Analysts are questioning an abrupt Industry Canada decision to set aside a large portion of wireless spectrum for smaller cellphone companies. Cabinet yesterday made the unexpected announcement it would fix a quota for small operators: 'Why mess up the market?'
Introduction of engineered wheat is “inevitable” despite liability fears and consumer backlash, say confidential Agriculture Canada documents. Senior officials secretly drafted “plausible scenarios” for licensing the product, though a similar attempt a decade ago ended in protests that included a million-name petition from Japanese consumers. The documents were obtained through Access to Information: "It's very troubling".
Public Works Canada is at a loss to explain a strong-arm notice that taxpayers must surrender their bank information to receive benefits. Department research shows 1 in 4 oppose the plan, and most others never heard of it: "Canadians generally don't respond to ultimatums very well".
The Supreme Court has denied one lawyer’s appeal against police seizure and search of personal computers on allegations of objectionable downloads. The case confirms the right of police to search hard drives on suspicion of wrongdoing: "Searches are conducted all the time".
A ski resort has lost its legal challenge of Parks Canada’s right to regulate national parks. The Federal Court case followed a dispute over parking: "To cast it as a 'wake-up call' suggests prior drowsiness".
Researchers urge study of leakage from natural gas wells as a public health risk. Scientists at the University of Waterloo identified seepage of methane below ground: "The problem is we aren't measuring these things".
Consumers don’t like dairy quotas; aren’t sure what “agri-food” means; and think farmers work hard but take too many handouts, according to federal research.
Those are the findings of focus groups commissioned by the Department of Agriculture.
Asked what words come to mind when thinking of farming, respondents replied “green”; “local”; “organic”; “risky”; “wasteful”; “long hours” and “need government handouts”.
Canadians can wait nearly half a year to see public documents held by federal agencies, records show. Documents detailing typical delays in Access to Information requests vary widely by government office, and average five months at agencies like Canada Post and the Department of Foreign Affairs: "They can stonewall and nobody's going to stop them".
A Crown agency Shared Services Canada insists it is on track to bring the national government into the internet age amid concerns over email security. The group created to streamline electronic systems will rely on private contractors but with federal oversight, an official said: 'It's not clear why that needed to be outsourced at all'.
The Supreme Court has sidestepped an appeal from an animal lover who waged a legal battle for the right to feed wild bears. Authorities in Seguin Township north of Toronto filed an injunction to halt a local man from putting out bear food in violation of a local bylaw: "Bears are highly intelligent".
Cabinet has quietly approved a million-dollar tariff break for the auto industry amid complaints of “boutique” tax treatment of industry. The Department of Finance repealed a 6.5 percent tariff on auto gaskets. Authorities would not name who lobbied for the tax break: 'These just make life more complicated'.
National airports face increased costs for security and screening. Transport Canada ordered managers at 89 airports to conduct their own anti-terror security training and “risk assessments” subject to federal audits: "It's self-regulation to a certain degree".
The Supreme Court is staying out of a land squabble that sheds light on sky-high property values near booming Regina. A developer offered nearly $2,000 an acre for farmland earmarked for subdivisions with potential profits of more than $100 million: 'It was very desirable'.
Nearly a year to the day of the Lac-Mégantic disaster, Transport Canada is introducing new regulations on the shipping of dangerous goods by rail. New rules require more disclosure of toxic cargo, more recordkeeping, and more safety features on new tank cars.
Yukon doesn’t have provincehood but is now responsible for its own sewage. Cabinet transferred regulation of wastewater to the territory, where one municipality earlier admitted to dumping raw sewage into the Yukon River: "There would be slight cost savings for the federal government".
