National

National


Mounties in Prince George, B.C., issue warning over ‘hit man’ scam

Police in British Columbia are warning the public about what they describe as a “hit man” scam. Prince George RCMP say the fraud scheme involves victims who receive texts or emails with threatening messages saying the sender is being sent to kill them.  Police say the sender then offers to cancel the would-be “contract” on […]

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St. Catharines pauses heavy-handed B&B crackdown; FOI documents show meetings between Mayor Siscoe and hotel industry lobbyists

After public backlash and media scrutiny, St. Catharines council on Monday night paused the previous enforcement of a bylaw to license bed and breakfasts.  The controversial bylaw was implemented in April of last year and required all bed and breakfasts to obtain a license in order to operate within city limits.   It was the first […]

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Government chatbots? It’s one possibility under Ottawa’s new AI strategy

Delayed air passengers, disgruntled phone customers and even hungry people craving a slice of pizza increasingly find their pleas to private companies being answered by artificial intelligence. Soon Canadians who need to reach out to the federal government could also find themselves talking to an employee who’s been helped by non-human assistants.  Ottawa is working […]

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Unclaimed bodies are piling up in Newfoundland. A funeral director blames government.

Unclaimed bodies are piling up in Newfoundland, and a funeral director says they likely belong to people whose loved ones couldn’t get enough government help to pay for a funeral.  Emails obtained by the provincial NDP show the number of unclaimed bodies kept in temporary freezer units at the province’s largest hospital more than doubled […]

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Police warn about phishing scams

A new phishing scam of fake missing person posts are circling around social media, and Lethbridge police are urging the public to verify information on the internet before sharing. Police have noticed an influx of posts, primarily targeted to Facebook Buy and Sell groups, of missing pets, children and wandering seniors, with the intent of […]

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Alberta to relax rule on buying oil, gas wells if municipal taxes unpaid

The Alberta government plans to relax a rule that requires energy companies seeking to buy viable wells from bankruptcy proceedings to first pay all the failed producer’s outstanding taxes. “I have informed the Alberta Energy Regulator and the Orphan Well Association that my office will be amending the order in a way that will protect […]

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ATCO Electric fined $3 million for unearned rate increases, overstating its costs

A prominent Alberta company has agreed to pay $3 million in fines for misleading the province’s utilities watchdog about its costs in two separate projects.  ATCO Electric has also agreed to refund $4 million in recompense for unearned rate increases, a deal that now goes before the Alberta Utilities Commission for approval.  “ATCO Electric admits […]

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Unable to work in their official language of choice, some public servants are quitting — to Canada’s detriment

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. ___ Author: Christopher A. Cooper, Associate Professor of Public Management, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa When thinking about what affects good governance, most citizens, pundits and even […]

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Computer love: AI-powered chatbots are changing how we understand romantic and sexual well-being

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. ___ Authors: Valerie A. Lapointe, PhD candidate in psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); David Lafortune, Professor, Department of sexology, Université du Québec à Montréal […]

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Poll suggests Manitobans worried about costs, less confident in institutions

Manitobans are increasingly worried about the cost of living and crime, and are becoming less confident in the justice system and public service, a poll commissioned by the provincial government suggests. The Benchmark Survey, conducted by polling firm Leger, is normally conducted every few months and provides the government insight into the top concerns and […]

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Complexity of policing strains balance between costs, service delivery — Kingston Police 2023 annual report

“Policing has become a complex process,” and with resources stretched to meet the community’s needs, “it is a very difficult balance to control costs and provide the services the community expects,” according to Kingston’s Chief of Police. On Thursday, Jun. 20, 2024, Chief Scott Fraser released his first annual report to the Kingston Police Services […]

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As police increasingly use facial recognition technology, calls grow for regulations

Some police services in Canada are using facial recognition technology to help solve crimes, while other police forces say human rights and privacy concerns are holding them back from employing the powerful digital tools. It’s this uneven application of the technology — and the loose rules governing its use — that has legal and AI […]

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