New for 2024, FIPA conducted a major research activity investigating the exponentially high rates of Access to Information and Privacy requests (“ATIP requests”) received by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) as compared to all other government institutions. Given broad direction to explore and investigate with extended advisors Jerika Caduhada documented the findings. According to […]

The federal government slashed immigration targets to levels that will flatten population growth as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted Thursday the government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic. The government had targeted bringing in 500,000 new permanent residents in both 2025 and 2026. Next year’s target will instead be 395,000 new […]

Polish authorities say four people have been charged in an alleged plan to send explosives via courier service to Canada and the United States. The RCMP says it is aware of the arrests, but declined further comment to preserve the integrity of the investigation. The Polish group’s alleged activities apparently involved sending camouflaged explosives to […]

The County of Stettler council will send a letter to a major rail line after voicing concerns about stacks of creosote-soaked ties lying near a hamlet. The resolution to send the letter was passed at the Oct. 9 regular meeting of council. Under the “council’s request for information” part of the agenda a topic titled […]

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) is one of only three regional districts in the province which neither records how directors vote in meeting minutes, nor publishes video or audio recordings of its meetings online.  In August, RDFFG directors voted 7-6 against a procedural bylaw amendment which would have obligated the District to record […]

Two Green Party legislators could hold the balance of power in British Columbia after Saturday’s provincial election gave neither the NDP nor the B.C. Conservatives a majority of seats after the initial count.  Both Green members are new to provincial politics, although leader Sonia Furstenau will continue to lead the party after she lost re-election […]

ATLANTA (AP) — Voting machines reversing votes. More voters registered than people eligible. Large numbers of noncitizens voting. With less than two weeks before Election Day, a resurgence in conspiracy theories and misinformation about voting is forcing state and local election officials to spend their time debunking rumors and explaining how elections are run at […]

It’s déjà vu for citizens of St. Catharines. A joint statement has been released announcing that after good faith negotiations, Atria Development (owner of the former Walker Family YMCA facility) and the City, have decided that the future of the site will not include the existing recreation facility which will instead be redeveloped into housing.   […]

As the old adage “It takes a village to raise a child” suggests, it requires a community to provide a safe, healthy, secure environment for children to develop and flourish. In addition to friends and family, citizens count on their elected municipal, provincial, and federal governments to create laws and policies to keep children safe, […]

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Freedom of expression has been threatened more seriously in Gaza than in any recent conflict, with journalists targeted in the war-torn territory and Palestinian supporters targeted in many countries, a United Nations expert said Friday. Irene Khan, the U.N. independent investigator on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, pointed […]

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. (AP) — The U.S. military trained him in explosives and battlefield tactics. Now the Iraq War veteran and enlisted National Guard member was calling for taking up arms against police and government officials in his own country. Standing in the North Carolina woods, Chris Arthur warned about a coming civil war. Videos […]

An Associated Press investigation examined extremism among members of the U.S. military and veterans. Here are highlights from the reporting. How many active-duty military and veterans are involved in extremism? The AP received exclusive access to data collected and analyzed by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, […]