Freedom of information is not a game © 2026 by Policy Options: Spencer Izen is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0 Freedom of information is not a game by Spencer Izen  Originally published on Policy Options September 28, 2026 At a recent meeting of Canadian freedom of information (FOI) researchers and advocates, the series of changes to […]

Gov. JB Pritzker is setting up a new group within state government to explore more regulations for artificial intelligence as calls grow across the country for new restrictions. Pritzker signed an executive order on Tuesday to establish an AI Cabinet made up of experts and representatives from several state agencies. The unpaid group, which will […]

Attorneys representing New Mexico accused Facebook of deceiving users about privacy protections on the social media platform and encouraged jurors during closing arguments Wednesday to find the company liable for thousands of violations of state law. Jurors heard two weeks of evidence and must now decide whether Facebook violated the state’s Unfair Practices Act and […]

The overseas arrest of a disgraced former law dean who defrauded the University of Manitoba out of more than $600,000 is being met both with relief and renewed frustration in the local legal community. “It’s about time,” said Jennifer Schulz, a longtime professor at the U of M’s Robson Hall school of law. “But it’s […]

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — An Australian businessperson who served as executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar was released from jail after more than 100 days of detention on financial misappropriation allegations, a Myanmar legal official said Wednesday. Ye Khaung Kyaw, also known as Danny, was freed following a ruling by a […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said Wednesday it was investigating a criminal hacking group’s claims that it had stolen “very sensitive data” belonging to thousands of agents and applicants and that it had compromised the bureau’s jobs website. “The FBI is aware of a cyber-criminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal and […]

Candidates for St. Thomas city councillor seats and the mayor’s office alike pitched their platforms to the public at an all-candidates meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 16. The meeting, hosted by the St. Thomas Kinsmen, was moderated by Matt Sharpe and was livestreamed.  Council candidates had two minutes each to speak from a podium and share […]

Jim Ross, a man who helped Mat Siscoe get elected mayor of St. Catharines, went on to receive approximately $65,000 in municipal contracts to host tele-town hall and other virtual consultation sessions for the City since 2022 without following the proper procurement safeguards, an investigation by The Pointer has found. Since 2022, Mayor Siscoe has […]

Editor’s Note: Reporter Ed Smith is a former member of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority board who joined in 2019, and as a private citizen participated in public efforts to hold David Barrick accountable, before Smith joined The Pointer as an investigative reporter covering Niagara Region.  How does David Barrick continue to find work? Among […]

This year, Ottawa parents Crystal Mask and Garrett Hansen had to have an unsettling conversation with their two kids as they went back to school: “do not drink from the water fountains”. “It was hard,” Mask told The Pointer. “They’re four and five, they see their friends doing it, they think it’s okay.”  In March, […]

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration’s whole-of-government effort to find and prosecute noncitizens illegally on state voter rolls has resulted in about 1,600 voter fraud cases that have led to 160 arrests, Homeland Security Investigations senior official Matthew Millhollin said in a press briefing Tuesday. The numbers unveiled just six weeks before Election Day […]

Foster children without placements are no longer sleeping in government offices or hotels thanks in part to a new residential program launched by the Department of Human Services last month to help temporarily house and rehabilitate the most difficult-to-place youth. The issue of kids sleeping in offices and hotels has plagued the department for years […]