BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Court ruling, privacy probe hit separation petition
A successful court challenge from First Nations and an ongoing privacy investigation have placed Alberta’s separation petition under renewed scrutiny. Piikani Nation Chief Troy Knowlton called the May 13 Alberta Court of King’s Bench decision to quash Elections Alberta’s approval of the separatist petition a “historic victory” for Piikani Nation, the Blackfoot Confederacy and Treaty peoples. The…
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National artificial intelligence strategy to be released next week, Carney says
The federal government is set to introduce its AI strategy within days — a long-awaited policy that has been delayed amid increasing public concern about the social impacts and safety of the technology. “It’s coming out next week,” Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill Wednesday. Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon initially promised…
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Southern Poverty Law Center seeks dismissal of ‘vindictive’ Justice Department indictment
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Justice Department indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center is part of a “top-down” campaign of retribution against President Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies and constitutes a vindictive prosecution that must be dismissed, lawyers for the nonprofit argued Tuesday in urging a judge to toss the case out. The Alabama-based nonprofit…
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Biden sues Justice Department to stop release of audio and transcripts tied to special counsel probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden sued the Justice Department on Tuesday in an effort to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts of the former president’s interview with a ghostwriter that were obtained by the special counsel who investigated his handling of classified documents. Biden’s lawyers said in a lawsuit filed in Washington’s federal…
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Toronto set aside $2M a year for this flood-prone neighbourhood. So far, residents have received less than 3% of it.
The City of Toronto has a $2-million annual grant program to help Rockcliffe-Smythe residents recover from basement flooding. So far, it’s distributed just under $60,000 — less than 3% of the annual budget. The Rockcliffe No Fault Grant for Basement Flooding Damages Program provides “owners of certain residential properties within the Rockcliffe Special Policy Area”…
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Memo warned PM of public anxiety about mental health, firearms after B.C. shootings
Three days after the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., government officials warned Prime Minister Mark Carney that online sentiment was shifting from collective grief toward “emerging accountability narratives” — including questions about mental health intervention, firearms access and whether warning signs were missed. The memo to Carney from the Privy Council Office said…
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Animal Justice challenges Queen’s stance on dog research after Ontario ban
Ontario’s newly passed ban on invasive medical research involving dogs and cats appears poised to directly affect Queen’s University’s controversial hemophilia dog colony, despite the university saying it remains unclear how the legislation will impact existing research programs. The amendments to Ontario’s Animals for Research Act were included in Bill 75 and passed final reading…
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‘Fight Ford’ rally coming to Georgetown May 30
A provincewide grassroots movement will be coming to the streets of Georgetown. The Georgetown Fight Ford demonstration is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, running from 1 to 2 p.m. According to the organizers’ website, which acts as an extension of two Facebook groups related to sharing news of upcoming protests, residents planning to attend will…
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Ontario ministry experts raised concerns about at-risk species law changes, emails show
As the Doug Ford government prepared to replace the Endangered Species Act with new legislation, the province’s natural resources staff warned of weakened habitat protections, reduced oversight and new gaps in enforcement, according to documents obtained by The Narwhal. In March 2026, the Endangered Species Act was officially replaced with the Species Conservation Act, which…
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Ford government reverses plan to fight FOI disclosure of blue licence plate documents
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is reversing its decision to go to court to prevent the release of documents about its ill-fated blue licence plates. Lawyers for the government applied for a judicial review of decisions by Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner ordering the province to release documents in response to a freedom-of-information request by…