BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Privacy activists call on California to remove covert license plate readers
More than two dozen privacy and advocacy organizations are calling on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to remove a network of covert license plate readers deployed across Southern California that the groups believe feed data into a controversial U.S. Border Patrol predictive domestic intelligence program that scans the country’s roadways for suspicious travel patterns. “We ask…
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Canadian ICC judge says Trump’s sanctions won’t stop her from doing her job
When International Criminal Court judge Kimberly Prost goes on vacation, she needs to phone hotels in advance to explain that she can’t pay for a room with a credit card — because she’s been sanctioned by the Trump administration. Ebooks suddenly vanish from the Winnipeg-born jurist’s devices and she tries to dissuade well-meaning friends from…
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City of Cold Lake council approves new artificial intelligence policy for municipal staff
Council approved a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy during its Jan. 27 regular council meeting. The policy establishes clear rules and guiding principles for how AI can be used by City of Cold Lake employees, ensuring personal and organizational information remains protected while allowing staff to benefit from the efficiencies technology can provide, according to…
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CSIS pledges ‘robust’ review of technologies in response to critical watchdog report
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says it’s committed to “ongoing review and improvement” of its use of new technologies following a critical spy watchdog report. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency said in a report made public this week that CSIS lacked “adequate policies and procedures” to manage a confidential technical means of collecting…
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Interest in Canadian flights out of Lebanon last year waned quickly, documents show
Documents detailing Canada’s effort to help citizens and permanent residents leave Lebanon last year on commercial flights and charters show there was huge interest in the first few days of the effort but uptake dropped off dramatically. In the end, Canada spent nearly three times as much to keep chartered planes on standby on the…
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Ag Sponsorship Request referred to budget talks
With the end of their term fast approaching, Vauxhall council has referred a funding request to upcoming budget deliberations. During their regular Oct. 6 meeting, Vauxhall town council received a support request from the Vauxhall Ag Society Rodeo Grounds Committee. According to the request, the committee is fundraising for and in the middle of constructing…
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‘We need to get them out’: Beluga trainer fired by Marineland speaks out
Marineland’s crumbling infrastructure, staffing shortage and lack of resources have created dangerous conditions for its belugas and they should be moved immediately, a fired beluga trainer says. Kristy Burgess, who worked at the Niagara Falls, Ont., park when a young beluga was put down in February, said Marineland’s threat to euthanize all 30 of its…
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News organizations, including Hegseth’s former employer Fox, reject new Pentagon reporting rules
Fox News, the former employer of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has joined a near-unanimous outpouring of news organizations rejecting new rules for journalists based in the Pentagon. Fox signed on to a statement with ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN saying they would no agree to Hegseth’s new rules, saying “the policy is without precedent and…
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Ontario is subsidizing an energy project in Georgian Bay despite expert advice
The Ontario government pushed forward TC Energy’s proposal to build a large pumped storage project on Georgian Bay, despite early expert advice it would be costly and not meet the province’s current energy needs. That advice was shared by the provincial Crown corporation responsible for the supply and demand of energy, the Independent Electricity System…
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CSIS lacked proper policies, procedures to manage new secret technology: spy watchdog
A newly released spy watchdog report says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service lacked adequate policies and procedures to manage a secret technology for collecting information. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency says CSIS mischaracterized a novel technical capability as an extension of existing know-how. The report says this led to CSIS not consulting Public…
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Death row, detainment and dire geopolitics cause onslaught of Canadian consular cases
Global Affairs Canada says deteriorating stability worldwide is causing a massive expansion in the work required to protect Canadians abroad, with the department warning Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand that Canadians might need to pay more and expect less. That’s according to the briefing binder prepared for Anand when she took on the role in…