On December 10, Brampton Councillor Pat Fortini walked into the apartment building at 507 Balmoral Drive. He was disgusted by what he saw. He shared his experience with his fellow councillors during a meeting the next day, and confronted the representative of the building owner standing before him in the council chamber. “I was there […]

A remote Cree community on the shores of James Bay has declared a state of emergency after its water treatment plant failed this week — a crisis residents say the federal government is responding to far too slowly.  Kashechewan First Nation, home to around 2,300 people alongside the Albany River in Ontario’s northern region, is […]

The promise of artificial intelligence was front and center at this year’s CES gadget show. But spicing up a simple machine like a refrigerator with unnecessary AI was also a surefire way to win the “Worst in Show.” The annual contest that no tech company wants to win announced its decisions Thursday. Among those getting […]

Colorado’s attorney general accused the Trump administration on Thursday of waging a “revenge campaign” by choking off funds and ending federal programs over the state’s refusal to accede to the Republican president’s demands to free an imprisoned elections clerk. President Donald Trump has pushed unsuccessfully for Colorado to release former Mesa County elections clerk Tina […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Austin Peay State University has reinstated a professor who was fired for his social media post after the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The Tennessee school is also paying the teacher $500,000 in the settlement. Austin Peay spokesperson Brian Dunn said Darren Michael returned to his position as a tenured […]

A substantial entry level pay hike for pilots and the acquisition of new and advanced aircraft are “absolutely” helping to shore up Royal Canadian Air Force pilot retention and morale, says the force’s commander. In a wide-ranging recent interview with The Canadian Press, Commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said she is seeing signs of progress despite […]

The Recall Nolan Dyck petition lead is raising concerns this week about access to public-facing space in city owned facilities.  Casey Klein, the applicant for the petition approved by Elections Alberta, says she has concerns about local governance after multiple requests to rent public-facing space were “denied, delayed, or left undocumented.” On Nov. 15, 2025 […]

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Officials in Connecticut and Arizona are defending their decision to refuse a request by the U.S. Justice Department for detailed voter information, after their states became the latest to face federal lawsuits over the issue. “Pound sand,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes posted on X, saying the release of the […]

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, December 20th.   As we close out our final news summary of 2025, this week’s stories bring together a familiar set of themes: how access to information exposes public risk, how governments are reshaping decision-making behind closed doors, and how emerging technologies—from artificial intelligence to biometric surveillance—are testing the limits […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]