BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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Parliamentary committee revises order to share federal grant applicant data
data on researchers who applied for health and science grants. The Standing Committee on Health and Research had originally sought details on student and faculty applications to three agencies between 2000 and 2025 but now says it will accept anonymized, high-level data that better preserves privacy. The motion seeks information collected by the Social Sciences…
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Man accused of economic espionage tells court he was unhappy at Hydro-Québec
A former researcher with Quebec’s hydro utility who is facing economic espionage charges said Thursday he was applying for work at universities in China as a contingency plan because he was unhappy at Hydro-Québec. Yuesheng Wang, 38, maintained under cross-examination that there was nothing nefarious about his interest in moving back to China. He explained…
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Dyck votes against Elections Alberta funding request on heels of his recall petition
A Grande Prairie local has applied for a petition to recall Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck. Recall petitions for United Conservative Party MLAs are growing across the province following the government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work. “Dyck was chosen by the people to represent their interests and not echo…
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Contractors plea guilty in Manitoba Housing case
A group of local contractors admitted on Wednesday that they violated the federal Competition Act roughly 10 years ago during a scheme to bid on projects for Manitoba Housing. Geoff Gregoire, Guy Pringle, James Kauk, Ryan Lamont and Doug Gunnarson appeared in Brandon Court of King’s Bench to plead guilty under the act. The contractors…
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Police seek suspect in alleged Canada-wide romance scam that cost victims $275k
Police in Ontario say they are looking for a man who is alleged to have swindled nearly a dozen victims across Canada in a romance scam. Peel Regional Police say 11 victims from Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan lost a total of $275,000 in the alleged scam. Investigators say that between June 2020 and September…
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Community-specific vaccination uptake data lacking throughout northern B.C.
Northern Health says it cannot release vaccine uptake data for Robson Valley schools, but according to the agency’s most recent Early Childhood and School Age Immunization Coverage Report, the Robson Valley lies in an area with the jurisdiction’s highest vaccine uptake rates – that is, the percentage of children who are up to date on…
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Southern Manitoba school division issues update regarding data breach
A southern Manitoba school division has issued an update after a cybersecurity breach compromised student information from multiple Manitoba school divisions. “We are writing to provide an update about the cybersecurity incident that PowerSchool, our student information system (SIS) provider, recently experienced,” said Hanover School Division (HSD) Superintendent and CEO Joe Thiessen in a letter…
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House lawmakers push to ban AI app DeepSeek from US government devices
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan duo in the the U.S. House is proposing legislation to ban the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from federal devices, similar to the policy already in place for the popular social media platform TikTok. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Darin LaHood, R-Ill., on Thursday introduced the “No DeepSeek on Government…
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As case involving Prince Harry’s immigration paperwork inches forward, judge considers next steps
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge is considering next steps in a slow-moving court case over whether to release documents that could spell legal trouble for Prince Harry, with an influential conservative think tank seeking to reveal if he lied on his immigration paperwork about past drug use or received special treatment to enter the…
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Democratic senators protest after they say Trump gives Musk’s staff access to classified info
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are demanding answers after they say President Donald Trump gave billionaire Elon Musk and his staff access to sensitive data and classified secrets as part of their work to overhaul the federal government. The lawmakers on Wednesday wrote to Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, and…
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Justice Dept. official accuses FBI chief of ‘insubordination,’ tamps down talk of revenge on agents
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Justice Department official accused the FBI’s acting leaders of “insubordination” in a Wednesday memo in which he sought to soothe anxiety inside the bureau over the potential for a broad purge of agents involved in investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The memo from acting Deputy Attorney…