Feds Eye Housing Crash Data For Domino “Shock” Effects

Citing “significant” domino effects of any real estate crash, the Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp. is commissioning yet more research into market collapse scenarios. CMHC earlier sought data on spot indicators that may foretell a crash: "Don't you think there is something dangerous and reckless that is happening?"

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Line 9 Likely Bound For High Court As Appeal Judges Split

A contentious Enbridge Pipelines Inc. project appears headed for the Supreme Court after a lower federal court issued a rare 2-1 split decision on whether the licensing breached First Nations rights. The lawsuit targeted Enbridge’s Trailbreaker project to pipe Alberta oil from Sarnia, Ont. to Montréal: "Duty, like the honour of the Crown, does not evaporate".

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Post Office A “Public Service”

Canada Post is being put under new cabinet management. The reassignment comes two weeks after the post office abruptly halted a five-year plan to eliminate home mail delivery: "It says a lot".

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Feds Expand Mad Cow Tests

Regulators are spending $233,000 on new tests for mad cow disease more than a decade after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy devastated the Canadian cattle industry. Inspectors also propose to double the number of animals tested: "Things have evolved a lot".

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Sunday Poem: ‘Forgetfulness’

Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “We remember your role on the front lines; will make sure everybody does. Your big day is here…”

Union Sues Over Phone Taps

Government employees are asking a federal judge to quash surveillance of private cellphone calls and text messages. The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers said members have seen their private wireless conversations recorded by management: 'It does not have the jurisdiction'.

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No Inflation On $5 Treaty Fee

A federal judge has dismissed First Nations appeals for inflation on $5 payments to Aboriginals under 19th century treaties. Government lawyers warned the claim would cost up to $2 billion: "Canada has never adjusted the amount of the annuity payments".

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Pledge Open Review Of Pact

Newly-released details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact raise questions over auto tariffs and foreign investment, say analysts. Terms of the tentative agreement were released yesterday by the New Zealand Foreign Ministry. Cabinet promised a full public review for Canadians: "It's quite clear that it will cost jobs".

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Stats Scofflaws Still Face Jail

Cabinet is rolling back Conservative changes to census-taking but will maintain a little-used provision of the Statistics Act that threatens scofflaws with prosecution. Statistics Canada has described the jail sanction as pointless: "The law is the law".

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Budget Act’s Expected To Die

A new Parliament is expected to quickly repeal a law that would freeze cabinet pay and departmental operating budgets in case of a deficit. Cabinet has said it will run in the red in 2016 following previous Conservative claims of a paper-thin $1.4 billion surplus this year: 'If Keynesian economics worked we wouldn’t have any debt right now'.

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Dep’t Eyes Copycat U.S. Regs

The fisheries department is seeking whether to harmonize aquaculture rules with the U.S., where regulators complain “negative public perceptions” have harmed industry growth. The department yesterday said it wants a “very thorough and comprehensive” review of American regulations.

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Air Canada Cuts Contrary To Privatization Vow Says Judge

Air Canada has lost another court judgment over the closure of aircraft maintenance shops in two provinces. The Québec Court of Appeal said the closures breached federal law: "There were 2,600 jobs affected".

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Feds Lose Big Tax Audit Case

Canada Revenue Agency has lost a key court battle over tax audits of multinationals. A federal judge ruled auditors could not compel a company to produce custom documents on far-flung subsidiaries from Cyprus to the Guernsey Islands: "That which does not exist cannot be produced".

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Thirty Named To Fed Cabinet

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today named a 30-member cabinet that maintains a department of amateur sport, but stops short of reviving a stand-alone ministry of consumer affairs disbanded as an austerity measure in 1995.

Banks Collect Millions In GIC Deposits Mandated By Gov’t

The Department of Immigration is refusing comment on a program that’s seen banks collect millions in government-mandated deposits from foreign students. The Student Partners Program requires that students from India and China buy $10,000 guaranteed investment certificates from select banks before applying to study in Canada: 'I do wonder how fair it is'.

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