ottawa
Ottawa is spending $1.7M for 10 new jobs at a pasta plant. Are such loans and government aid worth it?
When the federal government said earlier this week its $1.7 million loan to a Brampton, Ont., pasta plant would create 10 jobs, some questioned whether that taxpayer money was being put to good use. One economics professor tweeted he was “legit astonished” by the investment in Italpasta. “Do they not understand just how insane this is? That spending north of $170k for *one job* is an embarrassment, not an achievement?” wrote Stephen Gordon of Laval University. And that was just a fraction of the billions of dollars in subsidies that were announced recently for theRead more
Nishnawbe Aski Nation holds emergency meeting in Ottawa amid surge in sudden deaths on First Nations
First Nations chiefs from Ontario, federal officials at meeting after string of suicides, unexplained deaths Leadership with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) held an emergency meeting with federal officials after a string of recent youth suicides and unexplained deaths in First Nations across northwestern Ontario. On Wednesday in Ottawa, the meeting to discuss the crisis and look at solutions included members of NAN’s executive committee, chiefs from northern Ontario and health experts, and Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu. Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Grand Chief Cindy Woodhouse and Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare were there as well.Read more
Ottawa looking at including used cars in federal electric vehicle incentive, report says
Federal program currently offers incentives for only new vehicles A government report suggests federal incentives for used electric vehicles could be in the works as Ottawa pushes to phase out gas-powered cars. Canada’s latest emissions reduction progress report says the federal government will “explore the potential to expand the Incentives for Zero Emission Vehicles (iZEV) program to include used vehicles.” But the three lines in the report don’t offer much detail. Neither Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s office nor the office of Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault would say whether discussions are underway to expandRead more
Pension becomes another Alberta-Ottawa fight. But this time, Trudeau’s on offence
PM vows to defend Canada Pension Plan, but hasn’t yet brought numbers to debate OK, so it didn’t quite happen this way, but may as well have. As limited as the province’s engagement process has been thus far on Alberta going it alone on pension — a sunny-side-up questionnaire and phone-in forums — the largest stakeholder in this matter was bound to weigh in. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his apparent opening salvo in what’s becoming a federal-provincial pension dispute, and it was an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith.Read more
Ottawa announces plan to phase out ‘inefficient’ fossil fuel subsidies
Environmental group says the plan still has loopholes Ottawa published its plan for eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies today — making Canada the first country among wealthy, heavy-emitting nations to do so, according to the federal government. In 2009, the countries that make up the G20 publicly promised to “phase out and rationalize … inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” over the “medium term.” Such subsidies “encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change,” said the G20 communique. Environment and Climate ChangeRead more