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The Regulators
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TORONTO - Canadian securities regulators collected over $250 million from trading violations in 2009. (CP) REPORT: CSA 2009 enforcement report .pdf
TORONTO - A Toronto condo owner says her patience is wearing thin with the eviction process at the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board. The Landlord and Tenant Board says issues like this are usually dealt with within four-to-six weeks but admits if there is a review there is no telling how long the process could take. (CBC)
Transport Canada delays safety system OTTAWA - The approach, called safety management systems (SMS), puts more onus on carriers by requiring them to develop and oversee an in-house system of safety checks tailored to their operations. This regulatory system is a shift away from traditional oversight where government inspectors had a much more hands-on role in monitoring the safety operations. (CanWest)
TORONTO - Endorsed by Toronto Mayor David Miller, a major aim of Everybody Gets to Play was nearly doubling the number of people who get subsidies for these programs from 15,000 to 29,000 by 2014. But embedded in the proposal was a financing scheme that called for whopping double-digit increases in fees for recreational permits and programs last year. (Toronto Star)
DARTMOUTH - One of Nova Scotia's top adult film distributors is challenging the province's classification laws after being taken to court for allegedly selling an unrated film. The province charges $3.47 per minute to rate porn flicks heading to shop shelves or the big screen. For the average-length film the price tag is more than $380. That's almost 11 times more than the province charges to rate non-adult films released to home video. (CP)
ST. JOHN'S - The inquiry into offshore helicopter safety will examine whether Transport Canada and the board that regulates the Newfoundland offshore oil industry should work more closely together. (St John’s Telegram) PREVIOUS: Safety inquiry Wells Inquiry
Bylaw officer says it will cost $28.65 for walk TORONTO - It was a beautiful day in Humber Bay Park. The seniors group had just finished an hour-long walk along the water, a regular event organized to warm them up before a twice-weekly fitness class at a nearby community hall. They didn't get far before the bylaw officer's truck appeared. (Toronto Star)
TORONTO - Millions of Ontario drivers are about to be slammed with double-digit premium hikes, with the average Toronto-area driver likely to pay nearly 14% more. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: Financial Services Commission of Ontario
MASERU - Gap’s decision to develop the production of jeans and T-shirts in Lesotho had heralded an era of opportunity for one of the world’s poorest nations but a Sunday Times investigation has exposed an unforeseen consequence of that commitment - the dumping of tons of waste, much of it dangerous, at unsecured municipal sites. (Sunday Times) RELATED: Foreign investors snap up African farmland
VANCOUVER - The Fraser Institute has crunched data on the outcomes for nearly 2.5M patients admitted to BC hospitals between 2001 and 2007 and, for the first time, has ranked how up to 95 acute care hospitals performed. (Vancouver Sun) REPORT: Hospital report card BC 2009 More Canadians dying at home
OSC investigating Ponzi scheme TORONTO - The Ontario Securities Commission is investigating an alleged Ponzi scheme run by a Toronto businessman that may have raised as much as $60M, some from the Chinese Canadian community, according to court documents filed this week. (Toronto Star) MORE: Investor 'king' admits sin, but denies stealing OSC probing alleged Ponzi scheme
Regulatory agency overruled every time CHARLOTTETOWN - The PEI cabinet overruled every decision by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) to reject non-resident land purchases last year. (CBC) RELATED: Millions in government assistance for 5 employees, not 100
VANCOUVER - Former NDP MP Nelson Riis has agreed to a two-year market suspension and $40,000 in fines and costs to settle allegations he made "overly optimistic and misleading claims" about the commercial prospects of Vancouver-based Canadian Rockport Homes International Inc. (Vancouver Sun) MORE: BCSC settles 2009 BCSECCOM 44 Dozens of MPs have shares
TORONTO - Since 1998, the WSIB has outsourced the LMR program to claims management firms. Companies such as Crawford Healthcare Management, Sibley & Associates and NRCS Inc. are supposed to assess the worker's abilities, decide on a suitable job and the training needed to get that job. (Toronto Star) MORE: Ontario names next WSIB head |
VANCOUVER - In June 2008, I expressed shock that the TSX Venture Exchange, which has worked so hard to rid itself of undesirables, had approved West Vancouver promoter Don Rutledge to provide investor relations services to TSXV-listed companies through his private firm, Three-Five Communications. (Vancouver Sun)
OTTAWA - Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has singled out the Canadian medical profession as less willing than others to "play ball" to speed recognition of the credentials of foreign-trained professionals. (Ottawa Citizen) MORE: Doctors say they need more doctors Governments agree on credentials
VANCOUVER - A BC Supreme Court judge ruled Imre Toth was "negligent" and provided "woefully inadequate" estimates after his inspection of a home the couple bought in September 2006. Toth's inspection said the home needed repairs totaling about $20,000. The final repairs ended up costing ten times the original amount - $200,000. Toth is a member of the Canadian Association of Home & Property Inspectors (BC), a self-regulating association that licenses its members. (CTV)
