This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, December 20th.   As we close out our final news summary of 2025, this week’s stories bring together a familiar set of themes: how access to information exposes public risk, how governments are reshaping decision-making behind closed doors, and how emerging technologies—from artificial intelligence to biometric surveillance—are testing the limits […]

LONDON (AP) — The British government said Friday it is investigating a “cyber incident” following news reports that hackers linked to China have gained access to thousands of confidential documents held by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Trade Minister Chris Bryant said the investigation began in October and the government believes there is a […]

A planned high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City could dramatically increase the number of trains that travel along the corridor each day, according to internal documents.  The Crown corporation responsible for the project has estimated that 72 passenger trains per day could travel through Canada’s most densely populated region if the proposed 1,000-kilometre […]

There are two new positions proposed in the 2026 budget: one in the Clerk’s department and one 30-hour/ week position in Recreation. Human Resources Kayla Best updated council on staffing levels. She showed numbers from the past three years, and also comparisons by department to two other unnamed municipalities. Southgate’s numbers were large, similar to […]

First-year students in the Veterinary Technology program at Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) Fairview campus got an eleventh-hour reprieve in time for Christmas.  “With the benefit of time and further discussion with local partners” NWP has developed another option for its first-year vet tech students who, like the rest of the campus and faculty, were shocked to […]

The original Picton Terminals site is divided into two parcels, one zoned MX-Industrial, and the other zoned RU1, or Rural. That portion also happens to sit in Sophiasburgh, while the first parcel is in Hallowell. In 2018, Ontario Superior Court Judge Wolf Tausendfreund ruled that the only legal non-conforming use permitted on the Sophiasburgh property […]

Doug Ford’s plan to turn Niagara into a global tourism powerhouse could have some major effects on Niagara-on-the-Lake, though it’s unclear at this time what’s in store for the small town neighbouring Niagara Falls, the region’s biggest tourism draw at the moment. The province’s new “Destination Niagara” strategy aims to generate an extra $3 billion […]

Significant changes to how council meetings are conducted and organized were the topic of major discussion during the Village of Kaslo’s December 9 council meeting.  CAO Robert Baker presented the key updates appearing in the revised Council Procedures Bylaw, which council gave first and second reading.  The bylaw sets out rules for how meetings are […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health sued the Trump administration Tuesday, saying she was illegally fired for warning that abrupt research cuts were endangering patients and public health. The NIH has cut billions of dollars in research projects since President Donald Trump took office in January, bypassing the […]

Two men who boldly held up the Greenhill Tavern in Crowsnest Pass last Thursday remain at large and investigation of the armed robbery is ongoing. The robbery unfolded around 1 a.m. when the pair entered the bar armed with bear spray. After pointing it at staff, they made off with a large amount of Canadian […]

Travel documents, including receipts and itineraries, obtained by The Pointer under freedom of information requests have exposed a troubling pattern at the City of Brampton under Mayor Patrick Brown. Expensive flights and hotels, questionable spending on food, drinks and transportation, all in the name of so-called economic development, have become the norm in Brampton.  The […]

A staff member working for the provincial environment minister appears to be responsible for blocking critical information about the toxic former General Motors property in St. Catharines from being released to the public, including details about a filtration system meant to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking off the site. Documents obtained by The Pointer under […]