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The Entitled page 2 Greed, Corruption or Incompetence |
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TORONTO - The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board - the same WSIB that Tory MPP Elizabeth Witmer is now taking over - is burdened by an unfunded liability of $14.2B that requires “radical and rapid steps” to fix, concluded an independent report prepared for the government. But whether you wade through the unwieldy full report (.pdf) or the condensed version, the message can still be summed up in a paragraph: The WSIB has only 55% of what it needs to meet its obligations. (Toronto Star) |
TORONTO - A branch of the Ontario government responsible for ensuring employers act fairly and obey the law has been criticized for infringing the privacy rights of its employees and violating a collective agreement. In a landmark decision Tuesday, the Crown Employees Grievance Settlement Board found the labour ministry acted unreasonably by conducting secret criminal background checks on its inspectors. (Toronto Star) |
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WINNIPEG - City council voted to guarantee a $10M loan to a developer with a plan to build 900 townhouses and apartments along the Fort Rouge rail yards. But, if the developer defaults, the city would be responsible for its $10M loan. (CTV) |
Nuclear workers to get jobs back TORONTO - An arbitrator has given 8 fired Ontario Power Generation workers their jobs back. (CP) PREVIOUS: 'Drug-related activity' Ontario Power Generation. Drugs allegedly behind firings Taxpayers pick up the tab |
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CHATHAM - A city councillor and federal liberal candidate in Chatham, Ont., is free on bail after being arrested on six charges. Steve Pickard, 40, is charged with assault, forcible confinement and four counts of making death threats. (CBC) |
CALGARY - A new processing fee imposed by the province could cost the city an additional $10M in unexpected expenses. Every time police or the parking authority requests information from Service Alberta, the city will have to pay a $15 fee. (CTV) |
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Grow-op is not a city hall investment SLOCAN - The mayor of a small village in BC's West Kootenay region says she had no idea her family was allegedly running a marijuana grow-op, and she won't step down over what she considers a private affair. (CBC) |
OTTAWA - Lise Pouliot, 68, and Emmanuel Feuerwerker, 60, were found guilty of fraud over $5,000, possessing proceeds of crime worth over $5,000 and laundering the proceeds of crime. From 2002 to 2005, they made 109 claims to insurers Sun Life Financial. (QMI) |
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TORONTO - Ontario's highest court has closed the door on a pension increase for fired Hydro One executive Eleanor Clitheroe. Clitheroe sued Hydro One seeking to have her pension raised to $33,644.21 a month - slightly more than the average Hydro One pensioner gets annually. (CP) PREVIOUS: $25K a month pension not enough Eleanor Clitheroe |
4 charged TORONTO - 4 people have been charged with breach of trust and fraud following a police investigation into cleaning contracts at Ontario government buildings in downtown Toronto. MORE: OPP charge provincial officials Politicians silent on police raid 'Irregular transactions' Criminal probe targets Ontario Realty Corp OPP probes ministry staff |
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TORONTO - The Canada Revenue Agency says a Toronto tax preparer has been jailed for filing returns with more than $1M in false claims. (CBC) |
LANGLEY - A suburban Vancouver council has lost confidence in its mayor and has voted to censure Rick Green and oust him from two high profile public committees. (CP) |
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TORONTO - WSIB chair Steve Mahoney, a former Liberal cabinet minister, is paid $550 a day for the part-time job, and billed taxpayers $141,000 last year. Mahoney is also collecting pensions from his time as an MPP and MP. (CP) MORE: WSIB head not sorry Part time chair's claims 'outrageous' WSIB boss in hot water |
Husband refuses to pay for 'substandard' care TRAIL - An elderly BC man is upset after a provincial health authority stripped him and his wife of their legal and financial rights when he complained repeatedly about his wife's care in the local hospital. (CBC) PREVIOUS: BC public guardian and trustee act |
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OTTAWA - Dozens of workers at Canada’s tax agency have been caught snooping on their ex-spouses, mothers-in-law, creditors and others by reading confidential tax files. (CP) |
HALIFAX - Nova Scotia's auditor general has been called in to investigate MLA Trevor Zinck’s alleged expense irregularities. (CBC) PREVIOUS: MLAs paid to chair committees that never meet |
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Quebec is suing former Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault for $92,000, in a bid to recoup public funds she spent without justification during her decade-long term. (CBC) MORE: Lise Thibault Trial begins Auditors challenge spending |
OTTAWA - The federal ethics commissioner has fined Defence Minister Peter MacKay $200 because he violated the federal ethics code by serving as an officer in two of his father's companies while he was a cabinet minister. (CBC) |