Stockbroker denies altering documents VICTORIA - High-performing Victoria stockbroker Carolann Steinhoff is once again battling regulators, this time over allegations that she routinely altered client documents. At a hearing this week in Vancouver, a lawyer for the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) tendered two e-mails in which Steinhoff specifically instructed her assistants to alter a client guarantee form. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: Investment broker faces new allegations
TORONTO - Al Gosling died this past weekend; there was, finally, nothing his doctors could do and no more medicines to help, and so the machines that kept him alive were shut down. Now let me be blunt: old men die all the time - and Al was 82 years old - but I wonder if he would have died like this had he not been evicted by the Toronto Community Housing Corp. (Toronto Star) MORE: In Al Gosling's death hope for others Seniors safety: where's the political will
BC considers changing liquor laws VICTORIA - The provincial government has finally decided to look into the fact its liquor laws prohibit the serving of the time-honoured 20-ounce Imperial pint of beer in BC. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: A pint-sized ripoff Public liquor system oversold Booze prohibition - 80 years on .pdf Canadians should see red over feds' inaction on archaic liquor law
MONTREAL - A group of 14 Montreal investors is headed to court, this time in hopes of recouping a total $4M they say they lost from Leon Kordzian in a real-estate scheme. (CTV)
TORONTO - Preadorshani Biazar was a relatively low-earning provincial bureaucrat with an unemployed husband when she was arrested in 2007 - yet she was able to travel the world, own three Toronto-area homes and drive an expensive luxury SUV. (CanWest)
LONDON - The Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC) has given 180 institutions the stamp of approval since he set it up in 2007. Among them is a Manchester college exposed last month as the front for an immigration scam which helped 1,000 fake students to enter or stay in Britain. (Times online) RELATED: Germany rocked by allegations of PH.D. bribes
YORKTON - The provincial Ministry of Health has ordered a review of more than 70,000 diagnostic images that were interpreted by a Yorkton radiologist whose competency is being questioned. (Saskatchewan News Network)
World's least affordable housing VANCOUVER - A new report says Vancouver has the world’s least affordable housing, and blames land-use policies designed to limit urban sprawl. (CTV) REPORT: Demographia 2010 .pdf Vancouver housing least affordable to its own citizens Affordable living is 270 sq. ft. PREVIOUS: 4th highest in the world Demographia 2009 .pdf
Review to examine pathology department WINNIPEG - A local doctor is concerned that Manitoba labs are putting patients in danger and the province is now conducting an external review into the matter. (CTV) MORE: Review of medical errors Probe into 'critical incident' deaths
Mackenzie pipeline panel reports People in the Northwest Territories are still sifting through the Joint Review Panel's recommendations for the Mackenzie Valley gas project. (CBC) REPORT: Review panel for the Mackenzie gas project Mackenzie Valley Pipeline Regulators delay pipeline
EDMONTON - Alberta's information and privacy commissioner is criticizing the government's new royalty legislation because it keeps some information secret for five years, even from freedom of information requests. (Edmonton Journal) |
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Revoking tax powers of school boards WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government could move to revoke the taxation powers of school boards. Similar action was announced by the Saskatchewan government, which said it is revamping the school tax system and assuming direct control over how much property owners pay on the education portion of their tax bills. (CBC) MORE: 79% of school board spending goes to staff |
Homemade food for homeless banned VANCOUVER - For 12 years, sandwiches have been prepared in the homes of Christ Church Cathedral parishioners and supporters before being taken to the downtown Vancouver heritage building and served to the needy. Then someone from the Vancouver Coast Health Authority noticed what was going on and put a stop to the practice, demanding the food be prepared on site. (Vancouver Province) |
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TORONTO - For $400 cash, some Etobicoke residents were allegedly told they could jump a lengthy lineup to have their inferior pipes replaced. Instead of joining a year-long wait list for the city's pipe replacement services, they could be hooked up by spring. (Toronto Star) |
Former brokers can be held accountable VANCOUVER - The decision paves the way for the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) to proceed with allegations of misconduct against Charles Dass, a former broker with Dundee Securities Corp. in Port Alberni. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: $3.9M missing |
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TORONTO - The Ontario government spent more than $23.4M on outside lawyers and consultants in suing numerous parties over alleged corruption at its real estate arm but it has been awarded just $3.5M plus interest after a recent trial. (Toronto Star) |
Law society kept legal fight secret REGINA - A recent Appeal Court decision has revealed, for the first time, the existence of a years-long legal battle between the Law Society of Saskatchewan and prominent Regina lawyer Tony Merchant. . (Saskatoon Star Phoenix) RELATED: Pair accused of giving advice without law society membership |
