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The Regulators
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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
SCC overturns real estate fee ruling OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada has clamped down on a Quebec real estate firm that charged its customers an annual "membership fee" regardless of whether the company sold their homes. (CanWest) JUDGMENT: 2008 SCC 32
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)
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)
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. As is often the case when public bodies are involved, police and health officials aren't saying much, claiming they'd be violating government privacy laws if they did. How convenient. (Vancouver Province) PREVIOUS: Family deserves answers
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. A list of writeoffs from ACOA, obtained by the Canadian Press, shows $13.9 million in loan losses were recorded between April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2007. (CBC)
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)
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)
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
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
TORONTO - Responding to weekend reports of abuse, the head of the Toronto board's audit committee yesterday said trustees' corporate credit cards are now a thing of the past and their annual expenses will soon be made public. (Toronto Star)
OTTAWA - Canadians are drinking less milk and eating far less butter than they did two decades ago, while in the land Down Under, the drop in dairy sales is almost three times as much. (Sun Media) PREVIOUS: Dairy farmers of Canada |
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)
MONTREAL - Confidence in the ability of Mohawk regulators to police lucrative online gambling operations on the Kahnawake reserve has been shaken following the second cheating scandal in less than a year. UltimateBet.com, which is owned by a company controlled by former Kahnawake grand chief Joe Norton, acknowledged on Thursday that unnamed insiders had altered its poker software to allow them to see opponents' hidden cards. (National Post)
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)
OTTAWA - A Citizen investigation shows that between Jan. 1, 1999, and Aug. 28, 2007, nearly 5% of gas pumps tested in Canada - about one pump in 20 - failed government inspections by dispensing less fuel than they should. (Ottawa Citizen) MORE: Report hosed at the pump
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. This happens if you restrict the market for nationalistic reasons. (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
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)
Doctors' legal records to be made public TORONTO - Starting next year, an index of malpractice suits filed against Ontario physicians will be publicly posted online. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the governing body for all of the province's medical doctors, passed a series of new bylaws in February that will expand the information on practitioners' records available to the public. (CanWest) MORE: MD 'secrets' will go public Doctor still holds licence
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
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)
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
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)
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) |
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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) |
Homeowners burned by soaring property taxes Con artists sell homes without owners knowing |
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BC Transmission suing residents VANCOUVER - When Tina Ryan opened an envelope she received from a man who wouldn't identify himself, she was surprised to find evidence the BC Transmission Corporation had conducted surveillance on residents opposed to a power line project in their neighbourhood. " (Vancouver Sun) |
Residential hydro rates to jump by 11% BC Hydro's |
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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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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) |
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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VANCOUVER - A Surrey lawyer found to have committed professional misconduct by misappropriating funds has been disbarred by the Law Society of BC. Nicole Hainer, who was called to the bar in 2002, is now unable to practise law. (Vancouver Province) |
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: Ombud blasts Legal Aid 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 |
Law Society seeks wiretap of lawyer The Law Society of Upper Canada is taking the RCMP to court in a bid to get its hands on wiretaps that allegedly expose former Crown attorney Calvin Barry's involvement in a money-laundering scheme. (National Post) |
Chiropractor college 'too secretive' VICTORIA - BC's independent privacy watchdog has criticized the BC College of Chiropractors for being too secretive in the case of a woman who complained about her treatment. (Victoria Times Colonist) |
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Doubt cast on reasons children died TORONTO - New research on head injuries casts doubt on whether three child deaths in Ontario in the early 1990s were homicides, a leading international authority on infant head injuries has told a public inquiry. Under questioning from James Lockyer, counsel to the families of these children, Dr. Helen Whitwell indicated that the children may not have been victims of homicide. In all cases, parents were criminally convicted. (Toronto Star) |
Inquiry can't probe pathologist's role Mistake by Smith found in 1994 case Doubt cast on homicide autopsies |
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Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan Wrongly jailed mother wins right to sue MD |
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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How did so many get so much wrong for so many years? How did Canada's federal atomic agency get away with spending 17 years and over $600 million building two crucial nuclear-medicine reactors that have never worked, still don't, and likely never will? (Sun Media) Why Chalk River still has no backup reactor Chalk River crisis sired by AECL Appointment exposes political ties AECL: Special examination reports |
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 Isotope plant in violation of license |
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Province takes over Catholic school board TORONTO - In one swift move Education Minister Kathleen Wynne stripped Toronto Catholic District School Board trustees of their power. (Toronto Star) School trustees asked to explain high expenses Latest expense report deferred Trustees reflect poorly on community Parents shocked by board spending |
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 |
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