Alberta

Alberta tobacco probe blowing smoke, says expert

Topics: 
Alberta, Government ethics, Government transparency, Conflict of interest
Rating: 
0

Jeremy Loome – January 15, 2013

Multiple loopholes in Alberta ethics law guarantee Premier Alison Redford can’t be punished by the province’s ethics commissioner for awarding a contract to her ex-husband while she was still justice minister, says a legal expert.

The multi-million-dollar contract Redford awarded to her ex-husband’s legal firm Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes gave it the responsibility of suing tobacco companies on the province’s behalf for past damages to the public. Some critics have noted the deal was officially signed after she left the post of Justice Minister, making the ethics issue moot.

Canadian oil and gas company charged under foreign corruption act

Topics: 
Alberta, Oil & gas industry, Corruption, Foreign corrupt practices legislation
Rating: 
0

Dan Healing – January 16, 2013

A Calgary-based private oil and gas company with exploration rights in Africa has been charged under Canada’s Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, it revealed Wednesday.

In a news release, Griffiths Energy International Inc. said the charge follows an internal investigation it launched after a new management team was hired in July 2011 and discovered consulting contracts entered into by prior management.

How Alberta became a wild west for small investors

Topics: 
Alberta, Financial industry, Regulatory oversight
Rating: 
3
The following are selected extracts

Nearly $2 billion lost. As many as 20 troubled or bankrupt companies. Tamsin McMahon looks at how Alberta regulators failed to guard against the biggest losses

Tamsin Mcmahon with Anthony A. Davis –December 2, 2012

For “Maria,” the gnawing doubt began shortly after she signed papers handing over her life savings to a real estate developer in Alberta. She attended a seminar in Ottawa in 2009 touting the benefits of investing in real estate, which promised better returns than the tumultuous stock market.

Among the investments on offer was a company called CBI Group, run by Red Deer brothers Ron and Travis Cadman, which promised a chance to invest in an array of projects they were developing around Alberta—a luxury vacation property in the resort community of Sylvan Lake, a condo project in Red Deer that listed a movie theatre and a resident chef among its amenities—as well as a chance to invest in foreclosed properties in Arizona.

Alberta meat packer shut over incorrect information on potentially tainted food

Topics: 
Alberta, Food safety, Food industry, CFIA
Rating: 
4
The following are selected extracts

John Cotter – November 23, 2012

Canada’s food safety regulator says it suspended an Alberta meat packer’s operating licence because the company gave wrong information about a product that could contain potentially dangerous bacteria.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency shut down Edmonton-based Capital Packers on Thursday and announced the company was recalling two brands of ham sausages. The agency said when a test for Listeria on a worker’s clothing came back positive on Monday, the company said none of the sausages had been distributed to retailers.

Re: Whistleblower law provides valuable protection

Topics: 
Unpublished or under-reported, Alberta, Legislation
Rating: 
0

UNPUBLISHED

David Hutton – November 10, 2012

Re: “Whistleblower law provides valuable protection,” Don Scott, Opinion, Nov 8.

In his letter Don Scott simply repeats the government’s misleading talking points about his new law. He fails to address any of the specific shortcomings we identified in our article (on Oct 30) and in our subsequent detailed analysis (on Nov 5). By doing so he seems to confirm that our criticisms are accurate.

Here are just seven of the fourteen serious shortcomings that we have identified:

Alberta government approves new whistleblower act

Topics: 
Alberta, Legislation
Rating: 
5

Sarah O’Donnell – November 29, 2012

The Alberta government passed a piece of legislation early Thursday morning it says will protect whistleblowers who bring forward concerns about bad behaviour within provincial departments, agencies, commissions and academic institutions.

The government approved third reading of the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection Act) bill without any of many amendments proposed by opposition MLAs, who argued that several major and minor changes needed to be made to truly help it protect whistleblowers.

Alberta’s proposed whistleblower law closely aligned with those in other provinces

Topics: 
Alberta, Legislation
Rating: 
0

Sarah O'Donnell – November 5, 2012

Before Alberta officials sat down to craft the proposed whistleblower protection laws introduced in the legislature this week, they looked across Canada and around the world to see how other governments have encouraged public servants to speak their minds.

“Extensive research has been undertaken to ensure this bill reflects best practices both nationally and internationally,” Don Scott, associate minister of accountability, transparency and transformation, said when he introduced the bill for second reading this week.

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