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Don't blame - or subsidize - Greyhound CALGARY - There is no mystery what is hurting Greyhound Canada: politics. Politicians and regulators have intervened in transportation decisions to such an extent that the country's principal operator of inter-city buses can no longer make a profit carrying passengers on most of its routes. (Edmonton Journal) |
Open the highways to competition |
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Construction site safety under scrutiny CALGARY - As city engineers work to pinpoint how two large pieces of glass plunged from a construction site in the Beltline, inspectors are launching a sweeping review of highrise building projects. As many as 36 major projects will be visited by safety codes officers in the coming weeks looking specifically for overhead structural concerns that could pose a danger to the public. (Calgary Herald) |
Anguish Witness tells of horror Construction site safety under scrutiny Little girl killed, mother in hospital Girl killed as truck hits stroller Crane death warrants criminal charges |
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CALGARY - It's been called "Ponzimonium"- a surge in the number of Ponzi schemes being probed across North America -and it has watchdogs in Western Canada busy, too. (CanWest) |
Shire International Real Estate Investment |
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AB challenges single regulator EDMONTON - The Alberta government announced it will launch a court challenge to Ottawa's proposal for a single Canadian securities regulator. (CBC) Ottawa-provinces face off over pensions Watchdog appeals white collar sentence Canada struggle with white collar crime White collar cost of living is higher Jones scared, may need protection Jones' company declared bankrupt Financial adviser allegedly stole $6.5M |
Regulators scrap changes to corporate governance rules Another alleged Ponzi scheme uncovered Call for National Enforcement Agency Watching spending not feds' role Victims of BC Ponzi scheme urge caution |
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Liposuction played role in death TORONTO - It is "preposterous" to contend that a Toronto cosmetic surgeon's liposuction surgery didn't contribute to her patient's death, an expert testified. (Sun Media) No crisis 'until it was too late' |
'Privacy act' can't protect bureaucrats Cosmetic surgery crackdown begins Province pushes for legal whip over doctors College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario |
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Regulator levies record securities fines CALGARY - Alberta's securities regulator brandished its might Monday, levying $1.5 million in penalties against two former Proprietary Industries Inc. executives for foul market play - the highest individual fees in Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) history. (Calgary Herald) |
Irate investors accused of hiring 'hit man' BOSTON - Two Canadian businessmen have been arrested in the US, accused of hiring a hit man to snatch a Calgary lawyer from his tropical island estate and kill him in an elaborate plot to recover millions of dollars lost in a flimsy investment. (National Post) MORE: 2 Canadians charged Murder for hire charge |
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TORONTO - Whether they were aware of it, Ontarians enter a legal grey zone when they participate in a carpool, says a new ruling by the Ontario Highway Transportation Board. (Windsor Star) MORE: Evil carpooling startup fined |
SASKATOON - Lawyers for Susan Rault of Watrous and Michael Nolin of Saskatoon say they were treated more harshly than other lawyers who committed comparable offences. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix) |
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VANCOUVER - The BC Supreme Court has rebuked the board of the BC Medical Association for trying to discredit a doctor who scuttled the $70M fee deal brokered in 2005 to end a major public funding battle with the provincial government. (Vancouver Sun) |
NEW YORK - An undercover police sting has implicated two Vancouver stock promoters and a local stockbroker in an alleged bribery scheme. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: Stock promoter facing US fraud charges US stock bribery cases have Vancouver connections |
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OTTAWA - The Ontario liquor board has fired at least 10 workers in the last year for scooping up Air Miles meant for customers. The employees were nabbed after the Liquor Control Board of Ontario gained access to their Air Miles accounts and found they were using personal cards to accumulate points on customer sales. (CP) |
LCBO staff fired for swiping Air Miles |
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High-stakes battle over mining rights OMPAH, Ont. - Frank Morrison knew immediately what the red metal tag meant. He didn't understand why it was on his land. The race for resources has put the spotlight on the Mining Act, which, under a system known as free entry, allows prospectors and mine developers almost unhindered access to public lands and much private property as well. (Toronto Star) |
Good to have appointed board on your side WINNIPEG - Hydro rates are going up 5%, and possibly another 4% next year, the Public Utilities Board ruled. Starting Canada Day, power users will be charged the new rate. Next April, Manitoba Hydro has the chance to appeal to the PUB for a further 4% rate increase. Hydro was only asking for a 2.9% rate hike, but the PUB went beyond that. (Winnipeg Free Press) |
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WINNIPEG - Questions are being raised about a Winnipeg doctor whose licence was revoked due to a psychiatric problem - but whose name is being kept secret, even from the doctor's former patients. (CBC) COMMENT: Patients must know |
