Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner says she is worried — but not surprised — the province voted this week to pass legislation she says will reduce public access to government information. “I am concerned,” commissioner Diane McLeod said in an interview. “All of those things I think are going to impact the right of access […]

An Alberta government bill proposing changes to freedom of information rules has passed third and final reading in the legislature despite the province’s information and privacy watchdog warning they will “significantly degrade” transparency. The bill, now awaiting royal assent, creates a number of new exemptions for what documents can be provided to members of the […]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials on Tuesday sued the Biden administration for access to information on the citizenship status of more than 2,000 registered voters they had questioned in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election. The complaint details a back and forth with the federal government after state election officials checked […]

Service fees charged by the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service are set to increase for the first time since 2011, following the approval of a proposal initially introduced last month. The fee hikes aim to offset rising labor costs. In alignment with an annual inflation rate of approximately 2 per cent, the police board approved […]

As Peterborough’s downtown ward gets ready for a public meeting to discuss community safety, correspondence from the DBIA indicates that  the organization raised concerns with the idea of holding a similar  meeting earlier this year. The message was prompted by a  motion brought to city council by Coun. Alex Bierk, which proposed “a  moderated public […]

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Senate has voted to eliminate seven independent regulatory and oversight agencies, a move that critics warn will cement the ruling party’s power and avoid outside scrutiny. President Claudia Sheinbaum calls it a money-saving measure, arguing that the government can more efficiently handle functions like freedom of information requests, anti-monopoly enforcement […]

The RCMP have begun rolling out body-worn cameras to be used by frontline officers when responding to a call. Staff Sergeant Ryan Hoetmer says there was a pilot project for the cameras in the Parkland detachment, and those officers have had their cameras for six months. Now that the RCMP are beginning the deployment, the […]

A Catholic school board chair who went on a contentious art procurement trip to Italy says he won’t step down — but won’t run again. “I have made a decision to complete the balance of my term and not run in 2026,” Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board chair Rick Petrella told The Spectator […]

Peterborough police data show calls to addresses within 200 metres of the city’s consumption and treatment site have increased since it  opened in 2022, but workers note the nature of those calls is changing. Details  obtained through a freedom of information request, however, do not  specify the reasons officers were needed and police did not […]

Renfrew – Citing a major drain on resources and monopolizing staff time from one resident in her bid to have council or staff members answer several questions and written requests for information, Renfrew town council agreed with a staff recommendation to deal with the growing number of information requests using the legislative powers and guidelines […]

An environmental law non-profit has filed intent to sue Cooke Aquaculture over the Saint John company’s salmon farming operations in the Gulf of Maine. The Conservation Law Foundation filed notice to Cooke Nov. 14 that it intends to sue under the U.S. Clean Water Act, claiming that Cooke is failing to satisfy its operating permit […]

The RDCK will send a letter to the Ministry of Forests in support of the Forestry Works for BC Campaign, and of value-added and community-focused forestry.   Ken Kalesnikoff, president and CEO of Kalesnikoff Lumber, made a presentation to the board in August regarding the Forestry Works for BC initiative, which seeks to raise awareness about […]