BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Tina Peters asks Colorado appeals court to recognize Trump’s pardon, release her from prison
DENVER (AP) — Former Colorado elections clerk Tina Peters is asking the state appeals court to recognize President Donald Trump’s pardon of her state convictions as valid. In a motion Tuesday, Peters’ lawyers said the Colorado appeals court no longer has jurisdiction over her case because of a Dec. 5 pardon issued by Trump. They…
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Beyond Italy: Brant Catholic school board travel expenses over the last three years
Expense documents released by Brant’s Catholic school board — covering staff and trustee travel since 2022 — show most claims were standard and unremarkable, even as the board continues to grapple with the fallout of the much-publicized Italy art trip. Stemming from a trip in the summer of 2024, the board racked up close to…
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DOJ sues Illinois’ governor over laws protecting immigrants at courthouses and hospitals
CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday fired back against a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit over state protections of immigrants from federal arrest at courthouses, hospitals and day cares. Justice officials filed suit on Monday, claiming new Illinois measures prohibiting detention of immigrants going about daily business at key locations are unconstitutional…
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Thieves gain access to about 140,000 social insurance numbers in NS Power database
Nova Scotia Power’s CEO says up to 140,000 social insurance numbers could have been stolen by cyber-thieves who recently hacked into the utility’s customer records. Peter Gregg said in an interview Thursday that the privately owned utility collected the numbers from customers to authenticate their identities. “If there are a number of John MacDonalds, it…
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Councillors want information on disturbing rise in St. Catharines homeowners unable to pay soaring tax bills
The revelation that since 2022 an additional 1,180 property owners in St. Catharines are unable to pay their tax bill has prompted at least one member of City Council to take action. Less than two weeks after The Pointer reported a sharp rise in the number of properties in municipal tax arrears, information that had…
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Despite clear violation, St. Catharines Integrity Commissioner excuses Mayor Mat Siscoe for using taxpayer dollars to endorse Doug Ford
In a decision that appears to contradict itself, the municipal watchdog hired by Council members to hold them accountable has determined that even though Mayor Mat Siscoe violated rules set out in the Code of Conduct that governs the behaviour of local elected officials, his conduct somehow did not rise to a punishable contravention of…
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West Virginia governor implements policy changes in embattled foster care system
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey vowed Wednesday that his administration will improve transparency and policies within the state’s embattled foster care system. Morrisey, a Republican, announced the changes after eight listening sessions statewide to identify areas of improvement and a review of critical cases. Morrisey said he heard attendees at one…
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Federal privacy czar starts probe into theft of customer data from Nova Scotia Power
The federal privacy commissioner has launched an investigation into a ransomware attack that led to the theft of personal information belonging to 280,000 customers of Nova Scotia’s electric utility. Privately owned Nova Scotia Power confirmed last week that hackers stole the data and published it on the dark web. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in…
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Australia whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison sentence
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan to the media, lost a court bid to have his prison sentence reduced on Wednesday. The three Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal judges unanimously rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer’s appeal against the severity of a…
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Via Rail subsidiary paid Quebec marketing firm $330K as it pivoted to high-speed rail
A federal Crown corporation paid more than $330,000 to an outside marketing firm to rebrand a planned passenger rail project between Toronto and Quebec City and boost its popularity. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press detail how the corporation, concerned about “widespread disinterest” in a high-frequency rail corridor announced in 2021, decided to change its…
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Crypto crime spills over from behind the screen to real-life violence
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A man says he was tortured for weeks in a New York townhouse. Another in Paris was held for ransom and his finger cut off. A couple in Connecticut were carjacked, beaten and thrown into a van. All, authorities allege, were victims tied to cryptocurrency-related crimes that have spilled out from…