National

National


Financial regulators reviewing alleged high-pressure bank sales tactics

Financial regulators say they’re looking into allegations of high-pressure sales practices in Canadian bank branches. The Ontario Securities Commission and the Canadian Investment Regulation Organization say the co-ordinated review will first focus on information gathering over the coming months into early 2025. The regulators say they aim to better understand the sales culture and environment […]

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Parent critical of Atikokan school’s response to weapon incident

ATIKOKAN — The Rainy River District School Board needs to review its campus-safety policies and investigate an Atikokan school’s response to last week’s report of a student with a weapon, a local parent says. The school board says it is looking into how school administration responded last week and how to better respond to reports […]

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LifeLabs data breach report released after firm loses four-year bid to keep it quiet

A long-withheld investigation into a 2019 hacking at LifeLabs Inc. that compromised millions of Canadians’ health data has finally been made public after an Ontario court dismissed the company’s appeal to prevent its release. A statement from the privacy commissioners of both Ontario and British Columbia says their joint report, completed in June 2020, found […]

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‘A casual coffee/beer’: docs reveal relationship between TC Energy and B.C. premier’s office

In April 2023, François Poirier, president and CEO of Calgary-based TC Energy, wrote a letter to B.C. Premier David Eby, applauding the NDP government’s decision to approve Cedar LNG, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility that will be built by the Haisla Nation in Kitimat, B.C.  Poirier noted in the letter how TC Energy […]

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Documents reveal Canada’s early efforts to save orcas from ‘catastrophic’ oil spills

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has launched measures to try and protect endangered orcas on the West Coast from rising risk of oil spills, indicate federal documents obtained by Canada’s National Observer through access-to-information legislation. The fisheries department (DFO) has invested in vessels and acoustic gear, drafted an operating procedure for fishery officers, maintains community equipment […]

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CSIS tracked intelligence flow across government in foreign interference leak probe

Canada’s spy service tracked the flow of its intelligence reports across government and studied how other agencies handled them as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information about foreign interference, a newly released memo shows.  The Canadian Security Intelligence Service described the “tireless efforts” in the memo prepared for staff who were keen […]

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N.S. barristers’ society welcomes report on ‘prevalent’ racism in legal system

The governing council of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society has unanimously voted to accept the recommendations in a new report on how to better address systemic racism in the province’s legal community. Released Tuesday, the report by lawyer and former provincial ombudsman Douglas Ruck says there is “real, centuries-long, and still prevalent” anti-Black racism and […]

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Liberals put focus on accountability as N.S. parties begin first full day of campaign

Nova Scotia’s Liberal leader took direct aim at his Progressive Conservative opponent Monday, saying the Liberals want to bring accountability to government if elected Nov. 26. On the first full day of the provincial election campaign, Zach Churchill promised a string of “trust and transparency” measures, including a $250,000 fine for any party that doesn’t […]

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Amanda Todd’s family joins American parents in lawsuit against social media giants

When B.C. teenager Amanda Todd sat in front of her computer and detailed the relentless bullying and extortion she’d faced on social media, it sent a shock wave to parents around the world. Twelve years later her family is joining others in a lawsuit alleging those dangers persist for kids online. Only a few weeks […]

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RCMP introduce body-worn cameras this winter

In effort to increase transparency in policing and improve accountability, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada’s federal police force, will soon be equipped with body-worn cameras. Frontline general duty officers that work in the communities of: Ucluelet, Ahousaht, Tofino, Mission, Prince George, Cranbrook and Kamloops will be amongst the first to start recording evidence from […]

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The last chapter for the Walker Family YMCA

It’s déjà vu for citizens of St. Catharines. A joint statement has been released announcing that after good faith negotiations, Atria Development (owner of the former Walker Family YMCA facility) and the City, have decided that the future of the site will not include the existing recreation facility which will instead be redeveloped into housing.   […]

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Before/after school care in crisis, school boards have duty to provide it

As the old adage “It takes a village to raise a child” suggests, it requires a community to provide a safe, healthy, secure environment for children to develop and flourish. In addition to friends and family, citizens count on their elected municipal, provincial, and federal governments to create laws and policies to keep children safe, […]

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