Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


Adversaries see opportunities to exploit ‘strategically valuable’ Arctic, CSIS says

Canada’s spy agency warns that colliding global developments make the Arctic an “attractive, strategic and vulnerable destination” for foreign adversaries seeking to establish a presence in Canada. A newly released Canadian Security Intelligence Service assessment flags the environment, critical infrastructure, economic activity and geopolitics as converging factors making the region susceptible to threats from abroad.  […]

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One oil and gas site was ‘stinky,’ another was ‘gurgling.’ B.C. officials gave them a pass anyway

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Investigative Journalism Foundation. “Serious deficiency.” “Very stinky.” “Leakage.” “A hazard.” Those are some of the ways BC Energy Regulator officials described oil and gas sites when they documented apparent environmental infractions during routine inspections, according to internal documents.  The regulator, a provincial government agency, is largely […]

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Manitoba school boards adapt to tariffs by halting travel, preparing for cost hikes

Transcona’s school board has decided to stop paying for teachers and other employees to participate in U.S.-based education conferences and training opportunities. The River East Transcona School Division, which operates 42 schools in northeast Winnipeg, is the latest to promote domestic tourism — in the form of student field trips and staff professional development — […]

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Documents reveal over 1,000 potential infractions left unchecked by B.C.’s energy regulator

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Investigative Journalism Foundation. On a warm mid-August afternoon in 2022, a BC Energy Regulator inspector drove to an oil and gas site in the northeast part of the province. The inspection was one of more than two dozen stops for the compliance and enforcement officer that […]

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Over 1,000 potential infractions: inside B.C.’s oversight of oil and gas companies

This investigation is a collaboration between The Narwhal and Investigative Journalism Foundation. Between 2017 and 2023, BC Energy Regulator officials documented thousands of apparent environmental infractions at oil and gas facilities only to conclude the sites were compliant, according to internal government documents. In more than 1,000 instances, inspectors documented a series of apparent environmental […]

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Mohawk Council of Kahnawake unveils new website

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) has a shiny new website as of this Wednesday. Aerial drone shots of the territory now take up nearly the entirety of its landing page. Revamping the entire website was a massive undertaking, said Justus Polson-Lahache, among those at Public Relations that led the redesign.  “There were maybe 200 […]

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Former N.S. privacy commissioner wants office to gain resources, more powers

Nova Scotia’s recently departed privacy commissioner says she hopes the provincial government will give her successor the power and resources they need to ensure citizens can access public records.  The commissioner reviews complaints from citizens who have been denied access to documents and other records by government departments and agencies. But Tricia Ralph, whose job […]

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Province spent more promoting cost-savings than advertising vaccines, documents show

The Manitoba government has spent or budgeted more than $340,000 for advertising campaigns promoting its fuel tax and electricity savings — more than it spent last year on ads to persuade people to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19, suggest government documents. And with flu numbers continuing to rise this winter, and vaccination rates […]

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Senate committee recommends Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s confirmation as Trump’s labor secretary

A Senate committee voted Thursday to advance the nomination of President Donald Trump’s choice to head the Department of Labor, one of the agencies named in lawsuits over moves by Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team to access federal data systems. Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions voted 14-9 to recommend Lori […]

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No new bombshells in Justice Department’s release of Jeffrey Epstein files

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday released government documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the first wave of files posted on the Justice Department website have largely been circulating in the public domain for years and didn’t include any new bombshells about the sex trafficking case that has been a […]

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Newcomers group seeks home

The Newcomers Support Team met with town council at the February 19 Governance and Priorities meeting to give some information about their group. Laurie Andrews, the executive director for Drayton Valley Community Learning, along with Verna Wicks with DVCL, and Sheen Tamayo, a recent newcomer to the community, gave an update on what they’ve been […]

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N.S. premier restores legislature scrums amid accusations of assault on press freedom

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has agreed to resume taking part in media scrums in the legislature after facing accusations he was curtailing press freedom. Two weeks ago, Houston ended the long-standing tradition of government ministers having informal exchanges with media — known as scrums — outside the legislative chamber. His government decided journalists should […]

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