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Local councils choose online, phone, paper ballots for next election
The cost of democracy, both figurative and literal, was discussed at local council meetings recently as municipalities look towards the October 2026 elections. Staff reports on voting methods made their way to respective councils in Tay Township and Penetanguishene with councillors weighing the merits and flaws for voting through paper ballots, internet/telephone voting and a…
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North Korean defectors urge the UN to hold the country’s leader accountable for rights abuses
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Eunju Kim, who escaped starvation in North Korea in 1999, was sent back from China and fled a second time, told the United Nations on Tuesday that the country’s leader must be held accountable for gross human rights violations. Gyuri Kang, whose family faced persecution for her grandmother’s religious beliefs, fled…
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Despite data that show they’re safe, residents of Oakville neighbourhood torn between facts and feeling
Late last year, Mario Zelaya never expected his TikTok post would stir such emotion across an upscale east-end Oakville neighbourhood. Nor did he anticipate being targeted by the town’s mayor. It has been seven months since that initial post, when Zelaya detailed what he believes to be a serious public health threat linked to decades…
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Love hurts: Alleged ‘romance scam’ costs Norfolk resident more than $200,000
An online relationship left a Norfolk County resident in tears — and out a lot of money — in what police are calling a “romance scam.” Police said the victim met the alleged scammer online in November 2021. Over the course of several emails and phone calls, their relationship deepened to the point that the…
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Mississippi governor bans TikTok from government devices
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — TikTok will be banned from all Mississippi-issued government devices and the state’s network, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday in a letter to department and agency heads. The Republican said he issued the directive to safeguard sensitive information from the popular social media app, which is owned by private Chinese company ByteDance…
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Mendicino open to working with MPs to ‘improve’ much criticized cybersecurity bill
OTTAWA — The federal public safety minister says he is prepared to work with other parliamentarians to revise the Liberal government’s cybersecurity bill after civil society groups and opposition MPs raised transparency and accountability concerns. While he is open to changes, Marco Mendicino said in a recent interview the bill that was introduced last year…
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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,…