The Treasury Board is hiring private tutors to coach Black federal employees on how to learn French, records show. Too few Black staff are passing bilingual proficiency tests required for promotion as executives, it said: "Language training has been identified as a barrier for Black employees’ advancement." READ MORE
The Federal Court has dismissed penalties against a construction company that paid foreign labour less than a posted rate. The judge cautioned the decision was narrowly based of facts in the case and must not be seen as “undermining strong worker protections.” READ MORE
Bitcoin ownership in Canada is double pre-pandemic levels but remains low, Bank of Canada researchers said yesterday. Typical buyers were speculators under 34: "The primary reason for selling their holdings was cashing out for a profit." READ MORE
Worrying in-house Bank of Canada research points to a collapse in Canadians’ confidence in the economy, Governor Tiff Macklem said yesterday. A tariff war was entirely to blame, he told reporters as the Bank further reduced its key interest rate on interbank loans from 3 to 2.75 percent: "It could well mean layoffs." READ MORE
Cabinet yesterday confirmed it accepts U.S. President Donald Trump’s terms that Canada reopen a 2019 trade pact to resolve American grievances. A cabinet delegation is in Washington, D.C. today to show “Canada is ready,” said Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc: "The conversation will be around lowering the temperature." READ MORE
The Department of Health yesterday approved millions in regulatory relief for the cannabis industry amid rising insolvencies and tax defaults. The red tape reduction measures solely for marijuana distributers, wholesalers and retailers take effect April 1: "The cannabis industry is facing economic difficulties." READ MORE
Cabinet is searching for new investors to save a heavily subsidized Québec electric auto battery plant, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said yesterday. Northvolt, the original owner, filed for bankruptcy in its native Sweden: "What’s important is we managed to get Québec into the automobile industry." READ MORE
The Blue Jays drafted me the first time in 1994. I’ve played ball in Italy, Nicaragua, Panama, Spain, the Netherlands and Austria. The greatest success of my career came after I got hurt. I try now to adapt this lesson in coaching kids. It’s not about how to hold the bat or grip the ball. More important is what goes on between the ears. Fear is a big deal for kids, and coaches need to talk about that. I try to draw on some of the things I struggled with as a player, and things I wish people had told me.
