BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
-
The RCMP vs. the media: Bracken trial approaches its endgame
The lawyers are standing around, casually talking to one another. A dozen or so people in the four rows of public seating quietly chatter to each other. Then, a hefty, clean-shaven middle-aged man with short dark brown hair and a suit enters the courtroom. The room goes quiet. The man, whose tie is fastened to…
-
Here’s what the Liberals’ new bill on ‘lawful access’ for police and spies would do
The federal government has tabled legislation in the House of Commons it says would help law enforcement and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service investigate threats. Here’s what the new bill proposes: Confirmation of service demand: The bill would require internet and phone companies to tell authorities whether they provide a service to a particular person…
-
States sue the Trump administration to challenge policy requiring colleges to collect race data
BOSTON (AP) — A coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging a Trump administration policy that requires higher education institutions to collect data showing they aren’t considering race in admissions. President Donald Trump ordered the new policy in August after he raised concerns that colleges and universities were using personal…
-
Former NIH scientist sues Trump administration, claims illegal firing over research cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health sued the Trump administration Tuesday, saying she was illegally fired for warning that abrupt research cuts were endangering patients and public health. The NIH has cut billions of dollars in research projects since President Donald Trump took office in January, bypassing the…
-
No arrests yet as RCMP continue Greenhill Tavern robbery probe
Two men who boldly held up the Greenhill Tavern in Crowsnest Pass last Thursday remain at large and investigation of the armed robbery is ongoing. The robbery unfolded around 1 a.m. when the pair entered the bar armed with bear spray. After pointing it at staff, they made off with a large amount of Canadian…
-
Unreadable receipts, missing itineraries: Why did Brampton taxpayers pay more than $20K to send Councillor Rowena Santos and staff to Tokyo & Manila?
Travel documents, including receipts and itineraries, obtained by The Pointer under freedom of information requests have exposed a troubling pattern at the City of Brampton under Mayor Patrick Brown. Expensive flights and hotels, questionable spending on food, drinks and transportation, all in the name of so-called economic development, have become the norm in Brampton. The…
-
‘Let’s close this request’: FOI docs show PC political staffer tried to prevent information on toxic GM site from being released
A staff member working for the provincial environment minister appears to be responsible for blocking critical information about the toxic former General Motors property in St. Catharines from being released to the public, including details about a filtration system meant to prevent toxic chemicals from leaking off the site. Documents obtained by The Pointer under…
-
Alberta towns see AI data centres as ‘second coming of oil’ — but some worry at what cost
Neil Johnson came home from a conference on artificial intelligence with dollar signs in his eyes. At a council meeting in his home of Newell County a few weeks later, Johnson set about convincing everyone else of the riches he’d caught a glimpse of. “We’ve got an opportunity here that, when you start adding up…
-
Thousands protest Slovak leader Fico over whistleblower office closure and penal code changes
BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Thousands rallied across Slovakia on Tuesday to protest the latest moves by the government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to dismantle an independent office that protects those who report corruption and other criminal activities and amend the penal code. Rallies took place in 10 communities, including the capital, Bratislava, where…
-
Major AI data centre proposed for Île-des-Chênes
If all goes as planned for one corporate tech collaborative, Île-des-Chênes (IDC) will soon be home to Manitoba’s first major AI data centre. Jet.AI, a Nevada-based provider of GPU (graphics processing unit) infrastructure and AI cloud services, made their formal public announcement on December 4. Jet.AI has joined with Consensus Core Technologies Inc., a company…
-
McGuinty ‘confident’ Canada will hit NATO spending targets
Canada is injecting tens of billions of dollars into defence as it looks to ramp up spending to levels not seen since the Cold War — both to meet its NATO commitments and to juice the domestic economy. But it remains to be seen whether National Defence — a department which the opposition Conservatives point…