BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
Your Data Your Rights
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People Subject to BC Birth Alerts Can Now Apply for Compensation
British Columbians subject to birth alerts can now apply to receive compensation as part of a proposed settlement of $66 million. In B.C., birth alerts happened between 1980 and 2019. Child welfare workers with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, or a delegated Indigenous agency, reached out to hospitals ahead of a pregnant person…
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Nova Scotia Power Inc. says late fees will return for first time since cyberattack
Nova Scotia Power Inc. says it will begin charging late fees in the fall for the first time since a cyberattack disrupted its billing system last spring. Chris Lanteigne, director of customer care at the privately-owned utility, told reporters Wednesday that fees on overdue bills will return on Oct. 1. The company stopped charging late…
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Aspen View Public Schools sets strict rules for artificial intelligence in classrooms
Aspen View Public Schools has made a new set of rules to handle artificial intelligence in its classrooms, even as local officials state that official curriculum changes remain the job of the provincial government. The school division recently adopted Administrative Procedure 630 to guide how students and staff interact with emerging technology like artificial intelligence,…
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How Many People Are ODing in BC Hospitals? It’s Still a Mystery
After a year of research, which included eight freedom of information requests, dozens of email chains and two appeals to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, The Tyee still doesn’t know how many British Columbians are overdosing in hospitals across the province. We’ve lost our final appeal with the OIPC, which means all…
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Court documents allege link between Project South investigation, Ryan Wedding case
Newly released court documents are shedding more light on the alleged link between a sweeping police corruption probe in Ontario and the case of former Canadian Olympian Ryan Wedding, who is accused of running an international drug trafficking ring. Gurpreet Singh, accused by U.S. authorities of helping co-ordinate cocaine shipments for Wedding, was investigated for…
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ICE arrests 10,000 in 5 days, a sharp late-June surge in Trump’s deportation push
WASHINGTON (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 10,000 people over a five-day period at the end of June, marking a major push by the agency tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportations agenda. The arrest numbers, obtained from a person familiar with the information who spoke anonymously to discuss data that has…
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South Korea disputes US congressional report claiming discrimination against Seattle-based Coupang
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s government on Thursday disputed a U.S. congressional report accusing Seoul of discriminating against Coupang, a U.S.-listed electronic commerce giant that was hit with a record 625 billion won ($403 million) fine in June over a massive data breach affecting millions of South Korean customers. South Korea Foreign Ministry…
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Trump administration’s $46 billion ‘smart wall’ races ahead on the US-Mexico border
PHOENIX (AP) — For decades, all that separated the U.S. from Mexico was barbed wire. Now, after a massive infusion of cash from Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration is swiftly building what it has dubbed a “smart wall,” a combination of 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) steel fencing and an array of sophisticated technology like sensors, cameras and…
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Merz unveils sweeping reform push for Germany: Tax cuts, pension overhaul and new sick leave rules
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government coalition partners presented a comprehensive reform package Thursday with the goal of getting the country’s sluggish economy back on track. The 34 measures include cuts to income tax for low- and middle-income families, an overhaul of the creaking pension system, tougher rules for employees’ sick…
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Community Connect gives Pincher Creek first responders a head start
A new self-registration program launched by Pincher Creek Emergency Services is giving residents and business owners a way to help first responders better prepare for emergencies before they arrive. The free online platform, called Community Connect, allows people to securely share important information about their homes and businesses. Users can voluntarily provide details such as…
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Vermont lawmakers tried to curb license plate surveillance. Police found a way around it.
State lawmakers clamped down on the use of automatic cameras to track vehicles by their license plates years ago, and Vermont police have told the Legislature they no longer use such surveillance. But behind the scenes it was a different story: They just reached across state lines to do it, according to a data analysis…