Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Fire District content from Derek Kilbourn, Editor, Gabriola Sounder AI is rapidly changing how governments work, with several risks to be considered like personal and private information entered into data servers in countries outside of Canada.  After the Sounder reported in the April 1 edition that the Islands Trust […]

Last summer, an IJF investigation revealed that the amount of overtime worked by paramedics in Edmonton had increased by 81 per cent since 2021. The story was republished by several media outlets across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. A day later, staff from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office and the Ministry of Hospital and […]

An updated video surveillance policy was reviewed and approved by Council this week which will guide the use of security cameras around town. Council received a proposed updated Video Surveillance Cameras Policy at the April 7 Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting, presented by Brieanne Mader, the Town’s Deputy Corporate Officer. The proposal intended to […]

The Town of Strathmore is implementing clerical changes to better align with current provincial legislation. During the April 1 council meeting, all three readings of the new Designated Officer Bylaw were passed unanimously.  “On June 11 of last year, the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) was replaced with the Access to Information Act and administration […]

In a typical year, the spring sitting of the B.C. legislature starts with a throne speech. The speech from the throne — as the document is formally known — is delivered by the lieutenant-governor on behalf of the provincial government. It is a snapshot of the political moment, a mixture of policies and milestones the […]

The BC Counter Human Trafficking Unit and Richmond RCMP have made multiple arrests that they say will deter predators looking to purchase sex from potential trafficking victims. But a criminologist who specializes in sex work laws and an organization that supports sex workers — some of whom have been trafficked themselves — say police operations […]

Dark clouds hovered over Queen’s Park. Thunder cracked and the sky wept as Caledon grandmother Betty de Groot and Stouffville grandmother Victoria Creese waited anxiously for what this year’s budget might bring. On March 26, they stood alongside fellow members of Grand(m)others Act To Save The Planet (GASP) with a single, urgent plea for the […]

(ANNews)  – The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) has been ordered by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to repay $28.7 million in “ineligible and unsupported” expenses. FSIN is a Provincial Territorial Organization (PTO) representing 74 First Nations in Saskatchewan. While it functions as a powerful political advocacy body, it is legally incorporated as a non-profit […]

Alberta’s premier and education minister held a private meeting in February to discuss school funding and education policy.  Documents released through an access to information request show that attendees included a number of right-wing think tanks and groups involved in a campaign to “conservatize” Alberta school boards, as well as private and religious school associations. […]

A Prince George man arrested almost two years ago at Grama’s Inn and charged with firearms offences is suing the hotel and Prince George RCMP in BC Supreme Court. In two March 26-filed civil claims, Jamie Hal Hammerstrom, 47, seeks unspecified damages for injuries suffered during the violent April 4, 2024, arrest. First, against Grama’s […]

Demonstrators gathered on Saturday, March 28, to protest a long list of grievances with the provincial government. Protestors critical of decisions made by Premier Doug Ford began assembling outside local MPP Sylvia Jones’ office, near the Broadway and First Street intersection, just before noon. United by a common desire for accountability and transparency from the […]

MANITOULIN—The files read like a nation whispering to itself in the dark—paper trails, code names, shadows parked across the street. But the story they tell is not new. It is an old habit, dressed in Cold War language. Long before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police began cataloguing Indigenous leaders under what it called a “Native […]