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OTTAWA - Lorraine (Lori) Ridgeway, director general for international policy and integration for the fisheries and oceans department, came to the attention of MPs after a Sun Media report on her expenses. (Sun Media) PREVIOUS: Good life all part of the job Around the world on $400G Probe of pipeline expense claims ordered Transport Canada 'fictitiously' expensing |
TORONTO - In the last 20 years, legal aid lawyers - who receive between $77 and $98 an hour - have had their pay increased by 15%, compared with an 83% increase for judges and a 57% increase for Crown attorneys over just the last 10 years (Toronto Star) MORE: Ontario legal aid boycott, nobody cares Judges deserved raise Court rules judges can double dip |
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OTTAWA - Canada Post has written "return to sender" on a plan to have the Crown corporation cover the cost of sending union bosses and activists to Brazilian and Cuban resorts for political conferences. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has already sent a pair of six-person delegations to two sunny destinations: the World Social Forum's "Free Palestine" conference in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and a confab in Holguin, Cuba. (QMI) |
Changing the culture of the entitled Strikes highlight Canada's pension problems Unions fighting rearguard action NDP counts on big labour support Canada Post drives thousands to online billing |
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CHARLOTTETOWN - PEI Premier Robert Ghiz is fending off allegations of corruption and bribery within his government with just two weeks to go before a provincial election. Several witnesses have come forward with allegations that senior immigration officials in the province accepted bribes in exchange for the province's sponsorship of immigration bids. (CTV) |
Premier dismisses probe request Immigration program has concerned Ottawa Auditor investigated for potential conflict |
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OTTAWA - Friends of Lansdowne said the courts ruled the city must disclose financial details of the partnership plan with Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. Both the city and developers were refusing to produce these documents. (CBC) |
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Ethics commissioner clears MP OTTAWA - Labour Minister Lisa Raitt did not violate federal conflict-of-interest guidelines when her local riding association held a fundraising event involving lobbyists, Parliament's conflict-of-interest and ethics commissioner said. |
Liberals want Harper to call audit |
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Authorities should probe nanny allegations OTTAWA - A parliamentary committee looking into accusations that Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla and her family mistreated live-in caregivers has recommended that provincial and federal authorities look into the allegations. (CBC) |
Plan to curb nanny abuse presented to Parliament |
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TORONTO - The city of Toronto has asked the ministry of health to investigate how Toronto Emergency Medical Services handled the response to a 911 call that family members believe led to a man's death. (Toronto Star) |
EMS delay Strike blamed for death Union leader charged with mischief |
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OTTAWA - Cellphone and BlackBerry use at a major federal department has been out of control, with costs skyrocketing in a chaotic atmosphere, says a new audit. Natural Resources Canada failed to lay down any rules, lost track of the number of such devices, and let workers cut their own expensive service deals at a cost to taxpayers of up to $500,000 a year in wasted wireless spending. (CP) |
OTTAWA - The mayor and Stittsville-Kanata West Councillor Shad Qadri want city bureaucrats to clean up the municipality's organizational chart after discovering several shortcomings. They found the chart lists 19,000 jobs when the budget calls for 12,100 full-time jobs, there is no indication whether jobs are full or part time, and there are no definitions of full-time work. (Ottawa Citizen) |
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TORONTO - Robert MacDermid says the sheer amount of cash flowing from developers to incumbents - as opposed to coming from citizens who believe in a candidate's platform - erodes the concept of democratic representation. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: Crusader targets campaign finances |
'Mr. X' wins right to argue PS case OTTAWA - The mystery bureaucrat who is fighting the Public Service Commission to keep his name and other personal details of his life off the Internet won the right to argue his case under the name of Mr. X. (Ottawa Citizen) PREVIOUS: Former bureaucrat fights to keep name secret |
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REGINA - Brenda Oates - once a high-ranking government employee, devoted volunteer and well-respected member of the community - was led out of a Regina courtroom in handcuffs after being sentenced to more than a year in jail for fraud. (Regina Leader-Post) |
OTTAWA - William Baker, commissioner of the federal revenue-collecting department, laid out between $40,000 and $45,000 on the project last year, according to documents obtained under access-to-information legislation. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: CRA Board of Management |
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OTTAWA - A third foreign worker illegally hired by Ruby Dhalla's family has stepped forward with complaints of being severely overworked and underpaid. Lyle Alvarez, 32, says the MP for Brampton-Springdale promised she would try to help her stay in Canada as a live-in caregiver if she passed a tryout as a housekeeper at the family's Mississauga home. (Toronto Star) |
