Access to Information

Access to Information


Charlotte County communities apply for wildfire resiliency plans

Some Charlotte County municipalities are working toward wildfire resiliency plans as part of the expansion of the FireSmart Program in New Brunswick.  In April, the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development launched the program, after an announcement from the federal and provincial governments for about $40 million to increase New Brunswick’s wildfire preparedness.  The […]

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Federal departments fall short of Ottawa’s 5% Indigenous procurement target

Several of Canada’s federal departments didn’t meet the mandated target for Indigenous procurement in 2023-2024, according to government documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer through an Access to Information request. The policy, introduced in 2021, requires that at least five per cent of all federal spending must go to Indigenous businesses to address economic gaps […]

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North Carolina’s first standalone children’s hospital set to bring 8,000 jobs to a Raleigh suburb

APEX, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s first standalone children’s hospital will be built in a bedroom community near the state capital, the project’s health systems announced Thursday, creating a campus estimated to bring 8,000 jobs to the area. UNC Health and Duke Health announced in January an agreement to jointly build the proposed 500-bed pediatric […]

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A ‘click-to-cancel’ rule, intended to make canceling subscriptions easier, is blocked

A “click-to-cancel” rule, which would have required businesses to make it easy for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions and memberships, has been blocked by a federal appeals court just days before it was set to go into effect. The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed changes, adopted in October, required businesses to obtain a customer’s consent before […]

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Salmon group says aquaculture companies stashing garbage along Newfoundland coast

An eastern Canadian conservation group is calling for a moratorium on aquaculture expansion in Newfoundland and Labrador, alleging fish-farming companies are stashing plastic garbage along the province’s remote southern coastline. In a report summary released Tuesday, the Atlantic Salmon Federation said satellite images suggest aquaculture companies appear to have left broken cages, rope and other […]

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NDP government spent $94,000 promoting school nutrition program expansion

The Kinew government spent more money promoting its universal school meal program this year than it did feeding students in some small divisions. At the start of the 2024-25 school year, the province spent $94,617.50 on advertisements related to the expansion of breakfast, lunch and snack offerings in kindergarten-to-Grade 12 buildings. The campaign — details […]

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Oil giant broke deal to deactivate thousands of pipelines and faced no penalty, documents reveal

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and the Investigative Journalism Foundation. One of Canada’s largest oil and gas companies violated a deal it struck with B.C.’s energy regulator to address thousands of inactive pipelines in the province — and faced no financial penalties for doing so.  Internal government documents obtained by The Narwhal […]

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Daily contact, a Ford phone call: docs reveal Ontario government’s close relationship with Enbridge

In early October 2023, a senior bureaucrat in the Ontario Energy Ministry emailed an Enbridge official with a “sort of urgent” request.  Newly released internal documents show that Premier Doug Ford had called the natural gas giant that month to discuss delays in obtaining a natural gas connection for a facility whose name is redacted […]

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Why did this Ontario school board go from highest to zero student exclusions?

A student elopes from school. A meltdown grows violent. Toileting has become completely out of control. These are the type of incidents that could cause a kid to be excluded from school while a safety plan is put into place, Kate Dudley-Logue told The Spectator. As operations vice-president of the Ontario Autism Coalition (OAC), Dudley-Logue […]

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Quebec language watchdog now says it’s OK to use ‘go’ to support sports teams

Quebec’s language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it’s acceptable to use the word “go” to cheer on sports teams. In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office québécois de la langue française says that while “allez” is the preferred term, it’s now “partially legitimized” to use the English word to […]

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County of Simcoe unveils revitalized Positive Aging Strategy

The County of Simcoe  has released the 2025 – 2030 Age Friendly Positive Aging Strategy committed to fostering age-friendly communities. A revitalized strategy, it builds on years of research, engagement, and community-driven priorities that enhance the lives of older adults across the region. As Simcoe County’s older adult population continues to grow, the County remains […]

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Figures suggest six-figure payout for former Manitoba Hydro CEO

The former head of Manitoba Hydro was paid just over $881,000 last year, despite being dismissed six weeks into the year. Jay Grewal’s earnings in previous years, where she had worked a full year, ranged from $500,000 to $546,000. The amount last year, revealed in an annual Manitoba Hydro compensation report, suggests a large lump […]

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