RCMP asked to investigate programs HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's auditor general has referred what he calls irregularities in the province's immigrant nominee program to the RCMP for further examination. (CP) MORE: RCMP asked to probe nominee program |
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Too many questions need answering VANCOUVER - Police, the BC Coroner's office and Fraser Health Authority are scrambling to get to the bottom of an apparent arrest that ended when a 22-year-old, waiting for psychiatric help at MSA Hospital in Abbotsford, slipped past health workers and hanged himself in a staff washroom 10 days ago. (Vancouver Province) PREVIOUS: Family deserves answers |
REGINA - The minister responsible for Saskatchewan Crown corporations has accepted the province's rate review panel recommendation to approve SaskEnergy's proposed average natural gas rate hike of 24% to $8.71 per gigajoule. (Regina Leader-Post) PREVIOUS: Another 20% rate hike approved Minimum 40% SaskEnergy hike proposed Appointed SK rate review panel |
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MONTREAL - The cabinet appears to have sounded the death knell for the off-white margarine distinctive to Quebec, the last province to rule that margarine can be any colour as long as it is not yellow. (Montreal Gazette) PREVIOUS: Canadian Daily Commission |
MONTREAL - UltimateBet.com, which is owned by a company controlled by former Kahnawake grand chief Joe Norton, acknowledged that unnamed insiders had altered its poker software to allow them to see opponents' hidden cards. (National Post) |
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EDMONTON - Alberta Education advised the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) in an e-mail last month that the province has transferred the responsibility for reviewing complaints about teacher competence to the Alberta Teachers' Association, said Heather Welwood, president of the provincial school boards association. (Calgary Herald) |
Mom fires BC government collection agency VANCOUVER - One quick read of the enforcement agency's government website and Vancouver mom Lisa S. was hooked. The BC Family Maintenance Enforcement Program was just what she needed to look after the nasty stuff: They had the goods to flush out deadbeat parents, record support payments and collect overdue amounts along with interest. (Vancouver Province) |
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Former head of law society sued for $1.4M TORONTO - The former head of the governing body for lawyers in Ontario in Ontario is being sued for $1.4 million in damages by a former client he had an affair with for more than two years. George Hunter, 59, and his law firm, Borden Ladner Gervais, are named as defendants in the civil action filed in Ontario Superior Court by the woman who can be identified only as A.B., as a result of a court order. (Ottawa Citizen) RELATED: Unfit judge still a lawyer |
OTTAWA - It was a tough week for MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates shareholders. After Industry Minister Jim Prentice deep-sixed the $1.3-billion sale of the company's space division to Minnesota-based Alliant, saying it was not a "net benefit" to Canada, they took a $150-million bath on stock price. (Calgary Herald) PREVIOUS: MDA reeling after sale rejected The death knell of a deal Lost in space DND at risk of losing spy systems 'An affront' Don't sell off this satellite |
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WCB ordered to identify employers with worst safety records Nova Scotians have a right to know which employers have the most workplace accidents, Nova Scotia Supreme Court has ruled. In a decision handed down Tuesday, Justice Gregory Warner sided with The Chronicle Herald and ordered the Workers’ Compensation Board to name the 25 employers who reported the most accidents and injuries over a three-year period from 2004 to 2006. (Chronicle Herald) |
Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) Probe into injury compensation board Final report of the Royal Commission on Worker's Compensation in BC |
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Statscan blames gas prices on provincial taxes OTTAWA - In a study Statistics Canada puts the blame for uneven gas prices in Canada on some provincial and municipal governments. (CTV) |
Gas station robberies on the rise In heated hearings, oil bosses defend big profits Canadians being gouged at the pumps: report Six million face record fuel bill rise RCMP begins ticketing protesting truckers |
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HALIFAX - Some companies that defaulted on big loans from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency have been frequent borrowers for more than a decade, prompting a critic of the agency to wonder why the businesses weren't cut off sooner from public funds. (CBC) |
VANCOUVER - Today, Vancouver investment dealer Sean Kim sits in a Korean jail after allegedly scamming $30M from Korean-Canadians in the Lower Mainland. Kim, 39, whose full name is Sung Wan Kim, was arrested by Korean police last weekend on fraud charges related to a Ponzi scheme. (Vancouver Province) |
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Saskatchewan fires labour board REGINA - The Saskatchewan Party government has fired the chair and vice-chairs of the Labour Relations Board in a move organized labour says raises major concerns about the future independence of the board. (Regina Leader Post) |
EDMONTON - Premier Ed Stelmach vowed to improve the transparency of the province's 250 boards last fall and a review of his appointments since then suggests he is keeping his promise. (Edmonton Journal) |
