CSI Blog & Newsroom

Photographer: Michal Jarmoluk

“When Kim Brooks opened her notice of assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency, she was surprised to see a seemingly random factoid printed in bold letters at the top of the page.

“Only one out of 10 individuals who owe tax do not pay on time,” said the document,” wrote Blair Sanderson for CBC News on April 24, 2017.

Sanderson continued, “Brooks took keen interest because she’s a professor of tax law at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She said that simple message from the CRA is a classic example of a psychological manipulation known as “nudging.”

“They want you to feel like in order to be a good citizen, you should do what your neighbours are doing and pay your taxes on time. It’s a different kind of approach to getting greater compliance,” said Brooks.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Wilfred Iven

“A new poll by the country’s largest advocacy group for people over age 50 suggests that older Canadians want provincial governments to better protect their life savings,” wrote Erica Johnson for CBC News on April 20, 2017.

Johnson continued, “CARP conducted an online survey of 1,900 members last month and Go Public has obtained an advance copy of the poll’s results. Amongst the key findings:

• 89 per cent of CARP members support a best interest standard (requiring that the interests of financial consumers be put at the forefront of all investment decisions).
• 79 per cent support the elimination of embedded fees in financial products.
• 89 per cent want the titles used by people selling financial investments to be regulated.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Suhyeon Choi

“The video of a man being dragged off an overbooked United Airlines flight set to depart Chicago to Louisville, Ky., has sparked outrage against the airline over how the incident was handled, and for what many feel was an insufficient display of remorse,” wrote CBC News on April 14, 2017.

CBC News continued, “By the end of the day, United’s CEO Oscar Munoz put out another statement, saying that he deeply apologizes “to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.” 

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings has begun an investigation, while here in Canada the federal government, prompted by the controversy, announced it will introduce legislation about bumping rules, part of a proposed air passenger bill of rights.

The United passenger’s rough ejection has clearly raised questions about overbooking and bumping, the rights of passengers and what they can do to avoid being bumped from their seat.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Jez Timms

“As the biggest demographic wave in Canada’s history reaches retirement age, the province of Nova Scotia believes it knows how to weather the looming economic storm: encourage baby boomers to work longer.

“Likely our workforce participation overall will go down as more people retire than are joining the workforce,” says Simon D’Entremont, deputy minister of Nova Scotia’s department of seniors. “But, we’re also looking at opportunities created by an aging demographic.”

Nova Scotia is the first government in the country to set up a department devoted entirely to seniors, a one-stop shop for all issues that relate to the province’s aging population,” wrote Duncan McCue, and Lynn Burgess for CBC News on April 11, 2017.

McCue and Burgess continued, ” “Right now in Nova Scotia, 19 per cent of our population is over 65. By 2040 that will grow to 30 per cent. More and more, all of our policies and programs will need to have a ‘seniors lens’ applied to them.”

Statistics Canada says by 2030, the year in which the youngest baby boomers will reach 65, close to one in four people in Canada will be that age or older. That compares to 15.3 per cent in 2013.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick share the honour of having the oldest populations in the country. And the dramatic greying of their citizenry could spell trouble for Maritime economies.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Elijah Henderson

“Terri-lynn Robison stands in the burned-out shell of her bedroom, still in disbelief that her husband set fire to the bed while she was in the room.

Last year, following a heated argument, she told her husband of 11 years their relationship was over and started packing his clothes.

“He went upstairs, and I thought he was going to leave,” she told CBC News. “He came back down with a barbecue lighter and set the whole bedskirt on fire, just from one end straight to the other.” 

Robison grabbed the dog and her cellphone and escaped unharmed. Her husband, Adam Van Es, was arrested that night and later charged with one count of arson with disregard for human life. He pleaded guilty and in March was sentenced to two years less a day.

“I’m lucky I got out,” said Robinson, who lives in Collingwood, Ont., about 150 km northwest of Toronto,” wrote Rachel Houlihan, Diana Swain, and Chelsea Gomez for CBC News on April 11, 2017.

Houlihan, Swain and Gomez continued, “What luck she had would soon run out. Despite being a victim of arson, Robison’s insurance company, Allstate, denied her claim. The company says her “VIP” homeowner policy is “null and void” because her husband, who was insured under the same policy, had intentionally set the fire.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Patrick Tomasso

“Most people expect their rent to go up each year, but not by 100 per cent. So you can imagine the shock AJ Merrick and Jon Moorhouse experienced when they got a letter from their landlord.

“I thought it was an April Fools joke,” said Merrick, a young marketing professional. “There’s no way I’d pay that much for this apartment.”

But it wasn’t a joke,” wrote Natalie Nanowski for CBC News on April 4, 2017.

Nanowski continued, “Their two-bedroom condo located near Liberty Village was going up from $1,660 to $3,320.

The notice outlined two options, either accept the rent increase or agree to vacate the unit by July 1.

“I just don’t know what good it would do to fight it,” Moorhouse said. “Realistically, they’re probably trying to kick us out so they can sell the unit for the most profit.”

CBC Toronto tried to contact the company in charge of the rental unit, Urbancorp, which is described on its website as the “premier developer of the King West neighbourhood.” The company’s number is no longer in service and emails to their address listed online bounced.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Martino Pietropoli

“When it came to parenting, Steve Jobs’ modus operandi was not unlike that used by the rest of us: do as I say, not as I do.

When New York Times writer Nick Bilton suggested to Jobs back in 2010 that his kids must love the iPad, the the godfather of the digital age replied: “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”

While parents the world over turn to the tool as a virtual nanny in moments of weakness, queuing up TV shows or games to entertain their wee ones in the stroller, the Apple visionary said he was reluctant to do the same,” wrote Ramona Pringle for CBC News on April 4, 2017.

Photographer: João Silas

Pringle continued, “It was a startling admission from a man whose life revolved around technology, but his message was a fairly relatable one. He didn’t want his kids to become obsessed with technology.

I don’t have kids yet, but when I do, I want them to have a healthy relationship with technology. These days, I can’t help but think that the only way to do that is to adjust my own behaviour, and to do that, I need to start making changes now. That way, I’ll be able to say, “Do as I say, and as I do.”

We like to think that “kids these days” have developed their apparent technology addictions in silos. That idea is reinforced all over the place — including in advertisements — one of which landed in my inbox just last week.”

Read the full article here.

Photographer: Dariusz Sankowski https://packageslife.com/