Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


B.C. quietly allowed an oil and gas giant to sidestep rules for more than 4,300 pipelines

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and the Investigative Journalism Foundation. The British Columbia government quietly granted one of Canada’s biggest oil and gas companies an exemption for thousands of pipelines that should have been deactivated before a legal deadline, according to documents obtained under freedom of information legislation. In 2020, the BC […]

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Cybersecurity provider offering access to free services after breach affecting HSD

After a January “cybersecurity incident” involving unauthorized access to information, the Horizon School Division notified families that PowerSchool – a cloud-based software vendor used by HSD – had been compromised but then reacted quickly to the problem.  By Feb. 10, the Division told families that PowerSchool had “initiated the process of notifying involved individuals of the incident about […]

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Photos show inside of Connecticut house where man says he was held captive for 20 years

Connecticut police have released more than 100 photos showing the inside of a home where a 32-year-old man said he started a fire in a desperate attempt to free himself from more than 20 years of captivity. The man, whose name has not been disclosed, was emaciated and weighed only 69 pounds (31 kilograms) when […]

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Mass layoffs are underway at the nation’s public health agencies

Employees across the massive U.S. Health and Human Services Department received notices Tuesday that their jobs were being eliminated, part of a sweeping overhaul designed to vastly shrink the agencies responsible for protecting and promoting Americans’ health. The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff and senior leaders, leaving the federal government without many of […]

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School division building climate action plan

The Seven Oaks School Division is doing a comprehensive audit of its carbon footprint to create a plan to help staff and students do their part under the 2016 Paris Agreement and signal-boost eco-friendly projects. “It can’t be a select few people caring for the Earth. It’s at the point where we need everybody on […]

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FOI documents reveal St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe used municipal tax dollars for Ford campaign event which is prohibited

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe used municipal assets and senior staff to coordinate his attendance in a staged campaign event for Doug Ford during last month’s provincial election campaign. The apparent violation of rules that govern Siscoe’s conduct was revealed in documents obtained by The Pointer through a Freedom of Information investigation. The documents show […]

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‘Fascinating’ look at Kingston Police records and systems

A small city with big city problems provides much work for its police service, some of which goes largely unseen by the public. John Bougie, Manager of Records and Systems with Kingston Police, gave an overview of his unit to the Kingston Police Service Board at its latest meeting on Thursday, Mar. 20, 2025. His […]

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MMA supports glyphosate use

MINDEMOYA—A proposal to ban the use of glyphosate-based herbicides on municipal lands across Manitoulin Island has been voted down by the Manitoulin Municipal Association (MMA) following a discussion marked by hesitation and concern. When the motion was introduced, the room fell silent before one mover and seconder initiated the debate, reflecting the cautious approach of […]

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Valemount 2025 budget to include columbarium, economic recovery costs

Valemount Council approved including a 5.5 per cent tax increase in the 2025 budget during a special meeting on March 19th. The increase is in line with the Village’s Improving Asset Management plan which consulting company Urban Systems produced in 2020. Director of Finance Lori McNee presented the budget to Council and outlined new items […]

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Alberta Health Services claims fired CEO kept confidential emails, seeking injunction

Alberta’s health authority is claiming its fired former executive breached her employment agreement by holding on to confidential emails with information pertaining to allegations in a high-profile court case. A new affidavit filed Wednesday by Alberta Health Services says the agency is looking to amend its statement of defence in light of the emails, which […]

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The feds raised doubts about a climate scientist’s LNG research. He says they sounded like fossil fuel lobbyists

Edward Burrier chuckled as he told his colleagues what he thought about an academic paper written by a prominent U.S. climate scientist. Burrier, a director of public policy at Canadian fossil fuel giant TC Energy, said the study was largely to blame for public skepticism about whether liquefied natural gas (LNG) is as environmentally friendly […]

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N.S. legislature sitting marked by moves to consolidate power: political scientist

The Nova Scotia legislature has wrapped up a winter sitting that a political scientist says was marked by government moves to increase cabinet’s authority and shrink the legislature’s ability to provide oversight. Tom Urbaniak, a professor at the University of Cape Breton, said the government’s multiple omnibus bills paint the picture of a government working […]

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