LUNENBURG, N.S. — A prominent former schoolhouse in the scenic Nova Scotia town of Lunenburg is up for sale because the community can’t afford the costs of maintaining the national historic site. Lunenburg Academy, which dates back to 1895, is a three-storey Victorian-style building often referred to as the castle on the hill. The building […]

OTTAWA — The sister-in-law of a Liberal cabinet minister has stepped down as the interim ethics commissioner a day after a House of Commons committee agreed to investigate her appointment. Martine Richard, who has worked in the commissioner’s office as a lawyer since 2013, took over the top job last month for a six-month stint. […]

OTTAWA — More than 155,000 public servants are now on strike after the country’s biggest federal public-sector union and the government failed to reach a deal by a Tuesday evening deadline. Federal departments and agencies have released a list of services that may be disrupted during the strike. Here’s an updated list of what services […]

OTTAWA — The Ontario government is telling the country’s top court the disclosure of ministerial mandate letters would reveal the substance of deliberations of the premier and his cabinet — breaching a key tenet of Westminster-style government. In a written brief filed with the Supreme Court of Canada, the Ontario attorney general says cabinet confidentiality, […]

OTTAWA — Treasury Board President Mona Fortier says she hopes to share a plan in coming months for improving the key federal transparency law and how it is managed. Fortier told a House of Commons committee Tuesday she expects the plan for making the Access to Information Act more effective will come before the end […]

OTTAWA — The CBC’s fight to see mandate letters for Ontario cabinet ministers goes to “the very core” of what freedom-of-information regimes are designed to foster, a lawyer for the public broadcaster told the country’s top court Tuesday. These elements are an informed public, accountable government and, ultimately, the democratic process, Justin Safayeni argued in […]

ETHI is short for the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. This Committee has been holding meetings on the Access to Information and Privacy System. President Mike Larsen presented FIPAs perspective on these important topics. Tuesday, April 18, 2023 Ken Rubin, David Matas and Mike Larsen made statements and, with Michael Wenig answered […]

2024.02.02 – The ruling is in read our review here. 2023.04.18 – Originally published In the case of Attorney General for Ontario v. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, et al. File No. 40078 FIPA was pleased to work with Sean Hern K.C. to intervene and fight to keep the public interest paramount. You might […]

OTTAWA — The union representing over 155,000 public servants says if a deal isn’t reached with the federal government by 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, it will launch a strike this Wednesday. The Public Service Alliance of Canada says that negotiations have not progressed enough in recent days to call off a strike and its […]

OTTAWA — Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says Pierre Poilievre’s criticisms of the CBC amount to an attack on Canadian culture by the Conservative leader — and Quebec and francophone culture, in particular. Singh addressed the issue, speaking in French, after Twitter added a label to CBC’s main account on Sunday indicating the broadcaster was […]

OTTAWA — With threats against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spiking in recent years, newly released historical records reveal the security concerns the RCMP had when his father was getting ready to leave office. Pierre Trudeau retired in 1984 after serving as prime minister for two stints adding up to 15 years. He had been first […]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City hospital is suing Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey over what it calls his “burdensome” requests for records on gender-affirming care. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Jackson County, attorneys for Children’s Mercy Hospital asked a judge to deny Bailey’s 54 investigative demands for records and testimony despite […]