CRA cutting up to 280 permanent jobs in response to fiscal constraints
Canada Revenue Agency signage is shown in Ottawa on Friday, June 28, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency is cutting up to 280 permanent employees in response to fiscal constraints.
The workforce changes will impact branches across the CRA but the reductions will mainly impact employees in the National Capital Region.
Commissioner Bob Hamilton and deputy commissioner Jean-François Fortin say in a message to staff today that executive positions are also being impacted by the reductions.
The message says the CRA is taking steps to meet required government savings after examining its operating budget over the last two years.
Earlier this month, the Union of Taxation Employees announced that the Canada Revenue Agency wouldn't renew contracts for more than 1,000 term workers across the country.
CRA spokesman Etienne Biram says a number of factors have impacted the CRA's budget in recent years, including the sunsetting of COVID program funding.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
31 minutes ago
- CTV News
Grocery store with almost entirely Canadian inventory encouraging shoppers to buy local
A photo showing the storefront of a new grocery store in Perth, Ont. on Friday, June 13, 2025. (CTV News Ottawa/ Dylan Dyson) A brand-new grocery store in Perth, Ont. has opened with an almost entirely Canadian inventory. The Perth General Store opened on June 7, offering more than 50 Canadian brands for sale, with at least one item from each province and territory. 'We have everywhere from Saskatchewan to Whitehorse and we're going to continue to grow,' said co-owner Megan Adams. 'For us right now, especially with the way the world is, it was really important for us to just stay true to our roots,' she said about her all-Canadian selection. 'And as I started researching Canadian brands, I just got more and more inspired, like, there's some really cool brands out there.' The opportunity to shop local products appeals to many shoppers, who say they are still cognizant of buying Canadian and staying away from American products. 'I definitely would say it's heightened due to politics at the moment,' said Alyson Colon, who stopped in to browse the Perth General Store. 'Particularly with produce I notice it the most. So, I am paying attention to where things are being grown and where they're coming from for sure.' New numbers from Nielsen IQ show Canadians are putting their money where their mouth is, as the sale of Canadian food products increased at the beginning of 2025, while the sale of American food products dropped, compared to the same time last year. Sylvain Charlebois, senior director at the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, says those numbers correlate to the time when the tariff war between Canada and the United States was at its peak. 'When you look at 'made in the U.S.', food products sales were down since February 8.5 per cent, and that is huge in food retail in just a few months,' Charlebois told CTV News Ottawa. 'I would say that this boycott against American products actually did work… When people walked into the grocery store, they basically hated America more than they actually liked Canada.' And retailers and consumers say they are willing to pay the price if it means avoiding American products. 'Where things might appear a little bit more expensive than something that's mass produced in the States, folks are willing to invest and they know that the quality will be there too,' said Adams. 'Is just the juice worth the squeeze?' asked shopper Justin Machan. 'If it's comparable for sure. We're not going to go 30 per cent more to pay for a Canadian product, obviously. That's just crazy. But I mean, overall if we can get it comparable, we'll take it.' 'People are spending basically the same amount of money, then six months ago,' notes Charlebois. 'So, when you have a consumer spending the same amount, it's just about it's about shifting budgets and shifting purchases essentially from one destination to another.'
CTV News
34 minutes ago
- CTV News
Timmins Police reveal crime stats for the first four months of 2025
The Timmins Police Service has an online reporting tool that's been running for about a year and a half. Officials said it's helped business owners report crime. 'We're getting more crimes that are being reported to police,' said deputy chief Darren Dinel. 'One of the online crime reporting requirements are lower-end crimes, shoplifting being one of those crimes, so that crime is reported more often on our online portion.' A total of 193 shoplifting incidents were reported to police from January to April this year, compared to 160 for the same period last year. Closer look 'So we'll have to look at that in taking a closer look to see exactly what's taking place,' said Dinel. Calls for service about fraud are also up by 25 per cent for the first four months of the year. 'I can't speak to the exact pieces of the fraud, but again, that's a crime that we're noticing that is being reported more often,' said Dinel. One category that has seen a drop is violent crime, by about 14 per cent. Dinel attributes that to a higher police presence in the field. He said officers have new technology in their vehicles that allows them to work remotely, thereby maintaining a presence in the public eye. In terms of staffing, as of June 9, Dinel said the Timmins Police Service has 89 officers and is working up to a full complement of 96.
CTV News
44 minutes ago
- CTV News
Vending machines at the University of Waterloo violated privacy act
Ontario's privacy watchdog has ruled vending machines on campus at the University of Waterloo violated the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Students lodged a formal complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) in Feb. 2024 after the 'smart' vending machines were installed by a third-party provider. They claimed the machines were using facial recognition technology to collect images without consent or notice. The students said they were alarmed when one of the machines, located in the Modern Languages building, malfunctioned and displayed an error message reading, ' – Application Error.' 'We wouldn't have known if it weren't for the application error. There's no warning here,' said River Stanley, a fourth-year student at UW, who investigated the machines for an article in the university publication, mathNEWS. Stanley told CTV News students then started putting sticky tack, chewing gum, or Post It Notes over the machines' sensors. vending machine facial recognition Fourth-year University of Waterloo student River Stanley explains where students have been trying to cover a hole on a vending machine that they believe houses a camera. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener) The investigation An IPC investigator learned the university had signed an agreement with the company that owns the machines, Adaria, in Oct. 2023. Adaria was to provide 29 vending machines and be responsible for maintaining, monitoring and stocking them. They were installed in Dec. 2023 and removed from campus in Feb. 2024 when the school learned of the privacy concerns. The university said Adaria either purchased or leased the machines from candy maker MARS and MARS contracted Invenda to build and supply the machines. The school told the IPC it had no knowledge that facial detection technology was being used to collect demographic data. According to an IPC report, when a sale was made, the machine would record a timestamp, the item purchased and demographic data, including facial detection. The technology would then estimate the buyer's gender and age range. 'There was no dispute that the IVMs [Intelligent Vending Machines] captured video images of individuals' faces on the university's campus,' the report read. 'However, the university argued that the resolution of the optical sensor in the IVMs was too low for the device to be considered a camera or create identifiable images of individuals.' The IPC said an investigator deemed the images were of 'photographic quality' but noted those images were held for milliseconds before they were converted into abstract grayscale images and then into numeric descriptors describing the demographic data. 'Our investigation into this matter has found no evidence to suggest that personal information, beyond the initial temporary capture of facial images, was retained and further used by these vendors,' the report said. vending machine facial recognition A vending machine at University of Waterloo displays a facial recognition app error. (Reddit) Did the university know? The IPC report noted the agreement between the University of Waterloo and the vending machine company contained 'all the appropriate standard clauses necessary to protect personal information.' It also determined the university was not aware the machines had facial detection technology that was collecting personal information and had not asked for vending machines with that capability. However, Adaria's proposal did mention a collaboration with MARS to test new product innovations, including MARS Intelligent Vending Machines. The investigators stated that, although the university had reasonable contractual measures in place, it failed to carry out the necessary due diligence that would have uncovered the potential privacy concerns. Report recommendations The IPC report concluded with two recommendations: the university should review its privacy policies to ensure any future collection of personal information complies with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the university should ensure it carries out all necessary due diligence to identify, assess and mitigate any potential risks to personal information when entering into new agreements with third-party providers.