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MIRAMICHI - New Brunswick taxpayers are finally getting a little money back in the wake of the 2010 collapse of Atcon, after the province had loaned it close to $70M. The Atcon group of companies filed for bankruptcy in early 2010. In 2009, the Liberal government of Shawn Graham extended 3 different loan guarantees to Atcon worth a combined $50M, plus an additional undetermined amount coming from the Deh Cho bridge fallout. Those were on top of earlier loan guarantees and loans. In April 2011, Business New Brunswick, the province’s economic development department, refused to turn over documents related to the controversial loans to the public accounts committee of the legislature, saying the information was subject to cabinet confidentiality and exempt from release under the Right to Information Act. (CBC)
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Retroactive pension reforms difficult: Judge Agency refuses to disclose salaries Outside consultants drew ire of bureaucrats 2009 report of the auditor general Premier's ties to Atcon questioned Politics have been good for us Questions about managers bonuses |
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Municipalities want more money OTTAWA - Canada’s leaky municipal infrastructure faces an increasingly grim future unless the federal government sinks an estimated $171.8B into repairing or replacing aging roads and water systems, a new report says. With the Conservatives’ infrastructure funding plan set to expire in 2014, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ first-ever national infrastructure report card called for a commitment from Ottawa to support cash-strapped municipalities. (Toronto Star) |
Some municipalities 'shockingly secretive' Councils should face fines for meeting in secret How powerful are BC's municipal 'super PACs' BC municipalities want carbon-tax revenue Municipal spending climbs 80% since 2000 |
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WINNIPEG - The death of an 82-year-old woman in the emergency department of Winnipeg's St. Boniface General Hospital in June is under investigation, hospital officials say. (CBC) PREVIOUS: WHSC victim identified |
Mint adviser's payment excessive OTTAWA - Carpedia International of Oakville will get $2.09 million for a 50-week contract to find $7,635,705 in annual savings at the Crown corporation, which makes coins in Ottawa and Winnipeg. (Toronto Star) |
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Hospital confession sparks lawsuit TORONTO - A former patient is suing a Toronto hospital that published a study describing how sinks were responsible for the spread of a drug-resistant bacteria in its intensive care unit. (Toronto Star) RELATED: Doctors skip hand washing Humber hospital reveals death rate Hospital mortality info published |
HALIFAX - Former NS human resources minister Ernie Fage was expelled from caucus, just 90 minutes after being found guilty of leaving the scene of a minor accident. (CBC) PREVIOUS: NS cabinet minister resigns NS cabinet minister accused of leaving scene of accident resigns 'Glitch' behind delay in accident probe, police say |
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VAUGHAN - Former Vaughan mayor Michael Di Biase faces 27 charges involving alleged election finance irregularities in connection with the city's 2006 municipal election, in which he lost to Linda Jackson by just 90 votes. Because Di Biase is no longer on council, the city did not issue a news release detailing the charges, as it did when rival Jackson and Councillor Bernie DiVona were similarly charged. (Toronto Star) |
Charges against husband and campaign manager Auditor says Jackson should pay |
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OTTAWA - "I don't know how it became public because I said it was an issue that was discussed in-camera and the information that you received should never have been received by you," Alain Lalonde told CTV. (CTV) Court is not a level playing field Cunningham decision .pdf |
Dispute over criminal code continues Mayor ready to fight allegations in court OPP denies politics influenced O'Brien case |
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TORONTO - Andre Marin says over the past six years there's been a common thread of closed government - whether dealing with municipal property assessment, the provincial lottery system or the police watchdog Special Investigations Unit. (CP) Government bureaucracy maddening |
Ontario's vulnerable not getting help Hospitals still running deficits Ontario commits $20M to clear backlog Bureaucrats add to crime victims' pain Victims' board 'colossal failure' Tories announced $52M to help victims of crime Ottawa city hall snubs Ontario ombud's offer |
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The taxpayers of Vancouver held hostage. The City of Toronto forced into budget crisis. Calgary teetering on the brink of municipal labour unrest. Montreal headed for a major metro-wide service-destroying city workers' strike later this year. For all this and more we can thank the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the all-powerful radical labour group that uses strike threats and political power to hold real control over most government services across the country. (National Post) |
BC municipal election donations Unions didn't so much bargain as put the city under siege PS unions lose $30B pension case Unions step up civic election support Auto union boss carries a big stick and isn't afraid to use it |
