BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Supreme Court ruling sets out exception to confidentiality between lawyer and client
The Supreme Court of Canada says there can be an exception to a lawyer’s duty to keep conversations with a client confidential when the lawyer needs the information to defend themselves against a criminal charge. In a 7-2 ruling Friday, the top court said a lawyer can invoke an “innocence at stake” exception when they…
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What we know about the Toronto police officers charged in a corruption investigation
Eight current and retired Toronto police officers have been charged in an organized crime and corruption investigation. The sprawling investigation led by York Regional Police, whose initial results were announced Thursday, alleges Toronto officers provided personal information used to carry out crimes including shootings, robberies and a murder plot. Investigators allege some officers also trafficked…
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Ex- Regina police officer sentenced for using database to find, date, deceive women
A former police sergeant was sentenced for his crimes Friday while the force’s chief promised better oversight on a database he used to find, date and deceive vulnerable women in Regina. Robert Semenchuk was handed a conditional sentence of two years less a day, to be served in the community, followed by three years’ probation.…
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Trump taps longtime investigator to serve as next Justice Department watchdog
President Donald Trump has tapped a career government attorney who worked behind the scenes for years to root out misconduct in federal law enforcement to serve as the Justice Department’s next internal watchdog. The White House on Friday named Don R. Berthiaume to serve as the department’s acting inspector general, a high-profile position that oversees…
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After secretly working to destroy it, Ford government silent on long overdue review of Ontario’s Greenbelt
“I resigned from the government in 2017 because the Ford administration was coming to power, and I knew I couldn’t work for them.” Victor Doyle’s worst fears have come true. Over the past twenty years since Ontario created the Greenbelt, the world’s largest protected landscape of its kind, the man known as one of its…
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Alberta border patrol has made just 4 arrests for illegal immigration or drug trafficking in border zone, data shows
Alberta launched its own border patrol last year to help stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants across what Premier Danielle Smith called the “leaky” U.S. border. But the Interdiction Patrol Team (IPT) has so far made only a handful of arrests for those offences, according to data released through an access to information…
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Two Canadians detained in Israel over flotilla to Gaza: Global Affairs Canada
Global Affairs Canada says it is aware that two Canadian citizens have been detained in Israel following their involvement in a flotilla to Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla is a pro-Palestinian fleet of boats aiming to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. Global Affairs Canada did not identify the detained Canadians or disclose if there are…
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Quebec law to promote the sustainability of goods comes into force
A new Quebec law came into effect Sunday aimed at protecting consumers against products intentionally designed with shorter lifespans while ensuring they have the information needed to repair and maintain goods they buy. Quebec’s so-called “right-to-repair” law, part of the province’s amendments to its consumer protection law, will require retailers and manufacturers to disclose whether…
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Australian accused of Afghanistan war crime pleads not guilty but trial held until at least 2027
SYDNEY (AP) — The only Australian soldier to be charged with a war crime in Afghanistan pleaded not guilty Friday, but a prosecutor said he is unlikely to stand trial before 2027. Oliver Schulz, 44, is accused of shooting Afghan man Dad Mohammad three times in the head in an Uruzgan province wheat field in…
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Fall fair to hockey games: Elmvale arena getting ‘significant’ internet boost
Long considered the Bermuda Triangle of the internet, Elmvale Community Arena is on its way to becoming a high-powered hub for all things wired. In fact, by around this time next week, it should be ready to go, just in time for the Elmvale Fall Fair, allowing participants, visitors and vendors the ability to post…
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Improper signage, absence of warning lights show school zones aren’t about safety, critics argue
Calvin Kendall left provincial traffic court Thursday with a “$0 fine” and a written warning. “I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid,” the 69-year-old said in a waiting room at 373 Broadway hours earlier while sorting through a USB stick of photo evidence and other items as he prepared to fight a $272 speed-camera…