Local Journalism Initiative

Source: Local Journalism Initiative


Building Hope series wraps up with Ask Anything panel and presentation on the toxic drug crisis

Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder An early morning power outage affecting 1,117 customers on the south end of Gabriola Island and Mudge Island didn’t stop the organizers of the Ask Anything event on Sept. 27.  False candles adorned the stage of the dark Gabriola Theatre Centre as people took their seats to […]

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Phone scams: How to recognize them and protect yourself

If you own a phone, whether a landline or mobile device, there’s a high likelihood you’ve been targeted by scammers. You know the ones. The stranger who texts and then attempts to continue the conversation when you tell them they have the wrong number. The credit card company that calls to inform you about unusual […]

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Climate change could impede work of this Canadian regulatory agency

The federal agency responsible for checking and regulating measurement of everything from gas pumps to electricity meters is identifying climate as a risk to its highly specialized operations. The agency — Measurement Canada — may sound boring, but if you have ever pumped gas, paid an electricity bill or bought vegetables at a self-checkout, you […]

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After secretly working to destroy it, Ford government silent on long overdue review of Ontario’s Greenbelt

“I resigned from the government in 2017 because the Ford administration was coming to power, and I knew I couldn’t work for them.” Victor Doyle’s worst fears have come true. Over the past twenty years since Ontario created the Greenbelt, the world’s largest protected landscape of its kind, the man known as one of its […]

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Alberta border patrol has made just 4 arrests for illegal immigration or drug trafficking in border zone, data shows

Alberta launched its own border patrol last year to help stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across what Premier Danielle Smith called the “leaky” U.S. border. But the Interdiction Patrol Team (IPT) has so far made only a handful of arrests for those offences, according to data released through an access to information […]

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Fall fair to hockey games: Elmvale arena getting ‘significant’ internet boost

Long considered the Bermuda Triangle of the internet, Elmvale Community Arena is on its way to becoming a high-powered hub for all things wired. In fact, by around this time next week, it should be ready to go, just in time for the Elmvale Fall Fair, allowing participants, visitors and vendors the ability to post […]

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Improper signage, absence of warning lights show school zones aren’t about safety, critics argue

Calvin Kendall left provincial traffic court Thursday with a “$0 fine” and a written warning. “I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid,” the 69-year-old said in a waiting room at 373 Broadway hours earlier while sorting through a USB stick of photo evidence and other items as he prepared to fight a $272 speed-camera […]

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N.B. commission urges mandatory training for municipal leaders, staff

The Local Governance Commission in New Brunswick is recommending the provincial government implement mandatory training for municipal leaders and senior staff.  In its first report since being created in the spring of last year, it said this recommendation addressed many of the challenges facing local governments since reform.  “These recommendations are grounded in the experiences […]

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First Nations group questions audit that found $34M in questionable spending

An advocacy group representing First Nations in Saskatchewan is firing back after a forensic audit found more than $34 million in questionable, unsupported or ineligible spending over five years. The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations responded to the results of a recent forensic audit saying it has a robust system of financial management, accountability and […]

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Public money, unanswered questions: inside Mayor Mat Siscoe’s expense accounts

When St. Catharines residents pay their municipal taxes, they expect those dollars to finance services, infrastructure and council supported programs that are deemed to be in the interest of the community. What they do not expect is for those funds to be spent in ways that are difficult to trace or buried in broad budget […]

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Health Canada’s struggles with procurement an ‘old story’ for Indigenous leaders

Internal federal documents reveal that Health Canada is seeking exemptions from the federal government’s mandatory 5 per cent Indigenous procurement target, citing Indigenous capacity gap in scientific and mental health services.  Since 2021, federal departments have been obligated to award at least 5 per cent of their annual contracts to Indigenous businesses to support economic […]

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Return of Winnipeg’s reduced-speed school zones and fines brings calls for changes from drivers

On a bright and clear September morning, drivers squint when they enter the most-ticketed school zone in Winnipeg. The 30 km/h sign on Talbot Avenue that warns oncoming traffic about a reduced speed limit behind River Elm School is harshly backlit, making it difficult to see. “I see people get ticketed all the time,” said […]

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