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IQALUIT - Nunavut Premier Eva asked the Integrity Commissioner, Norman , to look into allegations of conflict of interest involving South Baffin MLA Fred Schell last spring. The investigation cost the legislative assembly more than $275,000. (CBC) |
Court spares Nunavut government Nunavut finance minister linked to companies Audit unearths chaos at Nunavut lending agency Ex-minister kept in touch David Simailak |
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TORONTO - Members of a Toronto-area family who allegedly stole a $12.5M lottery ticket rushed to transfer millions of dollars in winnings to offshore accounts after an ombudsman’s report on "insider wins" highlighted their case. (CBC) Western clerks claiming high number of prizes |
Bilked lotto winners investigated their own Gaming body to probe suspicious wins BC Lottery Corp to send $31M to reduce fraud Loto-Que. to protect identities of jackpot winners Police foil plot to kill lotto winners Police find conflict of interest Western Canada Lottery beefs up security checks |
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Gambling creates windfall for government BC's 'luckiest' lotto retailers Atlantic provinces to review lottery operations Class-action suit launched against lotto agency Ontario lottery executive on leave Another Ontario senior claims lottery fraud NS to probe Atlantic Lottery ticket retailers Police open probe of fraudulent Ontario lottery |
Retailers luckier than expected OLG suspected more clerks stole winning tickets Lotto 6/49 to probe boosted jackpot claims Lottery numbers online ahead of draw BC lottery clerks win big, often Lottery scratch tickets also a fraud concern Lottery instant scratch tickets under scrutiny Gamblers deserve proof that insiders are clean Ontario plans crackdown on online gambling BC man fined for engineering lottery scam |
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Another success for the entitled CALGARY - As it cuts teacher jobs and squeezes more students into classrooms, top officials and trustees with Calgary's public school board are preparing to move into new headquarters that will cost more than $11M a year to rent and run. A deal that two real estate experts say was at least 25% higher than the prevailing market. Fiscal update includes GST, tax cuts It's nice, but it's only a start Ottawa blamed for $125B in waste DND projects overbudget, overdue There's no satisfying governments' greed City Hall salaries raise value debate Calgary city hall boss gets raise to $332,000 |
New system sees MLAs paid for no work Complaint filed Stephen Duckett Public sector pay better than private Premier stands by payout to trade rep Council salaries up 15% in year A legislative committee that rarely meets misses a deadline Poor oversight costs city millions: auditor Auditor's findings on fraud not shared Managers tried to identify whistleblowers How many city workers does it take to fill a pothole? |
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TORONTO - A $6M libel lawsuit against Mayor Rob Ford has been dismissed. (Toronto Sun) Corruption is a dangerous word |
Paying top dollar for incompetence Public service wage freeze would lead to strikes Province's wage-freeze talks go off the rails |
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Timeline: Ford's conflict-of-interest case Mayor never read the conflict of interest act Union says 'Jobs for life' at risk Toronto document outlines demands Union vows to protect 'jobs for life' |
Tax should be buried in product price Foolishness of allowing appointed to set taxes How the City Handles Your Claims |
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Recycling/eco-taxes the new way to hose New eco fees catching consumers by surprise Recycling agency boss has eHealth links |
Ontario public sector salary disclosure |
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9 MPPs to monitor Ontario's spending Ontario runs a record $24.7B deficit |
OGL awards millions in untendered contracts Consultant at eHealth given more work Another untendered eHealth contract |
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eHealth probe could force strict rules Council pays for ignoring legal advice Toronto fraud and waste hotline Secret parking ticket rules probed City councillors' tax free perks, aren't |
City's AG uncovers waste & fraud Poverty group protests at city hall Taxpayers pay councillor's legal bill City considers new fees to cover budget shortfall Can't stop fare hikes TTC says |
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Defeat a city council incumbent? How to cut down on bad headlines Scoundrels, rogues and socialists Unseen hand behind developments Toronto Computer Leasing Inquiry Rescue plan for ailing Toronto |
4% hike is 10% with hidden fees City unveils hard-times budget Dec consumer bankruptcies jump 50% Toronto City Council passes 4% tax hike Union bosses split Councillors ignore TTC TTC workers on strike TTC strike |
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Drinks, movies among tax targets City needs ethics guide, auditor says Parsimony not a virtue at city hall Toronto firefighters' deal affects other talks $700K meltdown rocks city hall on eve of cuts Premier promises cash for cities Libraries agree to cuts, but police defy mayor Wage rollbacks not in the cards City about to go broke, staff says |
Auditor General of Ontario: 2007 Report Mayor's move ignites war of words 2007 local government performance index Highest paid officials seek piece of pay hike pie Liberals On Defensive Over Auditor's Report Auditor General of Ontario: 2006 report |