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PRINCE ALBERT - The Saskatchewan Party government plans to introduce legislation to ensure judges and other professionals accused of misconduct can't escape investigation by resigning their posts. (Saskatoon Star Phoenix) PREVIOUS: Judge owed 'favours' Judge refused offer of photo of naked man |
Transport Canada decision led to deadly crash Transport Canada allowed a Winnipeg company to repair a "critical part" on a Bell 206B helicopter despite the aircraft manufacture's advice not to, a decision that led to three deaths in a helicopter crash on BC's north coast, a federal transportation safety board report concludes. (Vancouver Sun) |
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Risky workplaces faces cash penalty TORONTO - For years, many unsafe companies that caused deaths or injuries have received substantial payouts that were supposed to reward businesses with golden safety records. WSIB payouts are often double or quadruple the fines levied against the companies by the Ministry of Labour, allowing dangerous businesses to recoup their financial losses by the very system that was created in 1915 to protect the rights of injured workers. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: Board shields unsafe job sites When companies get rewarded for mistakes Hiding injuries rewards companies |
VICTORIA - The federal government is getting out of providing employment programs across Canada. In BC it is handing the province $2 billion over six years to do the job. The province touts it as an opportunity to create a "made in BC" system of employment services, but critics say "made in Tucson" may be more accurate. Last year a big American company, Providence Service Corporation, bought BC's biggest employment program contractor, WCG International Consultants Ltd. (Tyee) PREVIOUS: WCG CEO: Ian Ferguson WCG President: James Rae |
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CALGARY - After two years of waiting, Dessa Davison, 68, was told by the College of Alberta Denturists her complaint against Ivanka Vodopija had been resolved and Vodopija had been fined. But Davison says all she wanted was a refund for what she says were ill-fitting dentures. (Calgary Herald) |
BC probes why public cash helped sex offender VICTORIA - The BC government is probing why taxpayers' money was used to help a former Campbell River doctor get his name erased from the national sex offenders registry last year. (Victoria Times Colonist) PREVIOUS: $3B war chest helped doctor get name off sex-offender registry CMPA |
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BC land title system is safe & secure VICTORIA - The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) reinforced today the safety and security of the province's land title system which has been in place since 1870. (LTSA Press release) BC government can't guarantee you own your home Rising real estate fraud makes title insurance essential |
Homeowners burned by soaring property taxes Con artists sell homes without owners knowing |
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VANCOUVER - Gordon Campbell wasn't kidding when he warned that the future of BC was at stake in the last election - or at least its energy future. NDP energy critic John Horgan says BC ratepayers are already on the hook for about $30B in "unfunded liabilities" in Electricity Purchase Agreements. Blair Lekstrom, BC's Minister of Energy and Mines, disputes the NDP's numbers. He says he believes the existing IPP contract commitment for BC ratepayers is about $21B. But he admits that number could jump to as much as $60B with BC Hydro decisions due this summer. (Vancouver Province) |
Hydro users hit with higher rate Risks escalating on maxed-out BC Hydro grid Blast at Kamloops Hydro substation Residential hydro rates to jump by 11% BC Transmission suing residents |
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Lawsuit rule changes will cost VANCOUVER - Six months of further talk isn't good enough, say BC lawyers, and sweeping new rules for civil litigation in the province must be scrapped because they will cost too much and lengthen lawsuits. (Vancouver Sun) |
Government-appointed task force |
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Accountant penalized for info leak EDMONTON - A member of national accounting firm Deloitte & Touche has been penalized $64,000 after admitting he gave confidential information to the Insurance Bureau of Canada during Alberta's personal injury claim debate five years ago. (Edmonton Journal) |
Unqualified mediators prey on broken families TORONTO - Mediators aren't regulated in Ontario. Instead, anybody can hang a shingle and plunge into a highly sensitive area of working with divorcing couples and their children at a time when most are financially and emotionally vulnerable. (Toronto Star) |
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TORONTO - The brokerage industry's self-regulatory body (Investment Dealers Association of Canada) (IDA) is conducting a compliance and enforcement sweep of its member firms in the wake of the $32-billion asset-backed commercial-paper debacle and has served notice that dealers that signed the Purdy Crawford restructuring will not be immune to regulatory action. (Financial Post) |
Committee strikes tentative deal Asset Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP) Flaherty seeks better disclosure |
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CALGARY - At a hearing in Calgary on Monday, the Environmental Appeals Board considered whether Westridge should be allowed to go ahead with its challenge of the province's approval of a water-for-cash swap to service a horse racetrack and super mall under construction just north of Calgary. (Calgary Herald) |
Man stays despite hatchet attack VANCOUVER - Three weeks before an Immigration and Refugee Board member ruled on compassionate grounds that Jeyachandran Balasubramaniam should be allowed to stay in Canada, he was arrested by Vancouver police after a bloody eastside brawl Sept. 14. (Vancouver Sun) PREVIOUS: Immigration & Refugee Board (IRB) |
