Access to Information

Topic: Access to Information


Federal dental insurance program to be phased in over 2024, benefits to start in May

OTTAWA — The new federal dental insurance plan will be phased in gradually over 2024, with the first claims likely to be processed in May, government officials said ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for Monday morning. Applications are expected to open as early as next week, starting with qualifying seniors over the age of […]

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CBC considering ‘all possible measures’ in wake of concerns over cuts, exec bonuses

OTTAWA — Top CBC executives said Friday they are considering options to manage the broadcaster’s financial pressures, including taking a look at “senior executive compensation,” following plans to slash 10 per cent of the public broadcaster’s workforce. CBC/Radio-Canada head Catherine Tait and seven vice-presidents released a brief statement that afternoon, after MPs of different political […]

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‘Silence isn’t neutral’: Emails show debate in Quebec universities on Israel, Hamas

MONTREAL — Five days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Universite de Montreal rector Daniel Jutras was under growing pressure to say more about the conflict. Shortly after midnight on Oct. 12, he sent an email to colleagues saying that as other universities took public positions on the war, it was becoming increasingly […]

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Ontario auditor: at least 99 patients placed in LTC homes without their consent

TORONTO — At least 99 hospital patients in Ontario have been placed in long-term care homes without their consent, the province’s auditor general has found. Opposition politicians and seniors’ advocates have roundly criticized a law the Progressive Conservative government enacted last year to enable those moves, which can see those patients placed in homes up to 70 […]

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Voting rights groups push for answers from Mississippi election officials about ballot shortages

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — One month after Mississippi’s November statewide election, voting rights groups say election officials in the state’s largest county have failed to provide enough information about the problems that led to polling precincts running out of ballots. The coalition of statewide and national civil rights organizations has requested meetings and more details […]

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TMX has met inspection order measures: Energy Regulator

The Canadian Energy Regulator (CER) says Trans Mountain has satisfied measures the company was required to take after receiving an inspection order this summer for inadequately addressing socioeconomic issues stemming from construction of its pipeline expansion project. The order was issued by the CER on July 4th, after a review by an inspection officer and […]

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CBC head Catherine Tait summoned to committee over job cuts, executive bonuses

OTTAWA — Members of Parliament have called CBC president Catherine Tait to testify about her announcement the public broadcaster would cut 10 per cent of its workforce, while not ruling out bonuses for executives. The House of Commons heritage committee unanimously agreed on Thursday to have the president of the public broadcaster address the cuts […]

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Democracy group calls for Nova Scotia right to information law overhaul

HALIFAX — A Canadian centre that promotes democracy around the world is calling for an overhaul of Nova Scotia’s freedom of information law to reduce exemptions and give the appeal process more teeth. The Centre for Law and Democracy is among the early submitters to an internal review committee created by the Progressive Conservative government, […]

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Democracy group calls for Nova Scotia right to information law overhaul

HALIFAX — A Canadian centre that promotes democracy around the world is calling for an overhaul of Nova Scotia’s freedom of information law to reduce exemptions and give the appeal process more teeth. The Centre for Law and Democracy is among the early submitters to an internal review committee created by the Progressive Conservative government, about two […]

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Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh Newfoundland jail, officials confirm

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — An inmate has died at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating provincial jails in the country. Officials with the provincial Justice Department confirmed today that the man died after he was taken to hospital on Saturday. The department said in an email that the inmate’s “sudden death” […]

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Newfoundland’s 164 year old jail has been without dentist for months, inmate says

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — An inmate at Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest jail says the facility has been unable to offer dental services for at least five months. Jesse Lewis says staffing shortages at the jail led the previous dentist to abandon the work because there were too many cancelled appointments when no guards were available […]

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Transparency Fosters Trust

Freedom-of-information or access-to-information laws are not something that the average person thinks about every day, but they are a part of laws in every province and territory in the country and are designed to give people the right to obtain records from public institutions. Having access to the information they need to make informed decisions […]

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