Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


Ontario ministry experts raised concerns about at-risk species law changes, emails show

As the Doug Ford government prepared to replace the Endangered Species Act with new legislation, the province’s natural resources staff warned of weakened habitat protections, reduced oversight and new gaps in enforcement, according to documents obtained by The Narwhal.   In March 2026, the Endangered Species Act was officially replaced with the Species Conservation Act, which […]

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Ford government reverses plan to fight FOI disclosure of blue licence plate documents

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is reversing its decision to go to court to prevent the release of documents about its ill-fated blue licence plates. Lawyers for the government applied for a judicial review of decisions by Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner ordering the province to release documents in response to a freedom-of-information request by […]

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South Bruce continues practice of not recording council meetings despite regional trend

TEESWATER – A series of motions tied to transparency and accountability stirred debate at the May 12 South Bruce council meeting, with councillors weighing how much access the public should have to municipal decision-making and how far the municipality should go to provide it. Council considered four motions brought forward in a report by Deputy […]

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Feds working with City of Ottawa to ease public service transit woes: memo

Officials managing the federal government’s return-to-office plans are concerned about the ability of Ottawa’s troubled municipal transit system to actually get public servants to their workplaces, an internal memo shows. Canada’s top public servant, Privy Council Clerk Michael Sabia, and Isabelle Mondou, the deputy clerk, met with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe on Feb. 19 to […]

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Mudge islanders disappointed land use bylaw review to commence after Gabriola OCP review is complete

In early 2024, Mudge Islanders were suddenly inundated with bylaw complaints – 56 to be exact – to the Islands Trust.  This understandably took islanders by surprise. Mudge is boat-access only and has a year-round population of about 150, with that number growing to about 300 when recreational owners return to their properties.  “We’re a […]

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Vance takes his fight against fraud to red Ohio, muddying waters for GOP’s Vivek Ramaswamy

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Vice President JD Vance ‘s decision to extend his fight against Medicaid fraud beyond Democratic states to his red home state of Ohio has set off a scramble among the state’s Republicans — including his close ally Vivek Ramaswamy, the party’s nominee for governor. A day before Ramaswamy won the state’s […]

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‘We’re not going away’: Erin residents still waiting for Canada’s first municipal effluent cooling system to protect Credit River

When Belfountain resident Ann Seymour was a child, her “lovely parents” would pile the entire family in the car for weekend adventures along the green canopies of Niagara Escarpment following a giddy anticipation that lingered all week long. It was a time for the family to be one, happy and carefree. Their favourite destination?  The […]

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Federal government advising Canadians not to travel to east DRC area hit by Ebola outbreak, evaluating FIFA risk

The federal government is advising Canadians not to travel to the province hit by a rare type of Ebola that has no cure in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as public health officials re-evaluate what risk the virus might pose during the FIFA World Cup. The World Health Organization’s director-general said Tuesday he is concerned […]

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Michigan cities, counties have spent 18% of opioid settlement funds

Michigan towns, cities, townships and counties have $176 million sitting in bank accounts meant to fight the state’s opioid crisis. The state’s first official accounting of spending by local governments of opioid settlement funds, produced by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, found that 17.7% of funds received since checks began arriving three years ago had […]

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Driver oversight: Documents reveal Uber’s behind-the-scenes lobbying in Halifax

An Uber driver is seen after the company launched service, in Vancouver, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck  Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore met with an Uber lobbyist a day before the mayor persuaded council to delay a vote on a proposal to increase oversight of ride-hailing drivers, newly released documents show. The documents […]

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Animal welfare group finds systemic neglect at public dog shelters in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — In a steel-mesh pen at a compound in eastern Romania, a dog licks icy water from a metal drinking bucket while another chews listlessly on dried feces scattered on the hard ground. The scenes, captured on video, are among the findings from an undercover investigation into conditions in Romania’s publicly funded […]

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Hydro-Québec fought to hide parts of 1960s records from Newfoundland government

Hydro-Québec fought to hide decades-old correspondence about a proposed aluminum smelter, saying its details could derail ongoing energy negotiations with Newfoundland and Labrador. The provincially owned utility made these arguments with Quebec’s access to information commission in 2024, as it waged and lost a battle with a university professor to keep the records from the […]

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