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Ministry mum on closure of driving schools HAMILTON - Ontario's Ministry of Transportation has blacklisted four defunct Hamilton driving schools as part of a crackdown on driver's education programs. But they're not saying why. (Hamilton Spectator) PREVIOUS Province gets tough on driving instructors Driver's ed crash data puzzles parents |
Ex-real estate agent gets 5 years VICTORIA - Former Victoria real estate agent Terry Minnie was sentenced to five years in prison for defrauding clients of up to $2 million in a confidence scheme. (CanWest) PREVIOUS: RCMP scoop up small fish while sharks swim free Canada's securities industry |
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Parents feel schools not preparing kids OTTAWA - Almost one-third of Canadian parents have hired tutors for their children and three-quarters of families report homework is a source of stress in their household, according to a report released Monday. (CanWest) PREVIOUS: 2007 Survey of attitudes toward learning Support of public school system slipping Public education in Canada 2007: Facts, trends and attitudes |
Cross-border shopping for a car seat illegal OTTAWA - Car seats bought outside of Canada don't meet standards set by Canada's Motor Vehicle Restraint Systems and Booster Cushions Safety Regulations (RSSR) or those of the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), and do not bear the National Safety Mark required in Canada. (CTV) RELATED: Retail sales fall Canadians bought 25,000 cars in the US in October Protectionism |
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EDMONTON - Martha Kostuch this week received approximately 1,100 pages of documents from Alberta Energy regarding the fairness of the province's royalty regime and strategies for oilsands development. The documents, however, were heavily censored. (Edmonton Journal) |
Ontario to better monitor trial costs TORONTO - The Ontario government is creating a new protocol that will keep a closer eye on criminal cases where taxpayers' dollars are spent to defend criminals, the province's new attorney general announced. (CTV) PREVIOUS: Few checks on Wills' Legal Aid spending Legal Aid Ontario |
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HAMILTON - The Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner has launched an investigation into the collection of personal information by a private-sector company that helps doctors collect fees. And the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario says it will review its regulations covering how doctors use hired companies for fees. (Hamilton Spectator) PREVIOUS: Is there a doctor in the house? NL police probe security breach of patient information |
Officer's killer can do investor relations VANCOUVER - A man who shot and killed a Calgary police officer should be allowed to do investor relations work, a BC Securities Commission panel has ruled, overturning an earlier decision by the TSX Venture Exchange. William John Nichols was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no parole eligibility for 25 years. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: CPS 1976: Fallen Officer Keith Harrison |
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MONTREAL - The provincial government will advance as much as $1B to the private consortia that will build Montreal's two superhospitals. (Montreal Gazette) |
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ST JOHN'S - A $17.5M settlement was reached at the end of October in the class action lawsuit against Eastern Health, the province's largest health authority. A notice posted on the website of Ches Crosbie, a class action lawyer in St. John's, says that under the proposed breakdown patients or their estates would get up to $75,000, pending court approval. (CBC) Eastern Health 'should be shot' Failure of accountability and oversight Williams lashes inquiry for 'inquisitorial methods' |
Eastern Health released cancer numbers under duress Cancer labs no closer to national standards Doctor blows whistle on testing Manitoba pathologist on leave over diagnostic errors |
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142 child death cases to be reviewed TORONTO - The provincial government will today begin the process of reviewing at least 142 child deaths attributed to shaken baby syndrome to determine if there were miscarriages of justice, a government source says. (Toronto Star) Doubt cast on reasons children died |
Inquiry report slams child forensic pathology |
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Doubt cast on homicide autopsies Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan Wrongly jailed mother wins right to sue MD |
Mistake by Smith found in 1994 case Inquiry into pathologist's faulty work Coroners Canada: Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Québec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory |
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CHALK RIVER - In a statement AECL said the National Research Universal reactor at the Chalk River, Ont., facility was “safely shut down” on Thursday due to a “shortage in electrical power.” (CanWest) Why Chalk River still has no backup reactor Chalk River crisis sired by AECL Appointment exposes political ties AECL: Special examination reports |
Ottawa to sell stake in nuclear agency Another fired appointed public servant goes to court Fired regulator suing government Atomic Energy chair steps down Canada MPs to end isotope crisis Fallout seen for another government granted near monopoly |
