11, JULY 2013 MORNING NEWS E. TIME

11 July, 2013

11,July 2013 CANADA NEWS

**VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s government has been ordered by a judge to hand over confidential cabinet documents to the provincial teachers’ union in advance of a September trial disputing the constitutionality of some back-to-work legislation. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Susan Griffin said in a ruling posted online Wednesday that the legal process is designed to be fair, and fairness in this case requires the government to hand over the documents to the BC Teachers Federation. The statement from the Ministry of Education said that because the matter is before the courts, it would be inappropriate for the Minister of Education to comment on the legal action. Griffin ruled the government did not have to produce all or portions of about one dozen documents because they were not relevant.**

**The municipalities across Quebec and Canada are demanding that rail companies release details about the hazardous materials they transport and prove their infrastructure is sound, following the Lac-Mégantic tragedy in which 50 people are missing. As well, Quebec is looking into a law passed 12 years ago but never adopted that would force train lines to provide lists of dangerous products it is transporting to municipalities.weeks before the Lac-Mégantic disaster, six tanker cars bearing oil products were left teetering on a damaged rail bridge during Calgary’s flooding in late June. Unlike other private businesses, train companies are exempt from municipal regulations. The government promotes trans-Canada transport of petrochemical products, they will have to enforce new regulations to ensure safety and steer this transport away from urban areas.
It is time to consider these situations**

**Facebook Canada, after Toronto and Vancouver, the company opened an office in Montreal Wednesday. Its goal is to get closer to clients in Quebec, which have distinct patterns. With our new presence in the province, Facebook Canada will largely be able to provide value to businesses in Quebec by helping to find and engage with more consumers, said the CEO of Facebook Canada, Jordan Banks, noting in passing that Canada is a country where the penetration of the brand is the highest. If Toronto has about 50 employees and Vancouver are closer than 150 employees, so far only two people advise businesses in the city.**

11,July 2013 US NEWS

**President Obama has told his staff to use all the technology at their disposal to make the federal government “smarter, quicker and more responsive” in his second term. I’m going to keep on doing what we can administratively, but we sure could use Congress help, the president said, particularly at a time when Congress is saying they want more efficient government.

**U.S. unemployment benefit applications rose 16,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 360,000. The weekly applications data can be volatile in early July because some automakers briefly shut down their factories to prepare for new models and many schools close. Those factors can create a temporary spike in layoffs. The broader trend has been favorable. Applications have declined steadily in the past year. About 4.5 million people received unemployment benefits in the week ending June 22, the latest data available.**