Category: Department of Public Works

$550 Million in Overpayments Due to Botched Phoenix System Yet to Be Recovered, Say Feds

More than half a billion dollars in overpayments to federal employees due to previous errors in Ottawa’s Phoenix Pay System are yet to be recovered, according to recently released federal records. Cabinet disclosed a number of figures in an Inquiry of Ministry related to the failed payment system, which Ottawa launched in 2016 in an effort to consolidate a…


Ottawa Spent Over $130 Daily on Niagara Hotels for Illegal Immigrants: Federal Records

The Immigration Department spent the equivalent of over $130 per day on hotels in Niagara Falls for illegal immigrants seeking asylum in Canada, according to an Inquiry of Ministry recently tabled in the House of Commons. The department wrote in the Inquiry that some of the illegal immigrants spent up to three or four months in…


Federal Departments Spent Over $2 Million on TikTok Ads Since 2020: Document

A number of federal departments have spent a total of over $2 million on advertisements on the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok since 2020, according to government records. The app was recently banned on federally-issued devices over security concerns. The federal cabinet disclosed the figures in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons on Jan. 30, which…


Feds Spent Over $50 Million on Hotels for Illegal Immigrants, Refugees Since 2015, Gov’t Figures Show

Two federal departments have spent over $50 million since 2015 on hotel bookings for migrants illegally crossing the Canadian border and also for lawful refugee applicants, new government figures show. In an Inquiry of Ministry recently tabled in the House of Commons, the Department of Immigration and Department of Public Works said they have paid a…


Federal Gov’t Spent $140M on Advertising in the 2021/22 Fiscal Year

The federal Liberals spent $140.8 million on advertising between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, representing the highest amount spent by any federal government in a single year to date, according to an internal report. “The COVID-19 pandemic remained a high priority, with advertising efforts from the previous two fiscal years continuing for a third fiscal…


Federal Employees Owe Treasury Nearly $560 Million After Overpayment Error: Report

A number of federal employees who were mistakenly overpaid due to a glitch in a failed payroll software system owe the treasury a total of $559 million, say updated figures from the Department of Public Works, according to a report. “As of October approximately 120,000 employees have an outstanding overpayment balance. The outstanding salary overpayments stand at…