Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


‘Pushed down our throats’: Letters detail school pronoun concerns in Saskatchewan

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government received 18 official complaints in the summer before it implemented a rule preventing most children from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental consent. The emails, recently obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request, were received in June and July and offer a first look into […]

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Full disclosure: companies face emissions reporting mandates even as Canada lags

TORONTO — It’s getting harder for companies to hide their dirty secrets. Regulators around the world are increasingly forcing them to disclose their carbon emissions, along with other key climate change considerations such as how much financial risk they face. Momentum is building as the rising dangers from wildfires, droughts and floods become harder to […]

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Climate change could be avenue for adversaries to harm Canada, spy service warns

OTTAWA — Canada’s spy service warns that dramatic shifts caused by climate change and the ensuing fractious upheaval around the world could leave Canada vulnerable, imperilling its food and water supplies, energy security and Arctic sovereignty. Global warming will threaten security as countries and other actors seek to either bolster their economic positions or exploit […]

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Another beluga dies at Marineland, bringing total whale deaths to 15 since 2019

Another beluga whale has died at Marineland, bringing the number of whales that have died at the Niagara Falls, Ont., tourist attraction to 15 over the past four years. The province’s Animal Welfare Services has been investigating Marineland since it took over animal cruelty enforcement in 2020. “The ministry is aware of the death of […]

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FIPA at Government Info Days 2023

FIPA had the opportunity and privilege to attend and present at Government Information Days. The annual event is coordinated by an organizing committee of government info librarians who develop the programs and share hosting.

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FOI Commissioners’ Survey 2023

New for 2023 FIPA sent its first national survey of Commissioners’ approaches to access regime evaluation.

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Leading Language 2023

New for 2023 FIPA has expanded the research from its interprovincial legislative comparisons across Canada.

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FIPA For Teachers

New for 2023 FIPA has expanded its teaching resources for educators in primary schools.

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Ontario reversing course on Region of Peel dissolution, cites tax hike concerns

TORONTO — Ontario reversed course Wednesday on its plan to dissolve the Region of Peel, citing concerns about tax hikes in an about-face that has come to typify the latter half of the year for Premier Doug Ford’s government, in particular on the housing file. A transition board that has been working on the dissolution […]

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“Alarming” number of deportations caused by Canada’s restrictive immigration system, advocates say

Canada’s cumbersome immigration system is leading to an “alarming” number of migrants being deported every day back to potentially dangerous situations, advocates have revealed. The Migrant Rights Network released data last week showing at least 39 people were deported daily in the first half of 2023, despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2021 mandate letter calling […]

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AI generated hoaxes pose a ‘persistent threat’ to public safety: intel analysis

OTTAWA — Violent extremists who lack the means to carry out an attack in Canada could compensate by perpetrating hoaxes with the help of artificial intelligence, says a newly released analysis. The May report by the federal Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, obtained through the Access to Information Act, warns that such visual trickery, known as […]

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AI systems ‘can be weaponized,’ warns top U.S. cyber official in promoting safeguards

OTTAWA — Top cybersecurity officials are urging technology firms to bake safeguards into the futuristic artificial intelligence systems they’re cooking up, to prevent them from being sabotaged or misused for malicious purposes. Without the right guardrails, it will be easier for rogue nations, terrorists and others to exploit rapidly emerging AI systems to commit cyberattacks […]

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