Cabinet should disclose any data it has on the financial impact of its national carbon tax, says the former chair of the Senate energy committee. Access To Information files indicate regulators as early as 2016 calculated costs and impacts on jobs, but would not release the information: "Our economy is going to hell if we continue to do this."
A typical federal employee will now spend as many years in retirement as they do in the workforce, says a pension report. Chief Actuary Jean-Claude Ménard said longer life spans are putting “upward pressure” on public service pensions: "For recent retirees, average working life is less or equal to average retirement life."
Ten federal agencies last year paid a national broker almost $577,000 to distribute newspaper stories ghostwritten by government employees. The payments came as Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly lamented “fake news” in Canada. Joly’s office yesterday did not comment: ‘Creators of fake news are not constrained by research or fact-checking.’
Restaurant owners suffer a high rate of tax audits, according to Canada Revenue Agency records obtained through Access To Information. A total 14 percent of all restaurants nationwide have been targeted by auditors since 2013: "Canada Revenue Agency dedicates too much energy to minor issues with small businesses and individuals."
The Library of Parliament, defendant in an ongoing federal copyright lawsuit, yesterday announced it will host a seminar to educate parliamentarians on copyright. The notice made no mention of the Federal Court case in which librarians admit to copying others’ work without permission or licensing fee: “As a library, we expected that a minimal amount of redistribution to clients would be permissible.”
A federal agency says tourism is a possible job creation scheme for mining towns hit by asbestos bans. The agency Canadian Economic Development for Québec Regions acknowledged there has been slow take-up of federal funding for diversification by former asbestos miners: "Tourism products and activities remain possible."
The Department of Canadian Heritage yesterday confirmed it fast-tracked subsidies for a failed Canada 150 venture even as a contractor skipped production deadlines. Records show spending on the $805,000 scheme went 40 percent over budget: "The final financial report will be submitted on June 1."
Cabinet says it is still attempting to privatize the nation’s only federally-owned coal export terminal after years of effort. Access To Information documents indicate an initial bid to sell Ridley Terminals Inc. fell through following First Nations protests in 2013: 'To proceed with this sale is contrary to law.'
Health Canada research shows most homeowners exposed to radon, even at unsafe levels, do not make necessary repairs to reduce their risk of exposure. Radon accounts for 16 percent of annual lung cancer deaths, second only to smoking: "Too many people remain unconvinced about the hazard of something that is invisible."
Canada Revenue Agency is expanding a search for retail tax evaders using beer receipts. Agency lawyers asked that a federal judge issue an order for the names and addresses of bars licensed through Brewers Retail Inc.: "This is a very important topic."
The Department of Public Safety is short of roadside marijuana test kits eight weeks ahead of cabinet’s deadline to have the Senate pass a cannabis legalization bill. The department yesterday issued an appeal to manufacturers following warnings police are not prepared for an expected rise in drug-impaired driving: "How long would it take to manufacture 500, one thousand, 2000 or 3000 devices?"
Access To Information records indicate federal agencies sunk more than $800,000 into a failed Canada 150 project. Files show the contractor missed production deadlines, garbled financial data and couldn’t submit progress reports on time. The Department of Canadian Heritage would not comment: 'This will serve as a legacy of Canada 150 for future generations.'
“Immunization apathy” is to blame for static vaccination rates across Canada, says University of Waterloo research. Health Canada in 2017 cut funding for public awareness campaigns and will not meet its target to improve participation rates by 2019: "What we have is a gap between scientific knowledge and parental concerns."
The Department of Industry says a federal loan guarantee program for small business remains essential 57 years after its launch. Most small borrowers would never get a bank loan without a guarantee against default, wrote researchers: "Startups struggled to obtain the financing they asked for."
The Department of Natural Resources completed an exhaustive 33-page memo on the industrial cost of cabinet’s national carbon tax, then censored much of the document, according to Access To Information records. Data were compiled weeks after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the tax in 2016 and remain hidden: "The purpose of this memo is to present an analysis that answers your question..."
