Blacklock's newsroom pauses this week for our annual August holiday. We bid all our friends and subscribers a happy summer break and safe journey on your travels. Blacklock's returns August 8 -- The Editor.
A pledge from Canada Border Services Agency to fix long-standing problems with a costly information technology system is drawing skepticism from MPs. The Agency since 2013 has been cited for failing to streamline computer databases that cost taxpayers millions: "They never get to where they need to go".
The longest-running pension dispute at Veterans Affairs Canada has ended unhappily for a British Columbia family. A federal judge expressed sorrow but dismissed compensation for 1954 injuries suffered by an RCAF officer: ““If everybody did what Bob did, hopefully we would all make a difference”.
Decades of data are being reviewed by Health Canada investigators to find links between ozone pollution and urban death rates. The study is the latest commissioned by regulators amid growing evidence that city air causes illness and mortality: "There is no safe threshold".
Industry Canada is conducting a six-figure survey of small business debt for the first time since doubling loan limits under its Small Business Financing Program. Cabinet last January 23 raised the maximum loan to $1 million and extended terms from ten to 15 years: "We certainly didn't ask for it".
Outdated landfill sites may pose a risk to water supplies across the country, say analysts. There are more than 10,000 landfills nationwide, by Statistics Canada estimate: "They were unplanned and un-engineered sites".
An airport baggage handler fired over unproven allegations of drug smuggling has won an appeal against Transport Canada. It is the second time in four months that a federal judge cited the department for unfairly revoking security clearances: 'He was denied a meaningful opportunity to address the allegations'.
The Royal Canadian Navy paid $500 apiece for T-shirts and ball caps as part of a ‘brand awareness’ program. The navy said it sought lowest-cost bidders for the contract to clothe its official mascot, a sailor in a dog costume: 'It will increase awareness of the navy brand'.
Saskatchewan has the highest enrollment of any province in a federally-managed reading program for boys and girls, data show. Enrollment in the subsidized TD Summer Reading Club is up to three times the rate in other provinces: “It is no longer, ‘Shhh – no talking”.
Transport Canada is commissioning $175,000 in research on whether to upgrade safety systems at every grade-level rail crossing in the country. Regulators reported 180 crossing accidents last year resulting in 21 deaths: "Believe it or not it was an improvement".
Canadians are resigned to invasions of privacy by government agencies and inadequate protection of personal data, says federal research. Polling by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner concluded Canadians feel “powerless” to protect personal information: "Most expect they are being watched and recorded pretty much everywhere now".
Parks Canada is spending $120,000 for keyword searches of media and Twitter commentaries to see what Canadians are saying about the agency. Similar keyword contracts by other federal departments covered a wide range of themes from “gangs” to “oil spill” to "electric cars".
New research confirms plant diversity may hold the key to reducing species losses worldwide, says an Alberta co-author. The research proposed changes in land use by park managers and ranchers to conserve plants and reduce harmful impacts of drought and erosion: 'Biodiversity is the greatest insurance'.
A telecom discounter best known for its celebrity endorsement by ex-Leafs enforcer Tie Domi is under federal investigation for misleading advertising. Evidence submitted to a federal judge by the Competition Bureau includes copies of a Comwave Networks Inc. ad with the former NHL strongman: “You don’t have to be Tie Domi to stand up to the big guys!”
Air passenger complaints to the Canadian Transportation Agency account for a small fraction, less than a hundredth of one percent, of the number of actual passengers, according to new data. The Agency said it received 396 complaints against Air Canada and WestJet last year; the two airlines carry some 40 million passengers a year: “The system is broken”.
