Blacklock's Reporter

In a free, rich, peaceful, capitalist country like Canada there should never be any prolonged shortage of anything. Yet Canadians are told we face a crippling shortage of labour. How can that be?

CBC Radio’s Cross-Country Checkup in 2015 told the story of the Star Café of Maple Creek, Sask., population 2000, an uncommonly high-toned restaurant for a small Prairie town. It sells prawns and $22 jambalaya, though Maple Creek is 1,400 kilometres from the nearest live seafood market.

Owner Tina Creswell said she had to hire a chef from Guyana and would close if not for migrant labour. “We had to turn to foreign workers,” said Creswell. “We’ve been advertising continually”; “Was it because you offer such cheap wages?” asked host Rex Murphy. “We pay what we can,” replied Creswell. No figure was mentioned.

The CRTC yesterday proposed regulation of podcasts and streaming video on news websites to combat “false or misleading information”. The agency said it did not intend to act as a federal censor: "The goal would only be to encourage them to adopt Canadian journalistic standards."

A new CBC ombudsman promises more accountability. Jack Nagler earlier defended a secret payment of nearly $100,000 from Parks Canada to have the CBC cover a Parks Canada story. 'It would save us both money. That’s it.'

Federal employees were driven to a panic by complaints of waste from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, according to Access To Information emails. Staff exchanged dozens of messages on how to justify spending $24,636 on seat cushions for the Canadian Embassy in Mexico: "They are not pillows."

The first challenge of municipal marijuana regulation under cabinet’s Bill C-45 is headed for Alberta’s highest court. Cities have warned of numerous problems with zoning and bylaw enforcement: "Slow down."

A $215,000-a year Canada-China Legislative Association now touring the People’s Republic earlier wrote a report citing “mutual respect” for its political system, and once visited a Huawei Technologies Co. plant. The group claims it is protesting the arbitrary detention of Canadians in retaliation for the arrest of a Huawei telecom executive in Vancouver: 'It's a testament to our relationship.'

Industry Canada spent more than $46,000 to ask 20 people how they liked using a federal website. The research was proportionately the costliest since the Canada Revenue Agency spent more than $47,000 to ask 67 poor people how they filed their tax returns: 'There was widespread satisfaction.'

Transport Canada yesterday said it will spend $2.6 million a year regulating drone hobbyists though it knows of only three minor injuries in three years related to the pastime. The department counted 141,800 drone enthusiasts in Canada: "We do not know the full extent of the incidents."

A federal Office of the Inspector General for meat inspection created in 2014 should now have its work plan finalized by January 31, says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Office opened following a tainted beef scandal seven years ago: "It was all preventable."

A Department of Health study rates social media as the leading addiction among young people. Canadians under 24 are more likely to spend time on Facebook than smoking, drinking or partying: "Who do you follow on the social media you use?"

Environment Canada scientists yesterday blamed climate change for British Columbia forest fires described as “record-shattering”. They weren’t. The worst provincial fires occurred in Alberta in 1950 and New Brunswick in 1825: "You see these extreme forest fires."

A federal judge has upheld a complaint of wrongful dismissal by a truck driver fired for pushing his foreman. Workplace violence is wrong but should not draw automatic dismissal, the Federal Court ruled: "He was a good employee."

Tax Court has again upheld steep penalties against taxpayers who enrolled in a cross-Canada fraud. Auditors have sought 50 percent penalties for gross negligence against participants in the now-defunct Fiscal Arbitrators scheme: 'They were taken by refunds.'

Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard is citing the RCMP for improperly concealing records from the public. Maynard has proposed to launch 2019 audits of federal agencies that misuse the Access To Information Act to hide files: "The RCMP initially refused."

An Alberta Court has dismissed a discrimination claim on the basis of a Newfoundland accent. More Newfoundlanders and Labradorians move to Alberta than any other province, according to Statistics Canada: 'She believes she speaks with a Newfoundland accent, although I did not detect one.'