Despite direction by the Ontario Ombudsman to reopen forensic investigations into alleged financial wrongdoing by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, his closest councillor ally Rowena Santos—after they cancelled the probes—and City staff, no one on council has taken action on behalf of taxpayers demanding accountability.  “There is no accountability at City Hall,” Azad Goyat, a Brampton […]

On Thursday, April 16, the Almaguin Clerks Group hosted a candidate information session for anyone thinking about throwing their name in the ring for local office. Whether you’re passionate about your community or just curious about the process, here are five things you need to know from the session before you hit the campaign trail. […]

Dozens of Alberta school divisions have pulled more than 170 books from library shelves this year to comply with a provincial order, including poetry collections, award-winning graphic novels, a sex education comic book and the film and graphic novel adaptations of George Orwell’s 1984. Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides directed schools to remove library […]

A new course has been preparing Nakusp Secondary School (NSS) students for post-grad life with skills and certifications in the Emergency Services field. Teachers Daniel Abraham and Dorian Boswell’s goals and vision for the course was to introduce students to hands-on training; encourage volunteerism; and embrace the unique educational opportunities of the Arrow Lakes region. […]

Town of Essex Council has approved a by-law that will allow Jet Wave – a business looking to rent out personal motorized watercrafts – to lease space at the Colchester Harbour.  The business will be able to lease space on the north-side of D Dock, as a result, in addition to space for a 10’by10’ […]

Erin Lamb, whose name was disclosed without authorization after anonymously filing complaints against the Three Rivers mayor and a councillor, said she was expecting an apology from the town which she never received. “I filed a complaint with the ombudsperson very shortly after all this happened. I just got a response from them saying that […]

The topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be a confusing and delicate topic to navigate, and the Town of Oliver experienced that reality anew in recent Council discussions. A draft AI Usage policy was presented at the April 7 Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting, to regulate how the Town approaches AI when dealing […]

The length of time Ramara Township should keep video footage of council meetings is back under the magnifying glass. With no standard set by the province, municipalities are left to establish their own framework for keeping footage. During this week’s committee of the whole meeting, Ramara politicians discussed amending a schedule of its record retention […]

Hope Lompe Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder Fire District content from Derek Kilbourn, Editor, Gabriola Sounder AI is rapidly changing how governments work, with several risks to be considered like personal and private information entered into data servers in countries outside of Canada.  After the Sounder reported in the April 1 edition that the Islands Trust […]

Last summer, an IJF investigation revealed that the amount of overtime worked by paramedics in Edmonton had increased by 81 per cent since 2021. The story was republished by several media outlets across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. A day later, staff from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office and the Ministry of Hospital and […]

An updated video surveillance policy was reviewed and approved by Council this week which will guide the use of security cameras around town. Council received a proposed updated Video Surveillance Cameras Policy at the April 7 Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting, presented by Brieanne Mader, the Town’s Deputy Corporate Officer. The proposal intended to […]

The Town of Strathmore is implementing clerical changes to better align with current provincial legislation. During the April 1 council meeting, all three readings of the new Designated Officer Bylaw were passed unanimously.  “On June 11 of last year, the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) was replaced with the Access to Information Act and administration […]