Federal Appeal Court Backs Ottawa on Single-Use Plastics Ban

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/federal-appeal-court-backs-ottawa-on-single-use-plastics-ban-5978719?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=federal-appeal-court-backs-ottawa-on-single-use-plastics-ban-0

The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that Ottawa’s ban on the import and manufacture of single-use plastic items is reasonable, overturning a lower court decision three years ago.

The unanimous Jan. 30 decision by the three-judge panel found the federal government was reasonable in designating single-use plastic items as toxic and will allow the ban on their production or import.

The manufacturing and import ban was put in place in December 2022 under former Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and includes single-use plastic items such as grocery bags, stir sticks, plastic straws, disposable polystyrene food containers, and plastic cutlery and dishes, with items like six-pack drink rings being phased out by 2024.

A Federal Court decision in 2023 found that Ottawa had overstepped its authority with the ban in a manner that was “unreasonable and unconstitutional.” The federal government first announced the ban as part of a plan to achieve “zero plastic waste” by 2030. The government said it chose the listed items because they were among the most commonly found as litter and had known and accessible alternatives.

The Jan. 30 appeal decision means the ban will continue and prohibit the manufacture of the six categories of single-use plastic items in Canada.

Ottawa proposed in December to ease its rules on single-use plastics to allow them to be manufactured and sold in Canada for export, saying the environmental benefits of keeping the full ban in place are outweighed by the economic disadvantages. Continue…

CRA Fired More Than 100 Employees for Misconduct, Receiving COVID Payments

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/cra-fired-more-than-100-employees-for-misconduct-receiving-covid-payments-5978847?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=cra-fired-more-than-100-employees-for-misconduct,-receiving-covid-payments-0

The Canada Revenue Agency fired more than 100 employees last year, including 25 for misconduct and 78 for fraudulently applying for and receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new CRA report says.

The agency recorded 370 cases of misconduct in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, 266 of which led to disciplinary measures including suspensions, oral or written reprimands, financial penalties, demotion, and terminations, according to the CRA’s second “Annual Report on Employee Misconduct and Wrongdoing,” released on Jan. 28.

Of the misconduct cases, 25 employees were terminated, while more than 150 employees faced suspensions ranging from one to 30 days.

An additional 78 employees were terminated after they “inappropriately” claimed the CERB benefit, which provided financial support to Canadians whose jobs were “directly” affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the report said. Continue…

Poilievre Passes Leadership Review With 87.4 Percent Support

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/poilievre-passes-leadership-review-with-87-percent-support-5978743?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=medium-1

Conservative Party members have voted to keep Pierre Poilievre as leader, with 87.4 percent backing his continued leadership.

“For hope. For the affordable future every Canadian deserves. Thank you, Conservatives. Let’s get to work,” Poilievre said in a social media post following the announcement of the vote results on Jan. 30.

The leadership vote, held during the party’s convention in Calgary that runs from Jan. 29 to 31, was required under the Conservative Party’s constitution, which mandates that if the party fails to form government and the leader doesn’t resign after an election loss, members must vote on whether the leader should continue. Continue…