BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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No arrests yet as RCMP continue Greenhill Tavern robbery probe
Two men who boldly held up the Greenhill Tavern in Crowsnest Pass last Thursday remain at large and investigation of the armed robbery is ongoing. The robbery unfolded around 1 a.m. when the pair entered the bar armed with bear spray. After pointing it at staff, they made off with a large amount of Canadian…
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Unreadable receipts, missing itineraries: Why did Brampton taxpayers pay more than $20K to send Councillor Rowena Santos and staff to Tokyo & Manila?
Travel documents, including receipts and itineraries, obtained by The Pointer under freedom of information requests have exposed a troubling pattern at the City of Brampton under Mayor Patrick Brown. Expensive flights and hotels, questionable spending on food, drinks and transportation, all in the name of so-called economic development, have become the norm in Brampton. The…
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‘Let’s close this request’: FOI docs show PC political staffer tried to prevent information on toxic GM site from being released
A staff member working for the provincial environment minister appears to be responsible for blocking critical information about the toxic former General Motors property in St. Catharines from being released to the public, including details about a filtration system meant to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking off the site. Documents obtained by The Pointer under…
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Authorities arrest over 100 people on Tennessee roads in support of Trump’s deportation plan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — More than 100 people have been taken into custody by federal immigration officials in a joint operation with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, leaving many in Nashville’s immigrant community uncertain and worried. “None of us have ever seen anything like this,” Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee…
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Ottawa looks to off-load costly, seldom-used mobile hospitals bought for the pandemic
The federal government expects to spend about $7 million this fiscal year to store and maintain four custom-made, portable hospitals that cost taxpayers more than $200 million to buy — facilities meant to bolster overwhelmed hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic that were barely used. Early on in the pandemic, as the federal government moved at…
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Manitoba premier welcomes second child from Gaza in need of health care
For the second time this year, the Manitoba government has welcomed a child from the Gaza Strip in need of health care. Premier Wab Kinew says the kindergarten-aged boy and some family members made their way to Egypt and were flown to Winnipeg after being screened by international non-profit workers and the federal government. Kinew…
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Mayor Lovatt Urges Province to Support Growing Towns Like Stouffville in 2025 Budget
● Mayor Lovatt has submitted a formal pre-budget request to Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy laying out Town priorities in need of greater Provincial support. ● He warned of a growing infrastructure gap, exacerbated by rising costs and a lack of sustainable funding for small but fast-growing towns like Stouffville. ● Lovatt noted the potential…
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Investigation finds Alberta government not complying with freedom of information laws
Alberta’s access to information watchdog has found the provincial government to be non-compliant with its own freedom of information rules. A new report from information and privacy commissioner Diane McLeod says Alberta’s government has implemented internal procedures and policies that allow government employees to wrongfully deny freedom of information requests. The report, released Friday, follows…
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X restricts access to jailed Istanbul mayor’s account under court order but challenges decision
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The social media platform X said Thursday it has blocked access to jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu ’s account in Turkey, complying with a Turkish court order — the latest measure targeting a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. However, Elon Musk’s X said that while the company abided by…
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Vancouver short-term rental data at stake in ongoing freedom of information dispute
Vancouver affordable housing advocate Rohana Rezel is six years into a freedom of information dispute with the City of Vancouver and Airbnb over data on short-term rental owners, but he says the issue has evolved beyond housing into a fight for “public transparency.” Rezel filed two requests with the city under the Freedom of Information…
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Planned burn could have killed trapped firefighters, says B.C. safety report
British Columbia’s worker protection agency says a planned burn by the province’s wildfire service during the devastating 2023 fire season could have killed or injured multiple firefighters who became “trapped by extreme fire behaviour” that cut off their escape. Inspection reports by WorkSafeBC say the BC Wildfire Service didn’t adequately ensure safety during the burn…