FOI

FOI


Province steps in as Gibbons council approves interim budget and borrowing plan amid financial crisis

The Town of Gibbons approved an interim 2026 operating and capital budget during a special meeting on Dec. 18, as the municipality continues to navigate financial pressures under the oversight of a provincially appointed Official Administrator. The interim budget carries forward 2025 spending levels and is intended as short‑term authority while administration completes a thorough […]

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Carlow Mayo Public Library gets new grant

According to Carrie McKenzie, the CEO/head librarian with the Carlow Mayo Public Library in Hermon, the library recently applied for and received a $20,000 Learning and Engagement Accelerator Fund grant from The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Company to put in new technology and STEM for the kids.  McKenzie comments to Bancroft This Week about this new […]

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Beyond Italy: Brant Catholic school board travel expenses over the last three years

Expense documents released by Brant’s Catholic school board — covering staff and trustee travel since 2022 — show most claims were standard and unremarkable, even as the board continues to grapple with the fallout of the much-publicized Italy art trip. Stemming from a trip in the summer of 2024, the board racked up close to […]

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At least 16 files have disappeared from the DOJ webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein

NEW YORK (AP) — At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public. The missing files, which were […]

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Toronto—Quebec City high-speed rail could see dozens of daily trains: documents

A planned high-speed rail project between Toronto and Quebec City could dramatically increase the number of trains that travel along the corridor each day, according to internal documents.  The Crown corporation responsible for the project has estimated that 72 passenger trains per day could travel through Canada’s most densely populated region if the proposed 1,000-kilometre […]

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Province’s new tourism strategy light on new details about NOTL

Doug Ford’s plan to turn Niagara into a global tourism powerhouse could have some major effects on Niagara-on-the-Lake, though it’s unclear at this time what’s in store for the small town neighbouring Niagara Falls, the region’s biggest tourism draw at the moment. The province’s new “Destination Niagara” strategy aims to generate an extra $3 billion […]

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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 […]

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‘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 […]

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Canada’s food safety agency warns it couldn’t handle multiple emergencies

Canada’s food safety agency doubts it could adequately protect the food supply in the next two years if the country is hit with several concurrent emergencies, such as animal disease outbreaks or food safety recalls. The problem is exacerbated by climate change, with the agency warning the crisis could impact its infrastructure while boosting the […]

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Why northern First Nations still rely on diesel fuel — and what could power the coveted Ring of Fire

The fumes coming through the walls of Neskantaga First Nation’s nursing station warned of a crisis with a familiar smell. Diesel wafted from the flooded basement, a stench so strong it made people sick with headaches and nausea, residents said.  After they detected the scent, the building was shut down and with it the community’s […]

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Inside the Ring of Fire: A tale of two First Nations and a road that could change everything

I. THE WARNING The ancestors knew. First Nation elders understood the south would march north eventually. They knew it would come in waves, sometimes slow, sometimes fast. Those ancestors told their kids, who told theirs, and so on until today. The south has already carved many changes. Decades ago, Webequie First Nation and Neskantaga First […]

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Justice Department can unseal Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case records, judge says

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday granted the Justice Department’s request to publicly release grand jury transcripts and other material from Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking case, citing a new law that requires the government to open its files on Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime confidant, but he cautioned that people shouldn’t expect […]

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