Blacklock's Reporter

The Department of Finance in confidential memos is lamenting the loss of billions in tax revenue under a Conservative campaign promise due in 2015. Authorities in memos marked SECRET and CONFIDENTIAL said a plan allowing wealthier single-income couples to lower their tax bill will put Canada out of line “with most OECD countries”. The documents were released through Access to Information: "Fairness requires that individuals pay the taxes they owe".

Environment Canada is leaving disposal of mercury-laden fluorescent lights to the provinces despite federal regulations that restrict the use of safer alternative incandescent bulbs. The department said it will develop a voluntary code for mercury waste as a “reference” for municipalities: 'Mercury accumulates in the food chain'.

CP Rail is launching a federal lawsuit against regulations promising more competition for shippers. Attorneys say the company will suffer “irreparable harm” if cabinet permits rival railways more access to the Canadian market: 'It's the result of political maneuverings'.

Privacy advocates are commending a new federal ruling that telecom providers must treat subscribers’ television viewing as confidential. The CRTC rejected companies’ requests they be permitted to track and store data. Evidence suggested firms had already begun surveillance: "How many subscribers would be surprised?"

Construction of a National Holocaust Memorial will cost $6 million with contractors ordered to speed completion of the project in 2015, officials says. A separate $4 million monument to Cold War victims of communism is scheduled for completion six blocks away on the same street: 'It's a priority'.

Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “Canada School of Public Service offers a 3-day course, ‘How Ottawa Works’…”

The nation’s largest retailers are expressing unease over a cabinet plan to launch a federal price monitor and eliminate “discrimination” between Canadian and U.S. chain stores. The Retail Council said any regulations targeting so-called “country pricing” must be handled with care: "Competitive forces are very important".

The Department of Canadian Heritage is extending a research contract on jobs and revenues in domestic media production. The latest figures show film and TV directly employ more than half the number of Canadians who work in Alberta’s oil and gas industry: "This is a business; it is not a cultural artifact".

Canadian exporters are anticipating a World Trade Organization win against the U.S. in a six-year dispute over meat labeling. Cattle and pork producers said they expected a WTO panel will cite America for unfair trade practices: "What will it take?"

University tuition far outpaces inflation in the latest annual data compiled by Statistics Canada. The federal estimates confirm earlier private research that forecast tuition costs will rise 13% on average by 2017: 'It's a burden that can haunt you for years'.

Members of the RCMP are pooling legal insurance in the wake of a federal bill granting new powers to fire and demote police officers. The insurance is promoted by the B.C.-based Mounted Police Professional Association, the same organization attempting to overturn a 1920 ban on unionizing the force: "We have no option".

The Correctional Service of Canada is being cited for failing to follow its own directives on suicide prevention in federal prisons. Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers said the agency failed to take required steps to prevent inmate deaths: 'They have a duty'.

A judge has certified a class action lawsuit by hundreds of Sears Canada Inc. dealers who allege they could “not making a living wage” under contracts with the retailer. The lawsuit by 260 dealers seeks higher commissions and some $100 million in damages: "We are tired of losing money".

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is rewording labels on maple syrup following a three-year regulatory review that concluded many consumers like labels just the way they are. Syrup will be graded by new adjectives like golden delicate and dark robust: "The stakes are high".

Most Canadians see no improvement in the economy this winter with 24% fearing “worse is yet to come”, according to Department of Finance research. The in-house polling also found the country evenly divided on what cabinet should do with an expected 2015 budget surplus: 'It's a clearer sense of the public mood'.