BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Wife of Quesnel mayor claims defamation in lawsuit against city councillor
The wife of Quesnel Mayor Ron Paull is suing a member of city council for defamation over the councillor’s reaction to a book that disputes the history of Canada’s residential schools. In a May 13-filed BC Supreme Court notice of civil claim, Pat Morton accuses Coun. Laurey-Anne Roodenberg of conduct that was “not only defamatory,…
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Seniors receive education on scams, fraud and safety measures
SHERBROOKE – Residents and guests gathered to learn about scams and frauds, as well as how to better protect against being victimized, at the Maple Manor seniors’ complex on May 5. Representatives from the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC), Guysborough Adult Learning Association (GALA) and the RCMP provided advice on recognizing signs that they may…
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Greater Napanee adopts special occasions permit format for events on town property serving alcohol
During their May 7 Special Meeting, the Town of Greater Napanee Council voted against staff’s recommendation to cancel all liquor licenses it holds for town facilities. Instead, council approved a motion to keep their liquor licenses and promote special occasion permits. Council did approve staff’s recommendation to bring forward a revised Municipal Alcohol Policy that…
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Should mandatory minimum sentencing exist? Supreme Court rulings highlight ongoing debate
A trio of Supreme Court decisions Friday overturned one rule on mandatory minimum sentencing but upheld two others, highlighting Canada’s ongoing debate on how to approach the contentious topic. The four-year mandatory minimum sentence for firing a gun at a house was deemed unconstitutional, with the court ruling it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.…
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Microsoft: Iran unit behind Charlie Hebdo hack and leak op
After the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo launched a cartoon contest to mock Iran’s ruling cleric, a state-backed Iranian cyber unit struck back with a hack-and-leak campaign that was designed to provoke fear with the claimed pilfering of a big subscriber database, Microsoft security researchers say. The FBI blames the same Iranian cyber operators, Emennet…
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Supreme Court agrees to rule on independence of Canadian military’s judges
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court has agreed to wade into a landmark legal battle over whether Canada’s military judges, who are responsible for overseeing dozens of courts martial every year, are truly independent. The top court announced its decision on Thursday following requests from several service members whose criminal cases have been on hold. As…
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Feds caught off guard by Saskatchewan ‘unforeseen’ request for COVID 19 help
SASKATOON — Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Armed Forces were caught off guard by a request for help from Saskatchewan during the height of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Documents obtained under freedom of information laws show employees in the federal departments were surprised when Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman sent a letter in October 2021…
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FTC fines GoodRx for unauthorized sharing of health data
In a first-of-its-kind enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission has imposed a $1.5 million penalty on telehealth and prescription drug discount provider GoodRx Holdings Inc. for sharing users’ personal health data with Facebook, Google and other third parties without their consent. Under a settlement, California-based GoodRx also accepted that it will be prohibited going forward from…
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Hunter Biden seeks federal probe of Trump allies over laptop
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, asked the Justice Department in a letter Wednesday to investigate close allies of former President Donald Trump and others who accessed and disseminated personal data from a laptop that a computer repair shop owner says was dropped off at his Delaware store in 2019.…