BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Town of Caledon officially launches Lobbyist Registry
The Town of Caledon has officially launched a Lobbyist Registry, a tool designed to help make local government more transparent and accountable. The Lobbyist Registry is available online and provides residents with easy access to information about who is lobbying with Council, Committee of Adjustment members, Property Standards Committee members, and statutorily appointed staff. It…
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Northern school transforms library into innovation hub
KIRKLAND LAKE — When Dan Kurz began teaching at Kirkland Lake District Composite School (KLDCS) in 2006, he didn’t imagine a robotics lab taking over the school library. But 20 years into his teaching career, that vision has not only taken shape, it’s led his students to a national gold medal. Grade 12 student Liam…
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Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove denies advising lawyers to ignore court orders
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Justice Department official nominated to become a federal appeals court judge said Wednesday that he never told department attorneys to ignore court orders, denying the account of a whistleblower who detailed a campaign to defy judges to carry out President Donald Trump’s deportation plans. Emil Bove, a former criminal defense…
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The Census Bureau is considering how to ask about gender identity. People have their opinions
The U.S. Census Bureau is thinking about how to ask about sex. People have opinions. Dozens of health officials, civil rights groups, individuals and businesses have weighed in about how the statistical agency should ask about sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time on its most comprehensive survey of American life. An Associated…
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Americans divided on TikTok ban even as Biden campaign joins the app, AP-NORC poll shows
President Joe Biden’s campaign is embracing TikTok to court younger voters ahead of the presidential elections, but U.S. adults have mixed views about whether the video-sharing app should even operate in the country. A new poll by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a three-way split when it comes to…
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India’s top court strikes down system for anonymous political donations ahead of national elections
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s top court on Thursday struck down a controversial election funding system that allowed individuals and companies to send unlimited donations to political parties without the need to disclose donor identity, a system critics have long said is undemocratic and favored Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. A five-judge constitution bench…
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RCMP use of private-sector surveillance services worries federal privacy watchdog
A federal watchdog is urging the RCMP to do a better job of assessing the privacy implications of commercial surveillance and monitoring services before using them. In a report released Thursday, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne also recommends the Mounties be more transparent with Canadians about their collection of personal information from open-source intelligence gathering. Dufresne…
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Inadequate security led to federal breach that compromised Canadians’ info: watchdog
Government departments lacked adequate protections to fend off a “sophisticated and co-ordinated” cyberattack that compromised the sensitive information of tens of thousands of Canadians, the federal privacy watchdog has found. In a report tabled Thursday, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne describes how the lapse at the Canada Revenue Agency and Employment and Social Development Canada in…
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Judge rejects Texas AG Ken Paxton’s request to throw out nearly decade-old criminal charges
HOUSTON (AP) — A judge on Friday rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton ’s attempts to throw out felony securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade. The decision by state District Judge Andrea Beall, an elected Democrat, keeps Paxton on track for an April 15 trial on charges that he…
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US eases restrictions on Wells Fargo after years of strict oversight following scandal
NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration eased some of the restrictions on banking giant Wells Fargo, saying the bank has sufficiently fixed its toxic culture after years of scandals. The news sent Wells Fargo’s stock up sharply Thursday as investors speculated that the bank, which has been kept under a tight leash by regulators…
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Trial over lavish NRA spending nears jury, Wayne LaPierre’s lawyer calls it a political witch hunt
NEW YORK (AP) — The National Rifle Association and its ex-CEO were caught “with their hands in the cookie jar,” a lawyer with the New York Attorney General’s Office said Thursday, at the conclusion of a civil trial accusing the gun rights group’s executives of wildly misspending millions of dollars on private flights, vacations and…