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TORONTO - Two long-time Toronto Catholic trustees, one of them chair of the board, are facing conflict-of-interest allegations less than a year after the former chair was ousted in a similar case. (Toronto Star) Province takes over Catholic school board School trustees asked to explain high expenses Latest expense report deferred Trustees reflect poorly on community Parents shocked by board spending |
Catholic trustees avoid police probe How Falconer hoodwinked the Star Falconer never asked us: no-shows Toronto board mandarins snub safety probe Reality: millions of dollars and delicate labour negotiations School community safety advisory panel final report Report paints bleak picture of Toronto school safety Crisis of confidence,' in school safety |
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OTTAWA - Thousands of Hydro Ottawa customers have received nasty shocks in the mail after the utility's billing staff reconciled five years' worth of power bills and discovered they were owed $4.9 million. The bills were sent to 6,700 customers enrolled in Hydro Ottawa's "budget billing" program, which allows people to pay their power bills in equal amounts based on their estimated annual electricity use. The company has not done so since 2003. (Ottawa Citizen) |
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver board of education announced today that it will not release a long-awaited independent report it received last spring on the sex scandal at Prince of Wales high school in the 1970s and 80s. In a statement the board suggests that privacy laws prevents it from releasing the report, which was written by Don Avison and was expected to examine how students in the school's Quest outdoor education program were sexually abused for years. (Vancouver Sun) |
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A mining plan to transform a remote British Columbia lake into a toxic waste dump has been rejected by a government review panel, but its exhaustive report acknowledges the possibility that federal and provincial ministers of environment might approve the controversial project anyway. The unprecedented environmental assessment crushes Northgate Mineral Corporation's proposal to dig a second pit to the north of its existing Kemess Mine, located more than 400 kilometres northwest of Prince George. (Tyee) |
The likelihood of patients suing their Canadian doctors is going down but overall costs of litigation are increasing, and last year awards and settlements peaked at a record high, a new report says. Awards and settlements were $184 million in 2006, but when such items as legal costs and expert opinion fees were factored in, the expense of such litigation hit $354 million, states the annual report of the Canadian Medical Protective Association. (Vancouver Sun) REPORT: CMPA 2006 Annual report |
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Corruption scandal nets no jail time TORONTO - Ivan Sirman, a former environmental engineer, received a conditional two-year sentence yesterday but won't have to spend any time behind bars for his role in the kickback, bid rigging and land fraud case at Ontario Realty Corp., the province's real estate arm. (Toronto Star) |
Self regulation in the medical industry TORONTO - Half of the doctors found guilty of sexually related professional misconduct in Ontario have kept their licences to practise medicine. (Hamilton Spectator) PREVIOUS: College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) Trained MDs ignored |
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Doc's magazine story prompts investigation NANAIMO - Investigation into the conduct of a Nanaimo hospital doctor begun by the Canadian military is now being continued by the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons. But it's still not known if the investigation by the Canadian Forces Health Services Group concluded Kevin Patterson broke doctor-patient confidentiality in a magazine article he wrote while in Afghanistan. (Vancouver Province) |
Frontline medicine in Afghanistan |
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Secrecy doesn't serve victims of crime HAMILTON - What the press release said: Ombudsman Ontario will conduct a "systemic investigation" into the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. (Hamilton Spectator) |
EDMONTON - Alberta Auditor General Fred Dunn has been forced to drop or suspend four key investigations because his department is financially hamstrung. (Edmonton Journal) |
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EDMONTON - The resignation of the Law Enforcement Review Board’s second chairperson in five months has again paralyzed the seriously backlogged police conduct review agency. (Calgary Herald) |
Teachers' unions have too much influence HALIFAX - A new report from the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies argues teachers' unions have a disproportionate impact on education policy in Canada. (CanWest) REPORT: Taking back our public education |
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Ban smoking in cars with kids: CMA VANCOUVER - Canada's doctors are calling for a country-wide ban on smoking in all vehicles carrying children - including private cars - to protect young lungs from the dangers of second-hand smoke. (CanWest) |
Doctors defeat user fee motion - barely |
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Ottawa took a long-awaited first step Monday in unifying the country's patchwork of stock market regulators into one national body. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced that a team of financial and government insiders has been appointed to help bring about the change smoothly. (CTV) Flaherty joined by foe in pursuit of regulator Securities reform deserves time for debate No deal on securities regulator Will 'wet noodle' ruling put Nortel scandal to rest? Securities regulation on agenda Ex-TSX chief urges merger of Canada bourses Epic BC securities case ends in failure |
