BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Trump judicial nominee suggested ignoring court orders on deportations, whistleblower claims
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Justice Department official suggested the Trump administration might have to ignore court orders as it prepared to deport Venezuelan migrants it accused of being gang members, a fired department lawyer alleged in a whistleblower complaint made public Tuesday. The whistleblower’s claims about Principal Assistant Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove come…
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After 40-year mystery, police say ‘Mr. X’ in 1985 Air India bombing is dead
Police in British Columbia believe they have solved a decades-long mystery by identifying a suspect known as “Mr. X” who is thought to have helped test a bomb before the 1985 Air India terror attack. But they say the suspect died before facing charges, and police will not be releasing his name. The statement from…
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Newly launched Access to Information review is flawed, transparency advocates say
A newly launched federal review of the Access to Information system is being greeted with deep skepticism by transparency advocates. The Treasury Board Secretariat announced the government review, which takes place every five years, in a news release late Friday. The release says officials will seek input from a broad range of Canadians, Indigenous groups,…
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Nova Scotia emergency room deaths up 10 per cent in 2022, data shows
HALIFAX — Deaths in Nova Scotia emergency rooms were up 10 per cent in 2022 from the previous year, an increase that a Nova Scotia Health official says was “not unexpected” as more patients — and patients with more acute needs — visited ERs. Alyson Lamb, the executive director of health services with Nova Scotia…
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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…