Foreign ‘adversaries’ may have leveraged ‘freedom movement’ to advance agendas: memo | Globalnews.ca: Unnamed foreign “adversaries” may have leveraged the Canadian “freedom movement” protests to advance their own interests, a newly-disclosed intelligence report suggest.

According to previously secret assessments by the Ontario Provincial
Police’s (OPP) intelligence branch, the “available information” on Feb.
19 suggested that foreign actors may have pushed support for the
movement, which fueled the convoy blockades in Ottawa and across the
country, “to protect or enhance their own strategic economic and
political interests.”

The report provides no proof of foreign involvement, and does not indicate where the OPP’s intelligence came from.

But
while February’s convoy protests and blockade enjoyed home-grown
support in Canada, the OPP assessment suggested the movement received
both encouragement and support from abroad – including from the United
States, the only country named in the assessment.

Ottawa denies transfer of Shaw wireless spectrum, threatening Rogers merger | Globalnews.ca:

The federal government says it will not approve the wholesale transfer of wireless spectrum licenses from Shaw to Rogers, threatening the proposed merger of the two telecommunications giants unless new conditions are met.

Innovation and Economic Development Minister François-Philippe
Champagne said Tuesday the decision, which he previously committed to
earlier this year, was meant to promote competition in the sector.

“I
will never waiver in my commitment to promote competition and make
wireless services more affordable for all Canadians,” he told reporters
at a brief press conference.

Rogers had been aiming to sell off
wireless spectrum licenses owned by Shaw’s Freedom Mobile to Quebecor’s
Videotron as part of its bid to buy Shaw for $26 billion. That agreement
was reached in order to address competition concerns.

Canada’s economy lost nearly $13B due to labour shortage, new report shows – National | Globalnews.ca:

Canada’s economy lost
almost $13 billion over the past year due to a nationwide labour and
skill shortage in the manufacturing sector, a new report has found.

Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters’ (CME) annual labour survey of
563 manufacturers in 17 industries across the country found that almost
two thirds have lost or turned down contracts and experienced production
delays due to a lack of workers.

        Read more: 
            <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9213911/canada-recession-mark-carney-inflation/" title="Recession in Canada ‘probable’ next year, ex-Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
            Recession in Canada ‘probable’ next year, ex-Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney says               </a>

The penalties and loss of sales resulting from these issues totalled $7.2 billion, according to the organization.

As
well, 43 per cent of companies have postponed or cancelled capital
projects because of the shortages, resulting in another $5.4 billion in
lost investment, said the CME.

Canadian Regulators Zero In On Greenwashing Claims – Environmental Law – Worldwide:

With mandatory ESG reporting coming soon

to
federally regulated financial institutions and public companies,
regulators are already investigating claims of greenwashing at
Canada’s largest bank.

Earlier this week, Canada’s Competition Bureau confirmed it
was investigating a complaint that consumers were
being misled about the bank’s climate performance. The
complaint alleges the bank made “materially false” claims
about its commitments to the Paris Agreement Goals and achieving
net zero.

As pressure increases from regulators, Canadian companies should
expect a significant increase in the scrutiny and potential
liability that will attach to all forms of ESG disclosure,
including sustainability reports and net-zero commitments.

Billions in Funding for the Oil and Gas Sector

According to the complaint, the bank is alleged to have
undermined its stated commitment to the Paris Agreement targets by
providing more than US$201 billion in financing and underwriting to
fossil fuel companies from 2016 through 2021. | more |