BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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National libraries group urges Alberta to ditch ‘political interference’ in libraries
An organization representing large public libraries across Canada warns Alberta’s proposed bill affecting libraries threatens “unprecedented” government overreach into organizations meant to be shielded from political control. The Canadian Urban Libraries Council is urging United Conservative Premier Danielle Smith’s government to ditch its proposed changes to Alberta’s law governing libraries in a bill currently before…
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford defends plan to increase jail capacity by thousands
Ontario Premier Doug Ford defended his government’s plan to build many more jails, saying the billions in cost will be worth it. Ontario’s jails are well over capacity and the overcrowding has been worsening for years under Ford’s tenure as premier. The province plans to add upward of 6,000 new jail beds by 2050, government…
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Stats cited by Danielle Smith’s office to kill story on EMS overtime contradicted by government’s own data
Last summer, an IJF investigation revealed that the amount of overtime worked by paramedics in Edmonton had increased by 81 per cent since 2021. The story was republished by several media outlets across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. A day later, staff from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office and the Ministry of Hospital and…
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Civil Rights agency decides against transgender Army worker who asked to use women’s bathroom
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. civil rights agency has determined that the federal government can bar transgender employees from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity, dismissing an appeal from a transgender woman who worked for the U.S. Army. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decided Thursday against a civilian IT specialist who worked for…
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Feds knew EV rebates were running out months before telling public, documents suggest
Transport Canada officials were aware funding for the popular electric vehicle rebate program was at risk of running out several months before the department told the public about it in January 2025, documents about the program suggest. The documents also show officials were seemingly caught off guard by how quickly the funds did, in the…
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OECD criticizes Ottawa over ‘persistent delays’ in appointing new budget officer
An international economic group is criticizing the federal government over “persistent delays” in appointing new parliamentary budget officers, just as the current officer’s interim term is set to expire on Monday with no successor named. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, better known as the OECD, released its analysis of Canada’s parliamentary budget office…
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Port Moody to make BC Housing’s minimum unit sizes mandatory, tightening family-friendly housing rules
Developers building in Port Moody will now be forced to meet BC Housing’s 2026 guidelines for minimum units sizes. Council unanimously endorsed a major update to its Social Well-being Design Guidelines on Feb. 17, strengthening its family friendly units policy. Most of the discussion, which led to several significant amendments, focused on whether the city…
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Prosecutors charge Wisconsin legislator with misdemeanor after blowup over Hispanic resolution
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Prosecutors charged a Wisconsin legislator with disorderly conduct Wednesday in connection with a feud over who was involved with drafting resolutions honoring Hispanics last year. Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, a Milwaukee Democrat, faces up to 90 days in jail if she’s convicted in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Online court records didn’t list…
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Discord postpones age verification rollout amid criticism, promises transparency
Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, is postponing its controversial age verification policy after receiving swift backlash from users with concerns about their privacy. The global rollout of the system is now delayed to the second half of 2026, Discord’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a Tuesday blog…
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Samsung rolls out more AI, new privacy shield mode with the new Galaxy S26 lineup
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its latest Galaxy smartphones, which boast an even bigger toolbox of artificial intelligence technology than the previous two generations and introduce a new privacy shield mode that blocks snoopy bystanders from sneaking a peek at the display screen. The upgrades on the Galaxy S26 lineup — arriving…
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Divisional Court reserves decision in trustee challenge testing limits of in-camera confidentiality
Ontario’s Divisional Court has reserved its decision in a case testing the limits of confidentiality in closed-session school board meetings. Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) trustee Rachael Prinzen is seeking to overturn two code-of-conduct decisions that found she improperly disclosed in-camera materials to the Minister of Education, resulting in her suspension from…