Blacklock's Reporter

In 1955 a round-trip flight from Toronto to Rome was a staggering $677, the modern equivalent of $6,100. It was the cost of a full order of household appliances or a good used car – not that it mattered. Most Canadians went their entire working lives without ever stepping on an airplane for a holiday. Not till 1944 did any province even mandate two weeks’ annual holiday pay for wage earners. A simple vacation was luxury, let alone travel abroad. "Don't you get tired of just reading about things?" the frustrated traveler George Bailey is asked in It's A Wonderful Life. Bailey, like the film audience, accepted he could never get away. So, they dreamed. The phenomenon inspires this compelling book documenting the aspirations of the “middlebrow,” a pejorative first coined in 1924. READ MORE

Cabinet’s nominee to manage a registry of foreign agents yesterday promised quick results. Anton Boegman, former Chief Electoral Officer for British Columbia, told the House affairs committee he saw no excuse for further delays: "It is essential to start enforcing the rules promptly." READ MORE

Construction of regional high speed rail is a $90 billion catastrophe for taxpayers, says an MP whose constituency is on the route. Conservative MP Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac, Ont.) yesterday warned of "ruined lives" and wasted billions as the Commons passed the High Speed Rail Network Act: 'Why on earth should people in British Columbia, Alberta or Newfoundland pay for this?' READ MORE

Analysis of millions of credit reports shows heavy use of credit cards is a two-year “early warning signal” of mortgage defaults, Bank of Canada researchers said yesterday. Findings were drawn from nine years’ worth of TransUnion Canada data: "Monitoring early signs of financial stress among mortgage borrowers is crucial." READ MORE

Subsidies for private sector newsrooms cost taxpayers $170 million last year, the Department of Finance reported yesterday. Publishers successfully lobbied for taxpayers’ aid seven years ago on a promise that subsidies would be transitional and temporary: "There does need to be a deadline." READ MORE

Cabinet is looking for a third Budget Officer in six months. Interim Officer Jason Jacques yesterday said he had no word on reappointment with four days remaining in his term: "Things were partisan 20 years ago; they are certainly more partisan now." READ MORE

Fraud in Canada’s refugee system is difficult to gauge but may be significant, says Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s department. A “meaningful proportion of claims” from illegal immigrants and other refugee claimants are ineligible, it said: "Indicators provide a broader picture of integrity pressures." READ MORE