Razan Abu-Ghoush filed her Canadian citizenship application on July 2, 2024. Two years later, she’s still waiting. That shouldn’t be happening. IRCC’s own published processing-time data shows citizenship grants — the standard path for permanent residents applying to naturalize — have been improving this year, even as the separate citizenship-by-descent queue has ballooned. Application decisions […]

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was removed from office on Friday, nearly two years after sexual misconduct allegations against him first emerged. The ouster of Karim Khan comes at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to “dismantle” […]

The City of New Westminster has established an AI working group to tackle the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence. City council recently received a report outlining the work staff have done to date on the development of appropriate AI usage guidelines and upcoming work.  The July 13 report said publicly available Generative AI (GenAI) […]

Naheed Nenshi, leader of the Opposition of Alberta, is asking the premier to come clean about the total cost of holding the referendum will be. Though Access to Information requests by Alberta NDP found an additional $2 million in costs towards the referendum to the already staggering $132-180 million. Some of these costs include a […]

Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, July 25th. We are into the news doldrums of summer right now, that said there are still stories hitting our radar. This week: bridge records, surveillance pricing, paid priority access to Truth Social, and Vatican secrecy.  Writing: Shaun Fisk  | Production: Patrick Farnsworth  | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder Send comments to: FIPAOnline @ fipa.bc.ca […]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Citing an internal misinterpretation of a change in policy, the U.S. Navy is backing away from statements that it would begin to restrict press and public access to sailors’ service histories — information that has been freely offered for decades. “The Navy continues to fulfill service record requests under our longstanding, standard […]

Lynn Gehl was in her thirties when she finally started to learn the story of her great-grandfather Joseph Gagnon from Golden Lake Reserve (now known as Pikwakanagan First Nation) in Ontario. In Joseph Gagnon: An Algonquin World War 1 Veteran, Gehl outlines the way her great-grandfather suffered from discrimination when it came to Canada’s implementation […]

For residents who have spent years demanding action on the abandoned former General Motors property in St. Catharines, the latest chapter will sound all too familiar. Just weeks after the City’s Property Standards Appeal Committee upheld sweeping compliance orders requiring the owners to repair or demolish dozens of deteriorating structures, the controversial numbered company that […]

Alberta’s Opposition says the cost of just getting the word out on the province’s looming separation referendum is setting taxpayers back at least $365,000 dollars. The new numbers come from a freedom of information request, NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Thursday. He said contracts show about $365,000 in fees for a televised address and promotional […]

As the mayor of Toronto looks to rein in surveillance pricing on groceries, experts say the municipal government may be out of its depth in attempting to end the controversial practice. Surveillance pricing, also referred to as personalized pricing, is the use of consumers’ individualized data such as their gender, location, purchase history or socioeconomic […]

School security camera footage of a nearly 15-second hug between a teacher and one of her students was repeatedly screened and scrutinized at a historic hearing. “This isn’t a fleeting or a casual embrace. The two were comfortable with each other,” teacher commissioner lawyer Tristan Sandulak told a professional disciplinary panel on Tuesday. Sandulak made […]

As the days grow longer, the Slave Lake RCMP detachment is noticing a familiar seasonal shift in the types of calls they receive. To get a clear picture of current crime trends and how residents can stay safe over the coming months, the Lakeside Leader reached out to Staff Sgt. Casey Bruyns for an update. […]