Cabinet has big plans for private resource development when it assumes chairmanship of the Arctic Council for the first time in fifteen years: “The overarching theme of our tenure as chair of the Council will be development for the people of the north."
A federal labour board has thwarted a bid to unionize staff at one of Canada’s largest private mail contractors, ruling that workers are “similar although not identical” to Crown employees. "It is very important for us to organize people who deliver the mail," said the president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers: "It is now more difficult." Canada Post declined comment on the judgment.
A ground-breaking charity named for a Newfoundland comedian has quietly deregistered with Canada Revenue Agency. It "completed its goal," a director said of the family foundation created nearly twenty years ago to promote AIDS awareness and support programs.
Federal regulators permitted infected Atlantic salmon to remain in aquaculture pens for months – a decision researchers say increased the likelihood of further virus mutations: "Worldwide the response is to kill all of the fish in the farm." The Canadian Food Inspection Agency refused comment.
A new federal program to lure family doctors to rural Canada remains of "limited" value despite its projected cost of $3,400,000 this year, says a physicians' group. The first payments will be made in the new fiscal year beginning April 1.
Federal seizures of counterfeit goods have increased more than 20 times since 2005, with police now intercepting fake imports at the rate of a quarter-million dollars a week, new figures show: "We are at the tip of the iceberg."
A policeman fired by the RCMP Commissioner over uncorroborated complaints from an ex-wife has won a Federal Court appeal for reconsideration of his case: "I don't know of any precedent for this."
The nation's largest union organization, the Canadian Labour Congress, proclaimed a "Corporate Tax Freedom Day" in condemnation of federal policies that cut corporate income tax rates to the lowest levels since the Second World War.
Canada is “missing” $145 billion worth of infrastructure, according to a national study. Researchers cited declining rates of federal investment in public works as a percentage of GDP since the 1950s, when massive projects included the Trans-Canada Highway.
Federal regulators are turning national parks into people-free zones in the name of “ecological integrity,” says the country’s largest youth organization. Scouts Canada said a generation of citizens has lost touch with the nation’s wilderness heritage due to Parks Canada policies.
A British Columbia man who helped sell a million dollars’ worth of crystals on eBay has received unfavourable feedback in Federal Tax Court. Wen Zhang, a Nanaimo taxi driver, was cited for hiding $69,466 worth of income from a family business after his dealings came under scrutiny in an eBay sweep by Canada Revenue.
Almost a decade after being hit with Pacific trade restrictions over mad cow disease, Canadian beef farmers will get a chance to sell more to Japan. The easing of regulations on exports could be worth $150,000,000 a year, industry said.
Canada is a C-grade performer on environmental issues, ranking 15 out of 17 developed countries in a Conference Board of Canada study. Only the United States and Australia were rated more hapless, with a D-grade: “It’s probably safe to say there has been a relatively steady decline."
Parliament’s iconic Centre Block is at “critical risk of failure” and could face “catastrophic” damage in an earthquake, according to a secret government report. The analysis, obtained by Blacklock’s through Access to Information, details systemic problems with the 1922 structure that is home to the House of Commons and Senate: “The need for seismic reinforcement and the means by which it might be accomplished are unresolved."
RCMP veterans attempting to unionize the force are trademarking a slogan of dissent to “motivate” fellow members, an organizer said. The group applied to trademark "Maintaining The Right," a variation on an official police motto.
