National

National


Liberals adopt policy to restrict kids from social media

Federal Liberals voted in favour of setting 16 as the age of majority for Canadians to be able to use social media accounts. Party grassroots passed a non-binding resolution Saturday morning for the restriction and to place the onus on social media companies to enforce it. Quebec MP Rachel Bendayan, who presented the idea to […]

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Alberta’s access restrictions threaten privacy, democratic role of libraries: critics

Critics of Alberta’s proposed rule changes to public libraries say the true danger lies in giving the province power to dictate access and potentially snoop on which books people are checking out. James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, says the government’s stated reason for the bill – to […]

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Internal memo flags the promise and pitfalls of expanding CSIS’s foreign spy role

An internal Canadian Security Intelligence Service memo says allowing the spy agency to collect foreign intelligence overseas would capitalize on its “existing footprint and expertise,” but might also invite a host of problems. The memo says giving CSIS the capabilities of a foreign human intelligence service — like the American CIA or Britain’s MI6 — […]

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Ontario failed to collect nearly $10M owed by alleged animal abusers: documents

Ontario has failed to collect more than 90 per cent of money owed by alleged animal abusers whose pets, livestock or menagerie were seized during investigations, The Canadian Press has learned. Since 2019, the province has charged owners money to care for animals seized by Animal Welfare Services to the tune of $10,633,241, documents obtained […]

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LNG Canada gas flaring far exceeding volumes allowed under permits: documents

Documents show the volume of gas flared at the LNG Canada plant on British Columbia’s north coast between October and January far surpassed what its permit allows. University of Victoria air quality researcher Laura Minet obtained monthly air emissions reports filed by LNG Canada to the B.C. Energy Regulator under freedom of information proceedings.  The […]

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Almost a third of police probes of diplomatic missions see subjects leave Canada

Almost a third of police probes involving members of foreign diplomatic missions in Canada in the last five years saw the subjects of the investigations leave the country before charges were laid or prosecuted. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through an access to information request list 67 incidents involving members of foreign missions that […]

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Federal privacy law changes would expand sharing of personal data across government

The Liberal government proposes making it easier for federal agencies to share and reuse the personal data of Canadians through a major overhaul of the Privacy Act. The act governs how federal agencies collect, use and disclose personal information, and gives people the right to see and correct data about them the government holds. The […]

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Alberta introduces bill to reduce child access to sex images in public libraries

The Alberta government introduced legislation Thursday to ensure children won’t be able to access sexually graphic images in books at public libraries. Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams stressed at a news conference that the government isn’t banning books. He held up a page of a graphic novel with a sexually explicit example of the images […]

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Ontario Autism Program spend now nearly $1B, advocates hope it makes dent in waitlist

A new infusion of cash for the Ontario Autism Program in the recent provincial budget will bring annual spending to nearly $1 billion, money advocates hope will go directly toward core therapy for children. The Ontario Autism Coalition says it welcomes the new $189 million, but worries it will not make enough of a dent […]

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New boss at N.S. Power says he wants to rebuild trust after cyberattack

The new CEO of Nova Scotia’s private electric utility says the firm has hit milestones on its recovery from last year’s cyberattack and is turning its attention to rebuilding trust with customers.  Vivek Sood, who became the CEO of Nova Scotia Power in early March, says the utility has reconnected its systems to every smart […]

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Opposition fears Doug Ford’s omnibus budget bill will be fast-tracked through to law

What do conservation authorities, a downtown Toronto parking lot and freedom-of-information requests have in common? On the face of it, nothing — but provincial legislative changes are coming to all three, and they are jammed into an omnibus budget bill tabled Thursday by Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. The province’s plan for doling out taxpayer […]

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Quebec Superior Court authorizes class action against Uber over cancellation fees

The Quebec Superior Court has authorized a class-action lawsuit against Uber that accuses the San Francisco-based company of violating the province’s Consumer Protection Act with its cancellation fees.  Lawyers for the main plaintiff, Valerie Ohayon, allege the company is not explicitly stating in its terms of service that a fixed fee will be charged for […]

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