Frequent flyers are most likely to be dissatisfied with the airport experience, according to research by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority. The agency said “target customers” – Canadians who fly more than 11 times in a two-year period – are likelier to grumble over security lineups: 'It doesn't make any difference'.
An Alberta company has lost a bid for exemption from federal trucking regulations though its delivery vehicles cross provincial boundaries. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case from the firm fined $10,000 for breaching the Motor Vehicle Transportation Act: "Even for constitutional lawyers it's not clear-cut".
Cabinet hints it will appeal a court ruling that it may have breached constitutional rights with a 2014 bill on territorial development permits. The ruling by the Northwest Territories Supreme Court halts enforcement of a bill earlier praised by the Prime Minister’s Office as a “notable achievement”: "It defies logic as to why Canada proceeded in this way".
Nearly a third of Canadians surveyed say they are victims of financial fraud, says research by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. The group said the high rate suggested many offences are never reported to police: "Not everybody puts up their hand".
Anti-spam regulators are threatening a Canadian company with a $1.1 million fine, the largest ever filed. In an unusual notice, the CRTC failed to detail the extent of the breach of regulations, and suggested the company may not have to pay any fine at all: “What has been done that’s wrong?”
Canada’s North faces “catastrophic” damage to roads and utilities due to climate change, says a Standards Council of Canada report. The document proposing new standards on municipal drainage systems follows earlier studies that warned of building collapse and crumbling airfields related to global warming: "The costs would add up very quickly".
The budget for a signature war memorial project has been cut 10 percent on warnings that money is tight. The funding for a new visitor centre at Vimy, France was announced with fanfare two years ago: "Funding is limited".
Parliament should appoint a federal advertising commissioner to monitor millions in spending on government promotions, say Liberal MPs. The caucus estimated federal ads have cost nearly $750 million since 2006: 'There are images of happy people'.
The federal Business Development Bank has been ridiculed for dubious use of funds after unwittingly granting a six-figure loan to a drug front. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation yesterday cited the bank for public waste, first disclosed by Blacklock’s: "The government managed to invest in a business which actually turned out to be profitable".
Northern telecom rates costing up to seven times the price of internet service for southern subscribers have been ordered reduced by broadcast regulators. Northwestel, a subsidiary of Bell Canada Enterprises Inc., must lower rates by 10 to 30 percent: "The CRTC is actually living up to its promise".
The government predicts a ‘soft adjustment’ in housing prices but is wary of high costs in select cities and record levels of household debt, says the federal mortgage insurer. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corp. wrote the forecast in a confidential memo to the Department of Finance: 'We are concerned'.
Attorneys in Alberta are appealing a court judgment upholding contentious roadside suspensions of accused drunk drivers. The RCMP and federal Department of Justice are already the subject of a Federal Court lawsuit alleging the practice is arbitrary and unfair to innocent motorists: 'People may plead guilty simply to regain their license more quickly'.
Appointment of a new federal advisor on mining ethics is largely pointless and fails to address larger issues of corporate responsibility, critics say. The position of Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor had been vacant for more than a year: 'It's like having a judge with no powers'.
The government may seek contractors’ cost guarantees on a mammoth renovation of Parliament after running millions over budget on similar refits to heritage buildings. Public Works Canada expressed wariness over the estimated $1 billion budgeted to renovate the iconic Centre Block: 'It's on budget -- so far'.
Federal regulators face a “make or break” dilemma over internet TV exempt from controls under federal law, says a secret cabinet memo. The memo marked CONFIDENTIAL cautions that Netflix and other internet broadcasters are challenging Canada’s decades-old system of regulating electronic media: 'It's a turning point for Canadian TV'.
