The Royal Canadian Mint is hiring a U.S. consultant to recoup millions spent on an electronic currency scheme vetoed by the Bank of Canada as government-backed currency. The agency contracted Boston Consulting Group to sell its MintChip technology to any takers in the private sector: "Great name; mint cookie".
Federal agencies should monitor Canadians’ Facebook and Twitter conversations to track “social movements” and public rumblings over government policy, says an Industry Canada memo. The document hails the value of social media surveillance: "We have near-instant access to a vast universe of data".
Canada Post must invoke an immediate moratorium on service cuts targeted to impact 100,000 homeowners beginning next month, say Opposition MPs. New Democrats said unexpected profits reported by the Crown corporation suggest there is no reason to cancel doorstep mail delivery: 'It makes money'.
Canada is again rated just mediocre in the World Economic Forum’s annual ranking of global economies. The nation rated 15th overall, with less per capita spending on corporate research than El Salvador and fewer mobile broadband subscribers than Azerbaijan: "Competitiveness covers a lot".
Federal agencies are budgeting more than $13 million over two years – the equivalent of $127,000 a week – to commemorate the First World War in a blitz one MP called “narcissistic” in the face of cuts to modern veterans’ services: "I'm upset by this".
A popular federal program that offered homeowner grants for energy refits was cancelled though it cost millions less than budgeted, newly-released documents show. The Natural Resources Canada program offered up to $5,000 in subsidies to replace water heaters, upgrade windows and other energy-saving projects: "Homeowners will be angry".
Environment Canada is considering first-ever regulation on an obscure source of lead contamination – wheel weights. The finger-sized weights used by auto repair shops to balance tires pose a poison hazard, the department warned: "There is no safe level of lead".
New federal regulations on dumping of waste at sea suggest reduced oversight, says an MP. The finalized Environment Canada rules tighten the public notice period on dumping permits from 30 to 7 days: "I worry about anything that reduces regulatory oversight".
A Crown agency created to invest in public works increased spending on staff salaries and consultants even as it paid out a fraction of its cash holdings to finance urgently-needed infrastructure. New financial reports show spending on staff and consultants at PPP Canada jumped 13% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year: 'It's high-quality advice'.
Employment Canada is on track for projected millions in savings with elimination of Social Insurance Number cards this year, record show. The department reported the end of production of the iconic white cards will save $1.5 million annually: 'It was never intended to be an identity card'.
Canadians will suffer chronic provincial deficits over the next 20 years without painful service cuts or tax increases, says a Conference Board of Canada forecast. Analysts predicted rising health care costs alone will keep most legislatures in the red amid cascading interest charges: "If anything we are quite optimistic".
The RCMP are reviewing polygraph tests required of candidates who apply to join the force, saying standard methods are needed to ensure the “program is defensible”. All recruits are questioned on driving history, drug use and computer habits: "It's major".
Most armed forces members would sooner buy their own home if they could afford it, complaining government-rented townhouses are drafty, pest-infested and poorly maintained, according to a Department of National Defence report: "Staff have a poor attitude".
Introduction of Canada’s first mandatory emergency broadcast system comes ten years after it was recommended by a Senate committee, and decades after its adoption in Alberta following a tornado that killed 27 people: 'When lives are threatened a message needs to be sent'.
An Industry Canada proposal to abolish consumer fees for paper invoices comes six years after a similar Liberal proposal. The department earlier cribbed a 2012 New Democrat bill restricting installation of wireless towers: "I'm happy they've listened".
