mdbincbi

Renewable Energy Growing In Canada But Solar Installations Lagging Behind – CityNews Toronto

December 20, 2017 mdbincbi

by Mia Rabson, The Canadian Press OTTAWA – Although the cost to build solar power has plummeted over the last decade, a new report suggests Canadians aren’t rushing use the sun to make electricity. The National Energy Board today released its annual look at the state of renewable energy in Canada and it says solar energy accounts for just 0.5 per cent of all Canada’s generated electricity. And almost all of that exists entirely in Ontario, the report notes. NEB chief economist Shelley Milutinovic said the trend in Canada is…

Bell Says CRTC Promise Of Free Phone Unlocking Doesn’t Apply To Everyone – Business – CBC News

December 18, 2017 mdbincbi

Canadians were supposed to be freed from cellphone unlocking fees come Dec. 1, but some with a Bell-locked phone have found they’ve had to fight for their freedom. That’s because the telecom giant will only unlock phones free of charge for current and former customers. Its policy excludes anyone who never signed up with Bell but acquired a second-hand phone that happens to be locked to its network. Bell also turned down Laura Train-Fraser even though she says she was once a customer. Because the telecom couldn’t confirm this, it refused to…

Air Canada’s ‘Ancillary’ Fees For Customers Add Up To Big Bucks – Business – CBC News

December 3, 2017 mdbincbi

Global airlines are expected to earn a record $82 billion US this year by charging customers extra for everything from seat assignment to baggage fees to travel commissions. And Air Canada is among the top ten airlines in the world when it comes to earning this so-called ancillary revenue, racking up nearly $1.18 billion US last year, according to reports from IdeaWorksCompany, a U.S. research company that tracks airline revenue. IdeaWorksCompany reviewed 138 airlines and examined in detail 66 airlines that publicly disclose extra revenues in their financial filings, which Air…

Cash Will No Longer Be King At Bell Aliant Stores Come The New Year – Nova Scotia – CBC News

December 1, 2017December 1, 2017 mdbincbi

A Nova Scotia man is unhappy that Bell Aliant won’t be accepting cash or cheque payments at its stores beginning Jan. 1, 2018. Instead, the company will only accept payment by debit and credit card. “It’s difficult to understand how legal tender is not good for business these days and my concern is for those who perhaps don’t have a credit card or a debit card and the inconveniences this will cause them,” said Maurice Rees, the publisher of The Shoreline Journal, a monthly paper in Bass River, N.S. He thinks…

‘Open Banking’ Holds Promise But Cybersecurity Fears Loom For Canadian Banks – National | Globalnews.ca

November 30, 2017 mdbincbi

TORONTO – As banks work to fortify their cybersecurity defences amidst a growing number of data breaches, they are also exploring the promise of so-called “open banking,” a concept that could finally disrupt the staid financial services industry. Customers have increasingly moved away from physical branches towards online and mobile apps, but banking has yet to reach its “Uberization” moment, one that breaks down traditional models to usher in new innovations, as Uber has done for the taxi industry. Open banking – granting third-parties like financial technology startups access to…

Spies More Free To Use Cellphone Surveillance Tech Without Warrant, Under Court Ruling – Technology & Science – CBC News

November 29, 2017 mdbincbi

A federal court judge has ruled that Canada’s domestic spy agency can continue to use contentious cellphone surveillance devices without a warrant, in some cases. For several years, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has used a device it calls a Cell Site Simulator (CSS) to collect information about cellphones and other cellular-capable devices — such as some laptops or tablets — during its national security investigations. The devices are perhaps better known as IMSI Catchers or Stingrays, and pretend to be legitimate cellphone towers in order to collect information. Privacy…

Consumer Complaints About Telecoms On The Rise — Wireless Issues Most Common Beef – Business – CBC News

November 28, 2017 mdbincbi

Canadians are becoming more vocal about poor service by their telecom providers, according to a report released on Tuesday by Canada’s telecom watchdog, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom Services (CCTS). The report shows in 2016-17, consumers filed more than 9,000 complaints with the CCTS. That’s up 11 per cent over the previous year, when 8,197 complaints were accepted, and reverses a three-year trend that saw complaints decline. Most people who filed a formal complaint were ticked off about their wireless accounts, accounting for 46 per cent of all complaints. Linda…

Canada Should Fight For Open Internet, Says Former Head Of FCC – Politics – CBC News

November 25, 2017 mdbincbi

The former head of the Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. has a strong warning for Canada: do what you can to protect the internet. Tom Wheeler, head of the FCC under former U.S. president Barack Obama, said the Trump administration’s decision to repeal his net neutrality policy could become a cross-border issue. In 2015, Wheeler approved an order that barred internet service providers from blocking or slowing down consumer access to web content. This week, his replacement, Republican Ajit Pai, unveiled plans to repeal that decision and said the U.S. regulator will prevent states…

No Relief At The Pumps For Consumers, As Refiners Pocket Benefit Of Low Oil Prices | CTV News

November 18, 2017 mdbincbi

There may be no fact of life more confounding to ordinary Canadians than gas prices. They seem to go up at the first whisper of climbing oil prices, but don’t fall nearly as fast when barrels of oil sell for less. That’s certainly true right now. Oil is selling for about US$55 a barrel, about half of an eight-year peak of $108 in 2014. The average barrel price that year was $88. Gas prices hit a high of $1.41 a litre in Canada in 2014 and averaged $1.28 for the…

Canada, U.K. Join Forces To Phase Out Coal, But At Least 2 Canadian Provinces Want Out – National | Globalnews.ca

November 17, 2017 mdbincbi

Canada and the United Kingdom have enticed 18 other nations to adopt their mutual goal of weaning themselves off coal-fired power – but at least two provinces are trying to negotiate their way out of the federal government’s own domestic plan. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna was all smiles Thursday as she and her British counterpart officially launched the Global Alliance to Power Past Coal at the United Nations climate change talks in Germany. Eighteen countries, five provinces and two states signed onto the Canada-U.K. alliance. “We’re seeing huge momentum for…