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”.
Canadian National Railways has seen a lawsuit thrown out of court after years of delays. The Supreme Court refused to hear the railway’s appeal of dismissal in the case involving industrial contaminating dating from the 1920s: "One day some horses got stuck in a gooey substance they could not get out of so they had to be shot".
Telecom regulators are again mulling some method to curb “spoofing”, a technique by unlicensed telemarketers to bypass call-display technology. Regulators have seen “a significant number of complaints” involving camouflaged ID by marketers, said the CRTC: "It is annoying and in some cases dangerous".
The anti-trust Competition Bureau is investigating a celebrated joint venture between Air Canada and state-run Air China of Beijing. Investigators in Federal Court documents questioned whether the agreement will see the two carriers monopolize their transpacific routes: 'It may reduce the incentive to introduce new service'.
A paper-thin federal surplus may still be salvageable if cabinet quickly defers billions in spending, says an economist. The Parliamentary Budget Office yesterday shredded cabinet’s claim of a $1.4 billion surplus this year – the first balanced budget since 2007: "“Troops, if you’re expecting those bullets anytime soon, you’ll have to wait until next fiscal year".
A Canadian-based patent owner is suing Netflix in Federal Court alleging breach of intellectual property on cryptography. Copy Protection LLC of Kanata, Ont. claims the internet TV service used its proprietary technology to prevent illegal downloading. Netflix has not yet filed a statement of defence: "There is no denying that technological innovation is redefining the very definition of broadcasting'.
An employee sacked after an angry sales meeting has won benefits but no “moral damages” in a dispute at Atlantic Canada’s largest Ford dealership. Tense confrontations at work do not necessarily justify compensation for mental suffering, ruled the Supreme Court of Newfoundland & Labrador: 'A less sensitive person may have reacted differently'.
