National

National


How secrecy and regulatory capture drove Alberta’s oil and gas liability crisis

This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. “A hustle in the oil patch”, a “dirty legacy”: These are just a couple of the ways that the escalating costs of abandoning and reclaiming non-producing […]

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Diwali fireworks advisory issued despite warnings it might be discriminatory: emails

OTTAWA — At least two Environment Canada meteorologists warned that linking Diwali fireworks to air pollution in an air quality advisory could be perceived as discriminatory, internal emails show, but the advisory was still published. Their warnings appeared well-founded. So many complaints had poured in by the end of the day that the department reissued […]

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Trial to begin for former RCMP intelligence director accused of disclosing secrets

OTTAWA — More than four years after Cameron Jay Ortis was charged with breaching Canada’s secrets law, the former RCMP intelligence director is about to get his day in court. Ortis was taken into custody in Ottawa on Sept. 12, 2019 — an arrest that deeply shocked the national police force. As the head of […]

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Federal Court of Appeal rules against Google in privacy law case

OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected an attempt by Google to overturn a decision that found the company’s search engine is covered by Canada’s privacy law, marking another victory for people seeking a digital “right to be forgotten.” The court ruled Friday in a 2-1 decision to uphold a 2021 decision by […]

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Mandatory security awareness training among changes since arrest of employee: RCMP

OTTAWA — The RCMP says it has introduced mandatory security awareness training for employees, one of several changes prompted by the 2019 arrest of a senior civilian member for allegedly leaking classified information. The Mounties say they have also made it easier to report security vulnerabilities, boosted the internal profile of departmental security operations and […]

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Rota debacle renews calls to examine history, including war crime records

OTTAWA — Canada could revisit calls to declassify documents about the presence of Nazi war criminals in the country, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Wednesday, as the fallout continued over Parliament’s recognition last week of a man who fought for the Nazis. “Canada has a really dark history with Nazis in Canada,” Miller said, heading […]

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EU trade regulations put forest degradation in the crosshairs

Shortly after a new EU law was introduced to crack down on the import of unsustainable forest products that result in “forest degradation,” Canada went to work defining the term. Deforestation is widely understood as the razing of forests, largely tropical, to create farmland. However, forest degradation doesn’t have a universally agreed-upon definition. The EU’s […]

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Ottawa rolls out voluntary code of conduct for AI as ‘fear’ persists over its use

MONTREAL — Some big players in Canada’s technology sector have signed on to a voluntary code of conduct for generative AI announced by the federal government Wednesday as anxiety persists over its proliferation and pace of development. The self-imposed safeguards will “build safety and trust as the technology spreads,” Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told a […]

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15 ‘potential’ gravesites found near former Yukon residential school

CARCROSS, Yukon — Yukon First Nation elder Sandra Johnson says the discovery of 15 potential graves near the site of a former residential school has “uncovered long-buried wounds.” Johnson spoke Tuesday at the release of an investigation into unmarked graves and the deaths of children who attended the former Chooutla Residential School in Carcross, south […]

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Parole board warned employees about threats following Saskatchewan stabbings: emails

Parole Board of Canada employees were fearful of threats after it was revealed a mass killer in Saskatchewan was on statutory release at the time of last year’s rampage, emails show. The emails in partially redacted documents, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, show staff at the Parole Board of […]

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B.C. First Nation research finds 158 child deaths at four facilities

MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA — An investigation into unmarked graves and missing children by British Columbia’s Sto:lo Nation has revealed at least 158 deaths, most of them at a hospital. But representatives from the Sto:lo Nation Chiefs’ Council and Sto:l? Research and Resource Management Centre said Thursday that their work has only just begun, and is […]

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Canada Post reviewing use of address data following criticism from privacy watchdog

OTTAWA — Canada Post said Friday it is reviewing how it uses data for tailored marketing campaigns after the federal privacy watchdog found the post office was breaking the law by gleaning information from the outsides of envelopes and packages. Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in a report released this week that information collected for […]

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