BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Caledon looking into improving website
Town of Caledon staff will be working to improve Caledon’s website in the coming years. At Caledon Council’s April 8 General Committee meeting, Ward 2 Councillor Dave Sheen brought forward a motion asking that Caledon’s website be improved. “I’ve often come across stale, dated information or [found that] things are hard to find. I’ve heard…
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One Tech Tip: Locking down your device when crossing borders
LONDON (AP) — Planning an international trip? Travelers should prepare for the possibility of extra scrutiny of their phones when crossing borders, especially when entering the United States. The Canadian government warned travelers in a recent travel advisory that U.S. border agents are entitled to search your electronic devices and “don’t need to provide a…
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Hackers breach Morocco’s social security database in an unprecedented cyberattack
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco ‘s social security agency said troves of data were stolen from its systems in a cyberattack this week that resulted in personal information being leaked on the messaging app Telegram. The North African kingdom’s social security fund administers pensions and insurance benefits to millions of private sector workers, from assembly…
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RCMP too short staffed to follow up on tips from Fintrac?
OTTAWA — The RCMP says many tips from Canada’s financial intelligence agency about possible crimes “may not get investigated” due to a lack of policing resources and conflicting priorities. The Mounties make the candid admission in a briefing note prepared for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino on the working relationship between the national police force…
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N.S. government says no legal action over social media post on woman’s hospital death
HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s Justice Department said Tuesday it won’t pursue legal action against a politician who posted information about a woman who died in hospital after a seven-hour wait for a doctor. The department sent an email Friday to Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the Independent member for Cumberland North, advising her to take down a letter…
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Ottawa pressed RCMP Heritage Centre for more outreach as part of expansion goal
OTTAWA — The head of the RCMP Heritage Centre in Saskatchewan says that after it completed a round of consultations on how it can transform into a national museum, the ball is now in Ottawa’s court. “We really needed to hear from Canadians,” said Tara Robinson, the CEO of the Regina-based museum focused on the…
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Ex Pentagon intelligence analyst who spied for Cuba freed
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A former U.S. defense intelligence analyst who was convicted of spying for Cuba more than 20 years ago has been released from a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. Ana Belen Montes, 65, was released Friday, Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Scott Taylor said Saturday. Montes, an analyst for the…
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Schools tossed COVID cash into wind: expert
More than $3 million set aside to improve air quality in schools during the COVID-19 pandemic has been spent on duct cleaning — a measure not backed by research as an effective way to limit infectious-disease transmission. Manitoba earmarked nearly $11.3 million, including provincial and federal pots of about $6.8 million and $4.5 million, respectively,…
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Twitter leak exposes 235 million email addresses from hack
Personal emails linked to 235 million Twitter accounts hacked some time ago have been exposed according to Israeli security researcher Alon Gal — making millions vulnerable to having their accounts compromised or identities exposed if they have used the site anonymously to criticize oppressive governments, for instance. Gal, who is the co-founder and chief technology…
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Alberta government won’t release data on snowpack contamination from coal mines
EDMONTON — The Alberta government is refusing to release information on toxic contaminants in snowpacks downwind from mountaintop removal coal mines. The data was collected by two senior provincial government scientists who conducted research into the impact of windblown dust from mines in British Columbia on a pristine Alberta alpine lake. They recently published a…
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Alex Jones lawyer suspended 6 months over records release
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A lawyer for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been suspended from practicing law in Connecticut for six months for improperly giving Jones’ other attorneys in Texas confidential documents, including the medical records of relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The ruling by Judge Barbara Bellis on Thursday…