Broadcast regulators will no longer give Canadians timely notice of individual license renewal applications for TV and radio companies, according to a federal advisory. The CRTC plans to abandon the longstanding practice intended to draw public comment on local license holders: "This is quite a change from what the Commission has been doing since 1968".
The Prime Minister’s Office in a secret 2013 memo complained Senate Conservatives failed to follow orders on committee reports, including an all-party study critical of tariff policy. The confidential memo is among documents tabled in Senator Mike Duffy’s fraud and bribery trial in Ottawa: "We speak with senators who do not receive talking points".
Lawyers’ fees are making access to justice “illusory” for most Canadians, says an Ontario Superior Court judge. The remarks came as the Court knocked 26% off legal expenses claimed by the National Bank in fending off a class action lawsuit: "The legal profession continues to enjoy protection from market forces".
Executives with Netflix and YouTube have told regulators they will not divulge details of their Canadian operations even if federal agents promise to keep it secret. Management letters to the CRTC were obtained through Access To Information: "Netflix is not in a position to produce this information".
An unhappy Canada Post customer has lost a Supreme Court bid to claim the right to receive bills by courier. Justices declined to hear the case. The 1981 Canada Post Corporation Act grants the Crown agency the exclusive right to handle mail: "Typically people do anything they can to avoid their hydro bill".
Federally-funded research is questioning the effectiveness of Canadian hatcheries in raising Coho salmon. Decades of data compiled by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council cited subsidized hatcheries for ‘inferior’ outcomes in preserving fish stock: "There is less clarity that it really improves the number of returning fish".
Canada’s second-busiest airport is under a federal anti-trust probe. The Competition Bureau disclosed it is investigating contracting at the Vancouver Airport Authority: 'We are cooperating'.
Certain tax benefits can be claimed back to the womb, says a federal judge. The ruling came in the unusual case of a Québec family trust that claimed a capital gains exemption on behalf of an unborn boy: "An unborn child is taken care of just as much as if it were in existence".
Federal regulators are investigating complaints a Canadian airline allegedly withheld millions in compensation owed passengers for lost and late luggage. The Canadian Transportation Agency has given Porter Airlines Inc. till September 3 to answer allegations it misled passengers on payments they could rightfully claim for misplaced bags: “Are you sure?”
Police cannot use mere suspicion to compel telecom companies to disclose tracking data on cellphone subscribers, an Alberta court has ruled. The judgment is the first of its kind since Parliament passed a new Act broadening the scope of warrantless searches: "Don’t use vague language that implicates everybody in a dragnet".
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “Earth moves – 30 km per second – around the Sun and the Solar System spirals at 250 km per second…”
Cabinet staff have privately grumbled about one of the country’s largest public lenders, according to documents filed in the Duffy Trial. Confidential emails complained Farm Credit Canada was undercutting private banks by approving billions in mortgages: 'It's an unfair advantage'.
A former federal employee has lost a Supreme Court bid to press a defamation suit against the National Research Council. The ex-staffer sought one dollar in damages and a letter of apology after the Council distributed a report criticizing his performance: "Your boss is entitled to give their opinion".
Health Canada is dramatically lowering indoor exposure limits to emissions from gas appliances. Regulators said most homes “rarely” exceed limits, but cautioned long-term exposure could pose risks to asthmatic children: "There is so little public education about this".
Housing markets in three Canadian cities are rated at “high risk” by the federal mortgage insurer. The warning follows assurances from Finance Minister Joe Oliver there is no real estate bubble: 'The rise in prices has not been matched by incomes'.
