Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


Shutdowns began as a way to enforce federal law. Now Trump is using it to take more power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown, already the second-longest in history, with no end in sight, is quickly becoming a way for President Donald Trump to exercise new command over the government. It wasn’t always this way. In fact, it all started with an attempt to tighten Washington’s observance of federal law. The modern phenomena […]

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EU accuses Meta and TikTok of breaching transparency rules

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had breached their transparency obligations after an investigation that could result in billions of dollars in fines. The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act, the EU’s trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict requirements designed to […]

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Canada’s spy agency now shares intel with corporations — thanks to a push from TC Energy

Editor’s note: This story is a collaboration between the Investigative Journalism Foundation and The Narwhal.A Canadian oil and gas firm successfully pressed Canada’s spy agency to start sharing government intelligence with the country’s wealthiest companies, something advocates say will protect critical infrastructure but that critics worry could infringe on civil rights.  TC Energy, a major […]

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Alberta rail master plan could provide opening to ‘hyperloop’ proposal

Alberta’s forthcoming passenger rail master plan could open the door to a company’s “hyperloop” proposal — despite a federal study that found the technology is shrouded in uncertainty and unlikely to be viable this decade. All the hype around hyperloop technology started in 2013 when celebrity investor Elon Musk proposed the concept of using electric […]

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Quebecers pay millions each year for health care in other provinces

Quebec residents paid more than $10 million out of pocket to receive health care in other provinces last year.  Unlike other provinces, Quebec has opted not to adopt reciprocal billing agreements with other jurisdictions for most medical services.  That means Quebecers travelling outside the province have to pay for health care upfront and then submit […]

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Distracted, impatient drivers put school bus passengers at risk: MPI

Manitoba children have been hit by vehicles 36 times this year.  Seven of them were in September, as kids made their way back to school after the summer break.  Manitoba Public Insurance’s latest analysis of road incidents also reveals there have been dozens of collisions involving school buses in 2025.  The numbers represent “close calls, […]

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Can Legislation Solve Unpaid Airline Work?

On Tuesday morning, interim NDP leader Don Davies stood up in the House of Commons to deliver on a party promise — introducing legislation that would end unpaid work by flight attendants. According to the Canadian Union of Public Employees, or CUPE, North American flight attendants are usually paid only while in the air. The […]

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Nova Scotia government gives Whale Sanctuary Project approval to build coastal refuge

Organizers behind a plan to establish North America’s first coastal refuge for captive whales say the Nova Scotia government has granted them approval to start construction on the province’s eastern shore. The U.S.-based Whale Sanctuary Project announced Tuesday that Premier Tim Houston’s cabinet had granted the organization a 20-year lease for 83 hectares of Crown […]

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National chief calls for federal government to deem First Nations policing essential

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations chided the federal government Monday for failing to deliver on its promise to introduce legislation to declare First Nations policing an essential service. Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told MPs on the House of Commons Indigenous affairs committee that the failure of governments to equally fund First Nations […]

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CBC launches court fight to keep Gem subscriber numbers confidential

CBC/Radio-Canada has filed an application in Federal Court to fight an order directing it to disclose subscriber numbers for its Gem streaming service. The information commissioner ordered CBC to make available the number of paid subscribers to Gem following an access-to-information request for the data. CBC/Radio-Canada president Marie-Philippe Bouchard told The Canadian Press the subscriber […]

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Report points to longer waits, higher fees for Manitoba freedom of information

The Manitoba government has been taking longer to respond to freedom of information requests and collecting more money from people filing them, newly released figures show. Government departments and agencies fulfilled more than 1,200 freedom of information requests in the fiscal year that ended in March, said the government’s annual report on its freedom of […]

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Iowa superintendent detained by ICE falsely claimed he was a US citizen, indictment says

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The former superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen on a federal form and knowingly possessed several firearms illegally, according to a newly returned indictment that raises the prospect of a lengthy prison term. A federal grand jury issued the two-count indictment Thursday charging […]

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