North Vancouver RCMP are reminding the public about fraudsters after a man lost a hefty chunk of cash and was then taunted by the churlish scammer. Police say on Aug. 19 a distraught victim went to the local detachment reporting he had just been defrauded. The man said he had received a phone call from […]

The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by a British Columbia ostrich farm to prevent the culling of its flock that had been infected with avian flu, in a case that has drawn international attention and protests about government overreach. But a spokeswoman for Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. said they would fight on […]

Despite a series of weather-related delays, Phase Siksika Nation High School students have completed the first CompTIA Tech, IT foundations training program to be offered at a First Nations high school in Canada.  The inaugural cohort saw 13 of the 15 students who had started the program seeing it through to completion. “It is so […]

A man who tried to stab a Catholic pastor in the middle of a Sunday religious service last winter had previously gone to hospital and said he planned to kill a priest, a court has been told. Pawel Olownia has been found not criminally responsible for the Feb. 9 incident at Holy Ghost Parish, which […]

The number of Niagara Falls properties in tax jeopardy has risen dramatically during the current term of council, according to data recently shared by City staff.  On May 21, through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, The Pointer sought six years of data on the number of properties in tax arrears. City officials declined the […]

New reports by British Columbia’s ombudsperson on a whistleblower protection law show that it is “falling short” in some areas in its first five years. The four reports released by BC Ombudsperson Jay Chalke say that while the law has “worked well in many aspects,” some public sectors and their employees are still not covered […]

Pierre Poilievre will return to the House of Commons after a resounding victory in the Aug. 18 Battle River—Crowfoot by-election. Of the 85,736 registered voters, 50,434 cast ballots. Poilievre received 40,548 votes — or 80.4 per cent. See: Poilievre going back to House of Commons after easy victory in Alberta byelection Dillon Anderson, a Callander […]

LONDON (AP) — Britain abandoned its demand that Apple provide so-called backdoor access to any encrypted user data stored in the cloud, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Monday. Gabbard indicated London and Washington had resolved their high-stakes dispute over electronic privacy, writing on X that she and President Donald Trump and Vice […]

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government is again shifting its expense disclosure policy after critics from across the political spectrum accused her of dodging responsibility. In early August, the province quietly published new rules axing a requirement for Smith, her ministers, senior staff and deputy ministers to publicly post receipts for expenses over $100.  Marisa Breeze, […]

A lawyer for Canadian diplomats and their families says he believes the mysterious ailments they suffered in Cuba were caused by a foreign adversary, despite a federal government report that dismisses the theory. Eight years after foreign service officials and their dependants began reporting such symptoms as headaches, memory loss, mood changes, vision problems, nausea […]

LONDON (AP) — Thousands of Afghans, British troops and civil servants may have fallen victim to another data breach, according to a firm linked to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence. The Jet Centre, which provides ground handling for flights, said late Friday that it suffered a data security incident which led to “unauthorised access to […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, August 16th.   We start with our privacy scan — from a major airline cyberattack exposing sensitive travel documents, to new scam alerts, and an urgent warning about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  There is an exercise in contrasts with access to information stories including commitments for greater […]