Can you trust your financial advisor? Flaherty stands firm on regulator Can Flaherty regulate the regulators? Another flaw in the system gets noticed Patchwork regulators flawed set-up Political parties are the most corrupt institutions Why few white collar crooks end up in jail How Canada's dawdling cost US an opportunity to deter crime Rankin to pay $250,000 in OSC deal Canada's fraud squad hindered by laws, leadership Why the OSC so rarely gets its man Why white-collar crime team fizzled No deal on securities regulator |
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Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) Manitoba Securities Commission (MSC) |
Special Advisor report to the RCMP Corporate Governance in Canada and the US Northwest Territories Securities Registry Nova Scotia Securities Commission Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) Prince Edward Island Securities Office |
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Canada fails to track education progress The Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) says Canada ranked last of 40 countries in the information it provided to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for its annual report on the state of education. Key data on Canada's $34-billion-a-year post-secondary education sector were in particularly short supply. (Ottawa Citizen) |
WINDSOR - The government-ordered audit of the Windsor Utilities Commission will not go far enough to provide answers ratepayers deserve, says the president of a local taxpayers group. Members of the Windsor Association of Concerned Taxpayers (WeAct) are among those upset over a recent 86% water rate hike imposed by WUC. (Windsor Star) |
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VICTORIA - The College of Physicians and Surgeons, which regulates and disciplines the 10,367 doctors in BC, received 595 complaints of an ethical nature in 2007, 463 related to medical performance or quality of care and 28 having to do with sexual misconduct, according to the college's annual report. That's a total of 1,086 complaints, up by 123 from 963 the year before, for an increase of 12.7%. (Vancouver Sun) Criminal record check law useless School official gets top pay despite probe Minister of Toilet Inspection relinquishes his powers Law governing professionals isn't working Man barred from teaching for 50 years Court rules in favour of teacher Courts to decide if teachers to be named |
Health professionals' disciplinary findings to be public Guilty allowed to leave quietly Complaints should be heard in public Toothless laws failing the public Island chiropractors practising despite charges Psychologist's case shows law's limits Ontario's solution - put everything online Deal means complaints process to stay secret Patient accused physicians' college Name removed from sex offender registry Discipline registry has a significant loophole Mother didn't know teacher had been disciplined GP refused to sign incorrect death certificates Chaos in coroners service blamed on retirements The secret discipline of BC's professions Sex-abused patients left twisting in the wind |
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Fixed fees biggest slice of AB utility bills EDMONTON - It's not surprising Albertans are frustrated and confused over their electricity and natural gas bills when most of the costs are not directly related to the amount of energy they use, says a former top official with the Utilities Consumer Advocate. (Edmonton Journal) |
2 new agencies replace scandalized EUB Alberta Energy Resource Conservations Board (ERCB) Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) 110 Alberta Government agencies and appointees Top EUB officials retire in wake of spying controversy Tories urged to fix spy scandal |
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TORONTO - The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants was created to clean up and professionalize a trouble industry. But the model has critical flaws. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: Part 1: Problems in the system Part 2: Cooking up a story Preying on immigrants unchecked, lawyers say’ Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants CIC Canada: Immigration Representatives |
Montreal school order to rehire convicted killer MONTREAL - A Montreal school board has been ordered to rehire a teacher who failed to disclose that he had been convicted of killing his wife in 1990. The French-language board may appeal the order to hire Jean-Alix Miguel. Miguel pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 1990. (CTV) MORE: Teacher who killed, lied gets job back Boards of Education Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC) School board weighs fate of killer |
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Ban on grocers selling pseudoephedrine overturned TORONTO - Ontario residents will once again be able to get cold and allergy medicine containing pseudoephedrine from local grocery and corner stores. A controversial decision to make products containing the compound available only through a pharmacy was overturned by the Ontario Superior Court on Thursday. (CTV) |
The secret's out on phantom bids TORONTO - The incoming head of the Toronto Real Estate Board has come out swinging against phantom bidding tactics after denying they even existed when she ran for the job three months ago. "It's dirty realty, it really is," Maureen O'Neill said of agents who fabricate offers during bidding wars. She is now calling on the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) to yank the licences of agents convicted of using phoney bids. (Toronto Star) |
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