Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


Nuclear threat from Ukraine war prompts Ottawa to update plans for catastrophe

OTTAWA — Canada is dusting off and updating emergency protocols to deal with fallout from a possible tactical nuclear exchange in Europe or the spread of radiation across the ocean from a Ukrainian power plant explosion. Internal Public Safety Canada notes show the measures include updating a highly secret plan to ensure the federal government […]

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Feds doing ‘broader review’ of social media after banning TikTok from work devices

OTTAWA — After banishing TikTok from the mobile devices of public servants, the federal government is taking a look at possible threats from other social-media applications. The government said in February that TikTok, a wildly popular app for sharing short videos, posed an unacceptable level of risk to privacy and security. Federal officials are conducting […]

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Patrick Brown’s ‘reckless’ $11B debt plan would cost taxpayers almost $2K more each year

Regional councillors wasted no time in quashing a motion by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown which sought to push the Region of Peel $11 billion into debt. The move came as council members labelled the idea “foolish” and “reckless”, while staff suggested it might be illegal. A staff report presented at the July 6 Peel Region […]

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City of Winnipeg orders protesters at landfill to restore access by Monday at noon

WINNIPEG — The City of Winnipeg has ordered protesters who have been blocking access to a landfill in support of a search for the remains of two Indigenous women to leave the area. In an email, the city says it issued an Order to Vacate in accordance with the Emergency Management Bylaw late Friday afternoon […]

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Searching landfill for remains of Indigenous women too complex for police: RCMP

OTTAWA — The former head of the RCMP said in December that police were not equipped to handle the complexities of searching a Winnipeg-area landfill for the remains of slain Indigenous women — an effort the Manitoba government also now calls too dangerous. Brenda Lucki, who resigned her post as commissioner in March, was involved […]

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Prisons head said process to notify minister of Bernardo transfer was followed: email

OTTAWA — As confusion reigned about who was informed that notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo was being transferred to a medium-security prison, the head of Canada’s federal prison system wrote to Public Safety Canada officials insisting the appropriate notification protocols had been followed. Emails released to The Canadian Press through the Access to Information Act […]

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Corrections head questioned how Mendicino was kept in dark over Bernardo transfer

OTTAWA — Days after Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino shared his outrage on social media over the transfer of notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison, the head of Canada’s federal prison system asked the department whether the politician had been told of the move. Anne Kelly, the commissioner of the Correctional Service […]

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Iowa auditor says new law will restrict his office’s access to information

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s auditor may face new challenges in his quest to track taxpayer dollars after a new law takes effect Saturday that allows state agencies to deny his office access to information and bars him from making an appeal in court. State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, […]

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TTC documents suggest Rogers would use consortium model for wireless network build

TORONTO — The TTC thought Rogers Communications Inc. would build out the Toronto subway’s wireless network together with its rival carriers under a consortium model when it purchased the Canadian operations of BAI Communications in April, documents obtained through Toronto’s access to information protocols suggest. While Bell Canada and Telus Corp. have both fiercely advocated […]

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On the 10th anniversary of the Lac Megantic rail disaster, what’s changed?

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. On July 6, 2013, a runaway train carrying 72 tank cars loaded with volatile Bakken shale oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic, a small town in […]

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Minister’s Access to Info focus is better service amid calls for legislative overhaul

OTTAWA — The federal minister responsible for the much-criticized access-to-information system says her focus is on improving service amid growing calls to go further and rewrite the transparency law. Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in an interview Friday her priority is better administration of the Access to Information Act, not a legislative overhaul. A […]

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No investigation of political interference allegations in SNC Lavalin affair: RCMP

OTTAWA — The RCMP says it is not investigating allegations of political interference in the federal handling of criminal charges against engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. In a statement today, the Mounties set the record straight after a recent response to a public interest group’s Access to Information request suggested the Mounties were conducting such a probe. […]

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