increase in national park fees will price the wilderness experience beyond the reach of some visitors, says an advocacy group. Parks Canada has given Canadians till Feb. 18 to comment on its proposal to hike fees following a five-year freeze and budget cuts.
An Ottawa summit on policing has offered little for municipalities seeking federal funding to offset rising budgets for law enforcement. Cities estimate policing costs have nearly doubled in a decade, to more than $12,000,000,000 nationwide.
The nation's rents have defied two recessions and a financial panic by rising at a faster pace since 2000 compared to the previous decade, according to federal figures provided to Blacklock's. Alberta saw the steepest rent hikes over the period; Ontario and New Brunswick the smallest.
A former federal track officer and racing judge credited with blowing the whistle on misinformation that affected horse wagering is suing to regain his old job. The Federal Court application follows the officer's firing for "insubordination" by the Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency, a board that supervises betting at racetracks nationwide.
Canada's food processors are confronting critics' claims the industry is third-rate and lacks exciting research and development: "When it comes to innovation the Canadian food industry is content to compete for a bronze medal."
Complaints of drafty offices have inspired a Toronto IT manager to patent a new device to regulate air flow in automated systems. Patent #2779724, Ceiling Vent Diffuser, is designed to ease "discomfort on the part of employees," according to a patent application with Industry Canada.
More than 50,000 Canadians have completed a federally-funded program to promote awareness of mental illness, documents show. The Mental Health Commission is also sponsoring a McGill study of media treatment of mental health issues to determine if journalists are "perpetuating negative stereotypes" of sufferers.
The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear appeals of federal legislation stripping the Canadian Wheat Board of its monopoly over wheat and barley exports. It marks the final chapter in a government policy stemming from the Depression era.
Federal historians are being laid off as the Government of Canada winds up its $28 million observance of the War of 1812. "Morale around here is rock bottom," said one historian at the federal directorate responsible for official military histories and other research services.
The post office has cut 4,750 jobs since first reporting a drop in letter mail volumes in 2006, including nearly a thousand positions eliminated in the past year, payroll records show. “That is the reality we are in now,” said Denis Lemelin, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers.
Crown agencies have paid out tens of thousands of dollars in grants to fund websites, billboards and other promotions for private enterprise, documents show. One Nova Scotia processor, Louisbourg Seafoods Ltd., received a $14,175 grant for web design under a subsidy deemed "in the best interest of economic development."
A late season surge in grain shipments saw the St. Lawrence Seaway post a net gain in traffic for 2012, new figures show. The Seaway and Great Lakes shipping system is credited with sustaining more than a quarter-million jobs and $34,000,000,000 in economic activity, by official estimate.
