Bringing about a higher level of transparency and accountability in provincial and federal governments to help protect taxpayers from abuse
Three men forced their way into a surgical area and stole $1.2 million worth of medical equipment from Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto police allege.Police said the break and enter happened at the downtown hospital on Bathurst Street around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Source: $1.2 million of medical equipment stolen from Toronto Western Hospital – Toronto – CBC News
A research group says the Canadian government is missing between $8.9 and $47.8 billion in tax revenues every year. The figures are based on what other countries have calculated for themselves and the Conference Board of Canada says this country needs come up with a closer estimate too before it can tackle the problem.‘Governments struggling to pay for services’“Most governments, provincial and federal, are really struggling to pay for services…and they have been for some time,” says Matthew Stewart, an associate director at the board. “The tax gap is one of those areas that we think…everyone should pay their fair share of taxes and it’s one area (where) they can clamp down.”
Source: Canada missing billions of dollars in tax revenues RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL
After international scandals involving horse meat and mislabelled fish, there’s a push in Canada and around the world to combat food fraud.
Today, technology is being developed to try to help consumers detect the truth about what they’re really eating.
Sylvain Charlebois, a professor of food distribution at Dalhousie University, says complaints about food fraud are spiking in Canada, with more incidences of “whistleblowers” reporting mislabelled products and other food-related deception to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
After multiple reports that President Trump’s ban on travel into the US from seven Muslim-majority countries was keeping children in need of surgeries and other critical medical treatment from getting to hospitals, Ontario’s health minister said Friday he would get them care in Canada.
Stories have emerged from around the country of families who had sought treatment for their children at US hospitals, only to be blocked by President Trump’s executive order. More than three dozen patients — critically ill children and adults — scheduled for treatment have been blocked from traveling, STAT News reported.
Source: Trump’s Travel Ban Is Keeping Sick Kids From Medical Care, So Canada Is Stepping In – BuzzFeed News
Criminals, kleptocrats, and tax evaders are taking advantage of Canada’s stellar reputation as an open and honest place to conduct business. Today, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perception Index, giving Canada a commendable 82 out of 100 transparency score and ranking Canada as the ninth least corrupt country out of 177. Canada owes this ranking to our people’s expectations of ethical behaviour, strong public institutions, a free press, and an engrained rule of law.
However, look beyond Canada’s low corruption ranking and within its institutions, real threats hide in plain sight. Our system is being used as a getaway vehicle for corrupt politicians, drug traffickers, tax evaders, and every kind of thief to launder the money from their criminal enterprises. There are few places on Earth where it is easier to set up an anonymous company. That makes Canada an attractive place for people looking to avoid the scrutiny of law enforcement or tax authorities. A corrupt foreign politician can come to Canada and have a nominee set up a company or trust for their benefit, and make it nearly impossible for anyone to determine its true ownership.
Source: Don’t let Canada become haven for tax dodgers | Toronto Star
(MILTON, ON) – In October, 2016, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced a significant decrease in the amount of losses attributed to the CRA Scam, following a large number of arrests conducted by Indian Authorities at a number of call centres in India.
In the months following those arrests, the RCMP has continued to see that the number of reports related to the CRA scam remain at a fraction of what was reported prior to these arrests. Though the reports have diminished, it is clear that this scam has not ended.
Source: CRA Scam Bilks Canadians Of $6.2Million – The Square
MONTREAL—An ex-Liberal organizer convicted of fraud related to the federal sponsorship scandal was given a four-year prison term Wednesday.
Jacques Corriveau, who was previously described as the ”central figure” in the scandal, will also have 10 years to pay a fine of $1.4 million.
A jury found Corriveau guilty of three charges in November: fraud against the government, forgery and laundering proceeds of crime.
Corriveau, 83, was handcuffed and placed in the prisoner’s box after the sentence was read out.
OTTAWA— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will close tax loopholes for the rich in the upcoming federal budget, hinting at measures to target tax havens that shelter money for wealthy Canadians.
On the first day of a road trip meant to re-connect him with Canadians and under fire for a swish Christmas vacation on a private island in the Bahamas, Trudeau ate humble pie.
He admitted his government missed warning signs that a new computerized federal pay system was buckling, acknowledged his government has not yet met its promise to restore lifelong disability pensions to injured veterans, and he conceded his preferred option on electoral reform was a ranked ballot, not the proportional representation system recommended by a committee.
Source: Liberals to close tax loopholes for the rich, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says | Toronto Star
The incoming Trump administration has uttered the word Canadian auto industry executives have been dreading, saying a tax on vehicles imported into the United States could be applied to Canada.
A border tax will apply “when a company that’s in the U.S. moves to a place, whether it’s Canada or Mexico or any other country seeking to put U.S. workers at a disadvantage,” Sean Spicer, a spokesman for president-elect Donald Trump, said during a conference call with reporters Friday, Bloomberg News reported.
Source: Trump team says border tax plan for imported vehicles includes Canada – The Globe and Mail
Canadians forced to pay some of the highest drug prices in the world could save billions through changes promised by Health Minister Jane Philpott in an exclusive interview with the fifth estate.An analysis by the fifth estate shows that Canadians, for example, pay far more than people in New Zealand for drugs produced by the largest Canadian-owned pharmaceutical company.For every dollar Canadians spend on seven popular drugs sold by Apotex in both countries, Kiwis spend just 11.5 cents.
Source: Health minister vows to save Canadians ‘billions’ on drug prices – Health – CBC News