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EDMONTON - Ponoka-Lacombe MLA Ray Prins, who headed the so-called 'do-nothing' nothing committee, announced he is not seeking re-election. (CBC) |
Contractor skimmed Alberta Transportation
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AB Health has been good for us Not enough cash to cover wage increases Appointment system has been good for me Early retirement plan for health staff |
MLAs net hefty pay hikes on top of their salary Wealth shifts to public servants' wallets Hospital Report Card Alberta 2009 MLAs net hefty pay hikes on top of their salary Alberta, teachers reach $2.1B deal Hospital crisis brewing for years |
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Call for resignations of Health Region CEO Super health board replaces 9 boards Liberals criticize lucrative contract Public sell-off, public buyback Lawsuit filed against Alberta hospital CEO, other health region execs may go Top AB civil servants get 25% raises |
Being appointed has been good for us Head of government-owned bank earns $1.2M Health region's board comes to defence of CEO Judge faults hospital in death Hazards abound in rural hospitals Suing Vegreville hospital difficult Duckett settlement agreement .pdf Advisory panel .pdf |
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MISSISSAUGA - In the 386-page report (.pdf) Justice J. Douglas Cunningham rejected Mayor Hazel McCallion’s testimony during a $7M probe that lasted almost two years that she was never in a conflict of interest because she was acting only in the best interests of her city. (Toronto Star) |
Mississauga's reputation thrown under the bus Mayor has only herself to blame |
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HALIFAX - Dave Wilson was sentenced in April after admitting to defrauding the public purse of nearly $61,000. (CTV) RCMP investigating school board Little oversight of charitable lotteries |
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Politician agrees to repay $300K Collins pleads guilty to fraud, bribery |
Former cabinet minister out of jail Former NL cabinet minister pleads guilty Newfoundland and Labrador audit scandal Newfoundland AG uncovers more misspending Labrador politician charged with fraud, forgery |
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TORONTO - Ontario's Liberal government is unveiling legislation to freeze wages for nearly half-a-million public sector workers at hospitals, colleges, hydro companies and long-term care homes, but not police or firefighter. (CP) How many cops does Toronto need? Freezing, capping top bureaucrats' salaries |
Report lays out plan to save $1B Ottawa's $19B reversal of fortune Audit finds fault with top appointments Public Service Employment in Canada 2007 BC government work has been good for us PS boss wants to end 'jobs for life' Treasury Board reviews how PS fills top jobs |
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18 months for immigration judge Trained officers told not to apply for jobs Ottawa rescinds ban on able-bodied white men Finance Minister admits Canadians overtaxed Refugee judge charged with breach of trust Immigration judge accused of misconduct More frauds surface in immigration Alleged leaker of green plan a political activist |
Immigration judge caught on video Judge's pleas for sex caught on tape Dosanjh's bigge$st donors run medical firms Feds troubled by reports of waste at Kanesatake |
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Questions raised about native band's spending AG blasts criticism of legal meeting at resorts Court documents official 'enriched himself' Former chief quits real estate board Bureaucrat profited in trust case |
Convicted bureaucrat implicates 8 officials in fraud Immigration board judge gets six years Tailor, 73, jailed in refugee scam Military contracts awarded without competition 2 year sentence for DND fraudster Second guilty plea in DND fraud Fraud sentences well shy of maximum How an ex-DND employee blew $100M Man charged in DND fraud invested millions Tracking DND's missing millions Charges laid in DND computer billing case Defence construction consistently over budget No bang for the buck .pdf |
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OTTAWA - Pierre Poilievre, who represents thousands of federal workers in the riding of Nepean-Carleton, claims he is pushing back after "political threats" by the USW and the CLC. (QMI)Ready to rumble Unions decline in private sector |
Fanatical students don't see racism Academic boycott of Israel takes off in Canada Israel: Universities helping IDF to be boycotted CUPE members vote to boycott Israeli universities |
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CUPE suggesting members reject offer Union wage demands put pressure on Labour force survey, July 2012 Sid Ryan, you have disgraced our union Government work has been good for us Hostility between politicians and PS Cost of Public Service skyrockets Review of Federal Public Sector compensation |
Industrial relations outlook 2012 Something is wrong with the labour code PS 'phantom jobs' inquiry targets 20 Public hiring binge will exposing soft job market Appetite for taxes proving insatiable |
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The controversy surrounding Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's involvement in two properties in his riding is rooted in events that are more than a decade old. But the details were only made public after a series of media reports, a lawsuit and a barrage of questions raised by a united opposition in the House of Commons. (CBC) |
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